If you need to import an Outlook Express address book into Outlook Express on another system or into the address book of another account on the same system, take the steps listed below.
Locating an Address Book
Locate the previous Outlook Express address book. It will be a .wab file (presumably this stands for "Windows Address Book"). You won't be able to locate it if the Windows Explorer is using the default folder settings, which don't allow you to view hidden and system files. You need to change those settings first, if you haven't previously done so, to display hidden and system files (instructions for viewing hidden and system files).
The address book, which will have a "wab" extension, will likely be under
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book,
where "username" is the relevant user's userid, e.g. "JSmith".
If you are importing the address book into an account on the same system, you can proceed to the step of importing it into Outlook Express. Otherwise copy it to the other system. There may also be a file with an extension "wab~". That is a backup file, which you can ignore. If you want to view the entries in the address book, you can double-click on the file and look under "Main Identity's Contacts" for the list of addresses in the address book
Importing the Address Book
- Click on "Addresses" to open the address book.
- Click on "File" and select "Import" followed by "Address Book (WAB)".
- Browse to where the address book is stored, click on it to select it and then click on the "Open" button, which will import the addresses from that file. You should see "The import process completed successfully" when the operation is complete.
