13th September 2001
Most of us have reinstalled Windows a few times. In doing such, we've had to reinstall programs, too. The binaries are relatively simple to set up, but what about any information you may have customized or created in previous installations? Better make sure you grab that stuff before it's too late. MSN stores all your Messenger contacts online (and now allows you to back up / restore them locally). What about ICQ? Open up its folder and look for the files with your UIN. For me, that'd be 144832.* (with the asterisk being the wildcard, translating as any extension). Put these in the same location on any other computer (or Windows installation). Of course, we know that Outlook stores its stuff in a PST file, and Outlook Express uses the DBX format. So, what else should be copied on a regular basis? Any accompanying INI / CFG file. For the most part, these can be found in the program's folder, though some are kept in your Windows folder. Each may contain important software registration information or customizations. When in doubt, don't throw it out.
Lockergnomie Gary Ce submitted: "Outlook Express quite nicely imports WAB files which is the native file format for all your Outlook Express addresses and mailing groups. However, depending on your version of Outlook Express, there is no WAB export function. It is nice to be able to do that when exchanging address lists between computers. This leaves most people using CSV text files. The problem with CSV is that you lose any groups you created, besides having to repeatedly answer questions about which fields to transfer. The tip is search your C drive for the WAB files on the source computer and copy it / them. In the destination system's Outlook Express, select "Import Address Book," and merge in the file. You'll get of all your contact info from the originating computer -- including any groups you had. I e-mail my WAB files back and forth between my various computers to keep them in sync."