E-mail, chat, & VoIP forum: How to transfer Windows Mail files?

Sometimes folk meant the stock one and sometimes something else.

http://www.oehelp.com/WMUtil/Default.aspx and the picture there shows the message store is in the user's home folder under AppData. You would copy that to the restored machine.

No one would re-use that hard drive until recovery is complete!

Your post may have omitted other details such as the new laptop that is not running Vista.
Bob

Why? Because there is no mandate to include Windows Mail in 7. The maker of the laptop has every right to omit this app because including it could mean they need to support it. Yup, that's in da' OEM license or rules.

You can try the following to enable Mail then copy the mail store over.

1. A repeat of where the mail store is at:
http://www.sevenforums.com/browsers-mail/83973-windows-mail-database-lost-vista-window-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/browsers-mail/47298-email-lost-after-vista-windows-7-upgrade.html

2. Try enabling Windows Mail in 7:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-networking/is-there-any-possibility-of-using-windows-mail/c2c4fbc4-3a62-45dc-8b38-a32eedcf03d9

I know it's unpopular but you may want to forget Microsoft's free email software. If you've been around, they seem to forget folk want to move to other machines. That is, look at the procedures to move email and you find nothing that anyone would like to do.
Bob

Ok, from what I have been reading on the links that you sent me and other Forums, people have had mixed success migrating Windows Mail to Windows 7. Even those folks that get it to work seem to have problems getting all features to work.

The person that I am trying to help is a senior citizen and somewhat reluctant to change but I can help her through it. The original problem that I needed help with was to get the Windows Mail data, from a hard drive that cannot be booted, into another program. For instance, I could set her up with Thunderbird but how do I migrate the Windows Mail data into TB? I obviously cannot export from Windows Mail. Thoughts?

There are Thunderbird discussions about importing such email. Let's find one with google to get started.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=import+windows+mail+vista+to+thunderbird+2012

As far as I can see, there is no one single solution. Your best bet is to get the email over to Windows Live Mail first (if possible) and then over to Thunderbird.

Sorry that I don't have an always works and free solution but at this point you have learned why I can't suggest the Microsoft email software to anyone today. MSFT has tossed us under the bus a few too many times on this area (and I didn't mention their backup software or the Windows Phone.)
Bob

I just need to find a way to get the old Windows Mail messages and contacts into anything else. I have actually convinced her to move to Gmail. It looks like even moving from Windows Mail to Windows Live Mail takes an import/export.

use windows mail web site put in your existing email address and password and reload your system from the server including all your contacts and emails which were present on your old computer. you wont lose anything