importing Outlook Express email into Gmail

[bogl]

I'm tearing my hair out over this problem, and hoping someone can help.


I have a client who has thousands of emails (c 4Gb) locked up in Outlook Express on a Win 2000 machine. I've successfully retrieved them from the machine and imported them into a brand-new XP machine. She is adamant she wants to stick with XP and OE. She is a big user of family history programs, many of which are only useful in XP. Migrating onto Windows 7 is a non-starter (yes, yes, I know :-) )


Her email address is strictly POP3 only. I've set up a Gmail address for her which polls her POP3 email address for her. Gmail is set up with IMAP access via OE.


The sticking point is her massive database of email. It sits on OE in a series of folders in Local Folders. The best way of future-proofing her email and her eventual move from OE is to put it all onto Gmail/IMAP. But how to get her email in there?


Copying folders into the IMAP account in OE doesn't work. Emails can be dragged into IMAP but the folders need to be recreated in IMAP: this will take forever.


Thunderbird can import OE mail, but only if OE is installed on the same machine as I understand it.


She does have access to Outlook 2007. All I have read on the Net seems to suggest mail can be imported from OE to Outlook, possibly using Windows Live Mail as an intermediary. However, if the folder structures aren't maintained and not re-created on the IMAP server easily, this is another long and tedious job.


So, in summary, I need to
- take a very large number of emails in folders from OE
- import them into Gmail via IMAP, whilst maintaining the folders.


Grateful for any and all suggestions!

[bogl]

*optimistic bump*

[bbrener]

The drag and drop of folders does not work in WLM either. I think you'll have to recreate the folders.
I have set up Outlook and OE on the same system with the same IMAP. Then I have dragged emails from OE folders into OE's inbox which also appear in Outlook's Inbox. Then they can be dragged into an Outlook folder and hence moved.
You could do this folder by folder and add the folder to Outlook each time.
Long and convoluted but it works. Not sure if that helps.

Alternately, go to Win7 and run XP in a virtual machine for those entrenched apps (Oracle Virtual Box I believe is free) and migrate as time allows. Sounds like you are btter off biting the bullet.

[bogl]

That method does seem to make things a little easier, but it still makes for a pretty mammoth task. Still hoping against hope for another solution, but further research has drawn a blank thus far.

I have tried the XP VM in Win 7 but she couldn't take to it. The only client I have experienced who I've been unable to wean off XP.

[bbrener]

Well, if she's willing to pay your time that's good. Otherwise teach her to move it herself. I bit that bullet years ago. The longer you leave it, the worse it gets.
I don't think there is a solution from stored folders in a POP environment.

[bogl]

It would appear not...ah well, I shall break it to her gently....