Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
Vern4
Enthusiast - Level 2

Recently my computer quit and I had to install a new one. The hard drive on my old computer did not fail so all of my files are safe and backed-up, but I’m having trouble moving my Verizon MSN Premium e-mail folders and files stored on the old hard drive over to my new computer. I’ve searched the Internet and Verizon help with no luck. The usual solution found is to utilize the Microsoft Easy Transfer tool, but it requires my old computer to be functional, which it is not. I understand MSN Premium stores e-mail in a data base format in a folder named either Db or Db30, depending on the version of MSN Premium, and I’ve located my folders and files on the old hard drive. I’ve tried to copy and paste the folders and files to the new hard drive, but still can’t see the transferred folders and files on my new computer. Verizon with MSN Member Center has been no help and the link https://membercenter.msn.com connects me with Verizon In-Home Agent where I find no answer to my problem. I’ve tried to call your HELP line, but unfortunately the parties on the other end have been no help and their English is difficult to understand. I have over a hundred e-mail folders and subfolders in “Folders on your computer” and over 1,500 saved e-mails that I’d like to retain on my local hard drive. I would appreciate if Verizon could provide me with the steps required to reestablish folders and files on my new computer. My old computer operating system was Microsoft XP SP2 and the new computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium. I’ve been able to establish new folders on the new computer, but no luck transferring folders and files onto the new computer. There are software options built into the Verizon e-mail, but it is designed to move OUTLOOK, OUTLOOK Express, etc. into Windows Live and not MSN Premium. I don’t know if the issue is in the new Microsoft security area of WIN 7, my misunderstanding of how to move the folder and files or what.

Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
prisaz
Legend

Install the latest version of MSN from here. Everything is backed up on their servers. With possibly more than one exception, you may need to reset your avatars for the user icons. Also anything you were managing with the MSN software may need to be copied to their new proper locations.

https://membercenter.msn.com/download.aspx?lm=en-us

Just did an install to new Windows 7 and all went fine. When you select install, it will save the installer to your local drive and you must run it from there. It did under FireFox. If you click on Install from IE browser, it may respond differently.

Actually running it the first time even my icons were there. Have you reinstalled the software as described above? You probably will not get much support from Verizon, as they have stopped offering this software to new users and I believe discontinued support.

Now if you were using it to manage photos and other items, they may or maynot be stored on MSN and may have been stored on the local drive only. Manage a few photos or use the other spplications that may be missing data. If any. Then see where that data is stored on your new Winn 7 install. You will probably find that it is not the same location, and will need to copy the items to the proper folders.

Hope this helps.

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Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
Vern4
Enthusiast - Level 2

It is my understanding e-mails I've saved in folders on my local hard drive are not on the server.  Rather than leave e-mail I want to keep on the server I have many folders saved under "Folders on your computer" that are save on my local hard drive.

Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
prisaz
Legend

@Vern wrote:

It is my understanding e-mails I've saved in folders on my local hard drive are not on the server.  Rather than leave e-mail I want to keep on the server I have many folders saved under "Folders on your computer" that are save on my local hard drive.


Now that may be a little tricky. I suspect I would need to find the new locations for those on Windows 7, which I am sure is not the same. Just like photos and other items you may need to put those in a new location. I would say create a new folder onlike your old ones backed up, than do a search for that folder to see where it may be. I do not use the MSN mail alot so I would need to play with it. If I find out I will pass on the information. What OS did you have MSN installed on previously? If it was XP, it will be much different than Vista or Win 7. You may have to put it where you want and tell the new MSN install where they are, buy crating new folder refferences.

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Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
prisaz
Legend

Now this is where I found stuff. You may have to turn off hide system files in under folder options. But from what I can see, the best way to recover is to have a backup of all your mail and folders exported to a format that can be imported. Like many programs, MSN is dependant on many charateristics of the individual install. Folder on on computer could be call something else on another computer. So I am not sure how you can get them back. Perhaps someone has a better answer. I have always kepet certian messages backed up on MSN's server so the can be available in this situation. I do not use it for mail much, so I have never had this issue.

I hope others can be of more help. i tried.

C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\MSN6

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Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
Vern4
Enthusiast - Level 2

prisaz, Thanks so much for taking a second look.  Previous copy of MSN Premium was on a Pentium 4  XP machine that had a mother board failure.  It appears MSN Premium stores the e-mail in a folder named db or db30, depending on what version of MSN Premium.  Files are labeled "user e-mail name-msn-com.1a", "user e-mail name-msn-com.1b", etc and these seem to be the e-mails.  The folders and subfolders where MSN Premium stored the e-mails are named as example "stm0x3000a0d.001", "stm0x3000a0f.000". I'm able to build new folders and subfolders on my new Windows 7 machine, but when I copy the saved e-mails they aren't visible.  I've found several articles on line explaining this naming scheme, but most want be to rename the extensions on the files to *.eml and import into Outlook, Windows E-mail, or something other than MSN Premium.  I could play with the renaming, but would really like to find someone within Microsoft or Verizon who is familiar with the MSN Premium storage scheme and how to move the folders and files onto my new Windows 7 computer. I've got the e-mails and folders backed-up and I'm in no hurry so I'll keep asking.  I've read enough on-line articles to know that I need to change "folder options" to see any hidden files so that doesn't seem to be the issue.  The path you sent is dependent upon whether the user is utilizing XP, VISTA, Windows 7 or an earlier version of Microsoft O/S.   I see there are a couple more posts after this one so let me see what they have to say.

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Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
GaryB4
Enthusiast - Level 1

Was a solution to this problem ever found?  I am having the same problem now.  I have saved e-mails and can't get to them.

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Re: Move MSN Premium Folders on your computer from old hard drive to new
Vern4
Enthusiast - Level 2
Spoiler
GaryB, I never received a solution that I could implement.  I did a lot of reading similar solutions and finally managed to move the e-mails by deleting the db30 folder generated by MSN Premium and copying the db30 folder and files that I had pulled from the hard drive of the old inop XP computer into the same location that MSN Premium made the db30 folder  after i did a clean install of MSN Premium.
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