Text conversion?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Glenn
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Glenn

Here's one I haven't seen but I'll bet it is here somewhere.

I use IE and it keeps emails in a screwy language. Is there a freeware
program that will go in and sequentially read every email, maintain it's
file name and put it out in text to a directory of my choice? Hopefully
one
click to read the whole bunch, not individually, there are hundreds of
'em.

PS, I have been debating changing over to Mozilla. How does it keep it's
files? In text?

Glenn
 
Glenn said:
Here's one I haven't seen but I'll bet it is here somewhere.

I use IE and it keeps emails in a screwy language. Is there a freeware
program that will go in and sequentially read every email, maintain it's
file name and put it out in text to a directory of my choice? Hopefully
one
click to read the whole bunch, not individually, there are hundreds of
'em.

PS, I have been debating changing over to Mozilla. How does it keep it's
files? In text?
Click to expand...
Mozilla and Thunderbird keep their mail (and news) messages in the good
old standard "mbox" format, which stretching the old grey cells in weird
20+ year directions is a blank line followed by a "From xyz" header. Go
ogle for "mbox format", or just use the source, Luke.

This translates to: "Yes, it uses text".

Cheers,
Gary B-)
 
Gary R. Schmidt said:
Mozilla and Thunderbird keep their mail (and news) messages in the good
old standard "mbox" format, which stretching the old grey cells in weird
20+ year directions is a blank line followed by a "From xyz" header. Go
ogle for "mbox format", or just use the source, Luke.

This translates to: "Yes, it uses text".

Cheers,
Gary B-)
Click to expand...

Thank you much. Good to know. Wonder why IE doesn't. IE hides them like
they were a state secret 4 or 5 levels down. Does Mozilla? Still hoping
there is a freeware converter or even a non-freeware converter. I haven't
found either.

Glenn
 
Still hoping
there is a freeware converter or even a non-freeware converter. I haven't
found either.
Click to expand...

There is DbxConv.

http://people.freenet.de/ukrebs/dbxconv.html

Description

This program will extract the messages from an Outlook Express (5.0 -
6.0) mailbox and convert it either to the standard mbox or the Outlook
Express eml format. The advantage of saving your mail in mbox format
is, that it's a plain text format, which can be read by many mail-
clients. Converting to eml format is a convenient way to re-import the
messages into Oulook Express.

The handling of eml export is a little bit smarter than the one
offered by Outlook Express itself. Outlook Express will overwrite
messages with same sender and subject, while DbxConv enumerates the
messages, so you can be sure none is lost due to conversion.
 
Jacob Boerema said:
There is DbxConv.

http://people.freenet.de/ukrebs/dbxconv.html

Description

This program will extract the messages from an Outlook Express (5.0 -
6.0) mailbox and convert it either to the standard mbox or the Outlook
Express eml format. The advantage of saving your mail in mbox format
is, that it's a plain text format, which can be read by many mail-
clients. Converting to eml format is a convenient way to re-import the
messages into Oulook Express.

The handling of eml export is a little bit smarter than the one
offered by Outlook Express itself. Outlook Express will overwrite
messages with same sender and subject, while DbxConv enumerates the
messages, so you can be sure none is lost due to conversion.
Click to expand...

That is a program I have and have used it to backup files but only in the
original format. I can't find a way to get it to save them mbox (text).
What am I missing?

Glenn
 
That is a program I have and have used it to backup files but only in the
original format. I can't find a way to get it to save them mbox (text).
What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Are you sure you aren't confusing it with another program?

It's a long time ago that I converted my e-mails to Pegasus mail but
according to the readme:

2. Usage
The easiest way to covert Oulook Express dbx-files is to copy the
mailboxes to a directory with DbxConv.exe in it. Do not try to
convert folders, which have the same extension (like "Folders.dbx"),
it will not work. Still it will do no harm.
Then open a DOS-box and type "DbxConv *.dbx". This will convert all
dbx-files into mbx-files. I'd suggest, that you keep backup copies of
the original dbx-files, at least until you have verified, that other
mail-clients can read the mbx-files. For Netscape e.g. it is required
to remove the extension ".mbx" of the created files.
To convert all dbx-files into eml format, type "DbxConv -eml *.dbx".
For each mailbox a folder with the name of the mailbox is created,
and all messages will be extracted into the respective folder. To do
both, converting and extracting, type "DbxConv -mbx -eml *.dbx".

For more commandline options see the readme or website.

If my memory is correct the only thing I had to do was to shorten the
names of some of the OE mailboxes.
 
Jacob Boerema said:
Are you sure you aren't confusing it with another program?
Click to expand...
*********************
No, I downloaded your link, ran it and realized it was one I had.
*************************
It's a long time ago that I converted my e-mails to Pegasus mail but
according to the readme:

2. Usage
The easiest way to covert Oulook Express dbx-files is to copy the
mailboxes to a directory with DbxConv.exe in it. Do not try to
convert folders, which have the same extension (like "Folders.dbx"),
it will not work. Still it will do no harm.
Then open a DOS-box and type "DbxConv *.dbx". This will convert all
dbx-files into mbx-files. I'd suggest, that you keep backup copies of
the original dbx-files, at least until you have verified, that other
mail-clients can read the mbx-files. For Netscape e.g. it is required
to remove the extension ".mbx" of the created files.
To convert all dbx-files into eml format, type "DbxConv -eml *.dbx".
For each mailbox a folder with the name of the mailbox is created,
and all messages will be extracted into the respective folder. To do
both, converting and extracting, type "DbxConv -mbx -eml *.dbx".
Click to expand...
***************************
You mention "other mail clients" can read it. If it is in text, shouldn't
word or wordperfect read 'em?

I'll try the dos version after I get back from vacation.

Thanks.
Glenn
****************************
 
You mention "other mail clients" can read it. If it is in text, shouldn't
word or wordperfect read 'em?
Click to expand...

I just looked at one mbx file and as far as I can see it's plain text.
All e-mails are stored one after the other. So yes it should be
possible to open it in any program that can read plain text.
 
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