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Re: [LUG] Outlook to Thunderbird Re: XP to Debian ...

 

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 1:15 PM, tom <tompotts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 23/05/11 12:57, Grant Sewell wrote:
>>
>> On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 7:25 AM, tom<tompotts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>  wrote:
>>>
>>> On 22/05/11 19:56, Simon Waters wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 22/05/11 19:23, Gordon Henderson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> A few google searches suggested simply copying it over from the XP box
>>>>> "as is" - which is what I did - I used the file manager to copy the
>>>>> entire Thunderbird profile directory from the XP side to the
>>>>> .thunderbird directory - and it worked! No exporting accounts,
>>>>> addresses, themes, settings, etc.
>>>>
>>>> I meant for Outlook and many other clients the easy route is into
>>>> Thunderbird on Windows, and then over to Thunderbird on GNU/Linux.
>>>>
>>>> The Outlook export uses the API, they use to include it in the GNU/Linux
>>>> version of Thunderbird even though it wouldn't work without the relevant
>>>> Microsoft DLLs for accessing the Outlook mail store.
>>>>
>>> Does this mean Outlook (and Outlook Express) can be transferred to
>>> Thunderbird more or less seamlessly?
>>> Tom te tom te tom
>>
>> "seamless" is subjective.
>>
>> I have moved people from Outlook&  Outlook Express over to Thunderbird
>> fairly well by using an IMAP server in the middle.  I added the IMAP
>> server to the Outlook/OE instance, moved all the mail over manually,
>> then added the IMAP to the Thunderbird instance.
>>
>> Was a pain but seemed to work better than the various tools I found
>> that will offer to move Outlook/OE stuff to Thunderbird for you.  One
>> tool that looked promising simply exported all the Outlook/OE messages
>> into .eml files and dumped them in the relevant Thunderbird profile.
>> Although technically it *did* work, it was clumsy and inelegant.
>>
>> Grant.
>>
> I was trying to find out how difficult it was  - I would not imagine to be
> drag over account details easily but otherwise I was wondering how hard it
> would be to automate transferring an Outlook(Express) user to an open source
> message/pim setup.
>
> When you say you moved the messages manually was that simply a case of drag
> and drop for a directory tree or a bit more tricky?
> Tom te tom te tom

It was indeed a question of dragging and dropping the folders from the
"local" part of Outlook/OE into the IMAP account.  It took bloomin'
ages.

Having said that, I was happy to do this - the rest of the company
wanted to stay with Outlook and those using OE were happier moving to
Outlook than they were moving to Thunderbird.  I tried persuading them
but at the end of the day it was their choice and I would rather have
let them keep their software than lose a contract.

Grant.

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