Scheduled Maintenance: We are aware of an issue with Google, AOL, and Yahoo services as email providers which are blocking new registrations. We are trying to fix the issue and we have several internal and external support tickets in process to resolve the issue. Please see: viewtopic.php?t=158230

 

 

 

[HOWTO] - access Outlook Express .DBX files in Debian

Share your HowTo, Documentation, Tips and Tricks. Not for support questions!.
Post Reply
Message
Author
lkraemer
Posts: 209
Joined: 2011-02-09 05:02
Been thanked: 4 times

[HOWTO] - access Outlook Express .DBX files in Debian

#1 Post by lkraemer »

[HOWTO] - access Outlook Express .DBX files in Debian
by lkraemer » 2015-11-29 20:16

This HOWTO: will explain how to access Win98SE Outlook Express .DBX files in your Debian 8.x install, and later XP Versions
using .PST file formats.

Earlier versions of Windows (98 & 98SE) used Outlook Express (Versions 5 & 6) for their Email Software.
Outlook Express stored the compressed Email Text and any attached files in a .DBX file format on the Hard Drive
at a specific location. My system login was as administrator, and therefore my path to the .DBX files was:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Identities\{511BD74A-FCB8-4326-BAAD-7A7E70020B86}

Code: Select all

larry@debian:~/copper.net-emails$ ls -alt *.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 74720 Oct 17 2005 Folders.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 521712 Oct 17 2005 Hotmail - Inbox.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 174956684 Oct 17 2005 Inbox.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 9656 Oct 17 2005 Offline.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Hotmail - Deleted Items.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Hotmail - Inbox.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 9404 Oct 17 2005 Pop3uidl.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Hotmail - Bulk Mail.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 76016 Oct 17 2005 Hotmail - ChgAddr.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 338644 Oct 17 2005 Lindas.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Notes.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Outbox.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 6018032 Oct 17 2005 savemsg (1).dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 261613452 Oct 17 2005 Sent Items.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Deleted Items.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 60116 Oct 17 2005 Drafts.dbx
-rw-r--r-- 1 larry larry 81920 Apr 20 2002 Search Folder.dbx

Code: Select all

larry@debian:~/copper.net-emails$
The main files are Inbox.dbx, savemsg (1).dbx, Sent Items.dbx, Lindas.dbx, Hotmail - Inbox.dbx, and Hotmail - Inbox.dbx.
The other files mostly are junk, and don't contain any text messages.

To convert these *.DBX files to something useful so Linux users can access those old text messages, DbxConv.EXE will be
used convert them to mbx files.

The Command: DbxConv *.DBX from Windows 2000, Windows 98, Win98SE, or XP, will extract the .mbx files.

The *.mbx files can now be copied to a Linux directory /home/user/Old_Dialup_Emails/Emails/*.mbx

Then Icedove can be installed, and a Local Folder browsed to the above files. Now, Icedove can access any email
from the old POP3 Email accounts.

Thunderbird can also be used to access the .MBX files.


LATER VERSIONS:

Later versions of Outlook in XP used different file formats (PST). I used SST.EXE to locate the PST files.

In XP:
Use SST.EXE (SST.DOC) to locate Outlook *.PST Files in XP.
Copy *.PST Files to subdirectories /1, /2, /3, /4, ..... on a 16GB Flash Drive. Then access them from Debian.

In Debian:
Copy *.PST Files to Linux Storage Directory.............

Then:
Install libpst4 & pstutil

Code: Select all

apt-get install libpst4 pstutil
man readpst

Code: Select all

cd ~/Path/To/Linux/Storage/of/PST/Files/
cd 1
readpst -D -u *.pst
cd ..
cd 2
readpst -D -u *.pst
cd ..
You may want to move all the .PST files in each of the 2 subirectories (or DELETE them if
you are 100% sure you won't ever need them), to avoid confusion.

Open each .mbox file in Linux with Evolution, for each mbox in the
following 2 directories and their tree. Or, you could probably import them
into Outlook a later version of Windows. These files came from Outlook 2003 in XP.

Code: Select all

larry@debian:~$ cd Downloads/Rick_PST_Files/
larry@debian:~/Downloads/Rick_PST_Files$ tree
.
├── 1
│** ├── Archive Folders
│** │** └── Inbox
│** │** ├── HR 491
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── mbox
│** │** └── PS 302
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── archive.pst
│** ├── old
│** │** ├── Calendar
│** │** │** └── calendar
│** │** ├── Contacts
│** │** │** └── contacts
│** │** ├── Deleted Items
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Drafts
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Inbox
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Junk E-mail
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── Sent Items
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── Outlook.pst
│** ├── Personal Folders
│** │** ├── Deleted Items
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Jokes
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── PCS
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Save
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── Work
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── README1st.txt
│** ├── RuebelPersonal.pst
│** ├── Save Folders
│** │** ├── Deleted Items
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Jokes
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Rick's
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Save
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── Vicki's
│** │** ├── eBay
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── Save Folders.pst
│** ├── work
│** │** ├── CA_CRL
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Impac
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Jokes
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Other Stuff
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Promotions
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── PT Testing
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Receipts
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Retraining
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── SABC
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** ├── Training
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── Volunteer Ops
│** │** └── mbox
│** └── work.pst
├── 2
│** ├── Outlook.pst
│** └── Personal Folders
│** ├── Calendar
│** │** └── calendar
│** ├── Contacts
│** │** └── contacts
│** ├── Deleted Items
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── Drafts
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── Inbox
│** │** └── mbox
│** ├── Junk E-mail
│** │** ├── eBay
│** │** │** └── mbox
│** │** └── mbox
│** └── Sent Items
│** └── mbox
Linux Distro's also have undbx in their repositories (Debian at least does), and it will extract all Emails from a .DBX file
into .eml files. You can use any(or most) email client's, or browers to open these .eml files.


Larry

Post Reply