Importing Outlook Express E-mail

My parents Windows 7 laptop fried recently, I got them a new HP 350 G2 which came with Win8.1 and i upgraded to 10. My father used to use outlook express with an email through his ISP, and the only way I see to import that email into a new account involves being on the computer using outlook express and using the migration tool. Obviously I can't do that since that computer is toast (the motherboard fried), so I need suggestions on how to do this for them asap!

Carsomyr said:

My parents Windows 7 laptop fried recently, I got them a new HP 350 G2 which came with Win8.1 and i upgraded to 10. My father used to use outlook express with an email through his ISP, and the only way I see to import that email into a new account involves being on the computer using outlook express and using the migration tool. Obviously I can't do that since that computer is toast (the motherboard fried), so I need suggestions on how to do this for them asap!

What I have done in the past is to put the HDD in a USB Box then search it for *.dbx files and save to another location for safety. I also get the *.wab file that is the Windows Address Book. Haven't tried Win10's Contacts yet for importing that .wab file. Some E-Mail Clients can import the messages from the .dbx files.

I have also installed OE Classic, worked on Win8.1 and the Tech Preview of Win10, looks quite a bit like Outlook Express. Since [hate to say it] older folks are involved that may be a way to go.
OE Classic - Easy to use Outlook Express replacement

After digging through their hard drive looks like they had windows live mail installed...I recovered all related files of the hard drive, and I can download it for 10. But how to import all their old stuff into it? They didn't use an actual live email, they used one from our ISP.

Carsomyr said:

After digging through their hard drive looks like they had windows live mail installed...I recovered all related files of the hard drive, and I can download it for 10. But how to import all their old stuff into it? They didn't use an actual live email, they used one from our ISP.

If they used Webmail/Online E-Mail such as Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com Yahoo E-Mail, everything should still be on that site. They'll just need their login [usually their E-Mail address] and Password.

Berton said:

If they used Webmail/Online E-Mail such as Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com Yahoo E-Mail, everything should still be on that site. They'll just need their login [usually their E-Mail address] and Password.

I tried logging in with their email, I get nothing. I really don't know all I have is the files off the drive and he swears he used outlook express... all the files were in the windows mail/windows live mail folders though. I'm trying to piece this back together...

Idk if this might be relevant but in what would have been their folder users/{user}/AppData/Local/Microsoft/WindowsLiveMail I have an oeconfig.xml file and in the folder users/{user}/AppData/Local/Microsoft/WindowsMail I have an oeold.xml file.... idk if they imported this from xp to 7 or what... and neither do they :P I have always had a hotmail so I've never had any problems like this before...

Ok so i did some digging and took a bit from this guide here: How to recover Windows Mail data and settings from a corrupted user profile - The Winhelponline Blog I did the first 2 steps (I didn't think it was that simple!) to copy the messages/accounts/contacts, but ignored the rest since the guide was set up for creating a new account on the same computer. I installed windows live mail 2012 which i think is what they had, and everything is back to what it was. Thanks for the suggestions along the way!