Convert Your AOL Address Book
Copy your AOL address book to Gmail or Outlook
This page gives step by step instructions on how to convert your AOL address book using ePreserver when ePreserver says “Neither AOL nor CompuServe is installed.” These instructions are also useful if you need to convert the address book for a screen name you normally access as Guest in AOL 9.
This will take about ten minutes.
Important: You must still have an active AOL screen name in order to use these instructions. AOL Communicator is no longer supported by AOL, so you should uninstall it when this procedure is finished.
1. Install AOL Communicator
The first task is to download and install AOL Communicator, which is based on Netscape and is smaller and less intrusive than AOL 9. You can easily uninstall AOL Communicator when you are done.
You can download it from:
http://am.net/lib/TOOLS/AOL/ac_install.exe
This download should be about a minute if you have cable or DSL Internet access.
When you are asked if you want to Run or Save the software, click Run.
Once the download completes, click Run:
Follow the prompts to install AOL Communicator. Make sure you UNCHECK the box for "Make AOL Communicator my mail client":
If you get an error about "The installer needs to close the application", just click Cancel. You'll be told the installation was canceled, but the error message is wrong.
2. Set up a dummy email account
AOL Communicator will automatically start after you install it. You will be asked to fill out your mailbox information. We won't really be setting up a mailbox so will provide placeholder information.
On the Welcome page, just click Next:
On Step 1, fill out the requested information. You can enter "Test" for the Account Description. Make sure you enter your AOL screen name and password correctly.
Click Next when you are finished:
On Step 2, just click Next.
On Step 3, uncheck Mail and check Address Book:
Finally, on Step 4, click Complete Setup:
You will see a message that AOL Communicator is download messages. You can click Cancel once the Synchronizing Address Book bar is complete:
You'll receive an error, but you can just click OK.
You may see this error, in which case you should just OK:
Finally, if you are asked if you want to create another account, just click No:
3. Export your contacts
AOL Communicator should have opened automatically. Go to the address book, click on the File menu, and choose Export...
When the Export window opens, click Desktop on the left, type in aol for the filename, and click Save:
You're almost done!
4. Import your contacts
The final step is to run ePreserver and point it at the file you just created. If you've already installed ePreserver, start it by clicking on the life preserver icon on your desktop:
Click Next on the first page for ePreserver, then you will see something like this: (If you see the Screen Name page instead, please click the Show More Choices button.)
Click the File button. When you see the Open window, click Desktop on the left, click on aol.ldif in the middle, and click Open in the bottom right:
Finally, you will be returned to ePreserver, where you can proceed normally to convert the address book to Outlook or Gmail.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: You will most likely get an error about "Access Denied" when you click Open. To solve the problem:
- Right-click "aol.ldif" choose Copy.
- Right-click again and choose Paste.
- You'll see a window saying "You'll need to provide administrator permission to copy this file." Click the Continue button.
- Select the new file named "aol - Copy.ldif" and click Open.
- Continue with ePreserver to convert the address book.
5. Uninstall AOL Communicator
Finally, you should uninstall AOL Communicator. It is no longer supported and is unreliable for day to day email usage.
Windows XP: Go to Start Menu / Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs. Select AOL Communicator and click Change/Remove. When asked, you can safely remove your profile.
Windows Vista: Go to Windows Menu / Control Panel / Programs & Features. Select AOL Communicator and click Uninstall. When asked, you can safely remove your profile.
6. You are done!