Back-up your address book in Outlook Express 5.0

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Question: How do you back up the address book in Outlook Express 5.0? –A.L.

Answer: Here’s the easy way with Compact Outlook Express Backup.

Here is the step by step manual process, for Outlook Express 4.0 and for Outlook Express 6.0.

You are going to want to either export your address book to keep it safe or back up your Windows Address Book file (WAB file).

Here’s how:

Tactic #1, to be used if you have a WAB file (if you don’t, then please see Tactic #2 below):

  1. Click Start on the Windows taskbar.
  2. Select Find, then select Files or Folders…. The Find: All Files dialogue box will appears.
  3. In the Named box, type the following: *.wab
  4. In the Look in the drop-down list box, type the letter of the local hard disk or select it if it is listed.
  5. Click Find Now.
  6. Right-click the .wab file, and select Copy.

Tactic #2, Do one of the following:

  • Back up the file to a floppy disk:
    1. Insert a formatted floppy disk into the floppy disk drive.
    2. Double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows desktop, and double-click the 3.5″ Floppy (A:) icon.
    3. In the right-hand pane, right-click, and select Paste. (The file is copied to the floppy disk.)
  • Back up the file to a folder:
    1. Open Windows Explorer.
    2. Locate the folder where you want to save the copy of the address book.
    3. Right-click in the folder, and select Paste. (The file is copied to the folder.)
    4. To close Windows Explorer, click the close window button.
  • To close the Find: All Files dialogue box, click the Close Window button.

On the File menu, point to Export, and then click Address Book. Choose a format for the export. To export your address book directly from Outlook Express, choose Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book. To use a file with address information separated by commas, select Text File.

Click Export.

Choose a profile that most closely fits the intended use for the exported address book and click OK. You can reinstall it using the Import function under the File menu in Outlook Express 5.0.