<![CDATA[Connected Software, Inc.]]> <![CDATA[ePreserver FAQs]]> This article provides answers to ePreserver FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

"Does ePreserver really work?"

Yes, ePreserver has been used by tens of thousands of people since 2004. But just to make sure it works for you, there's a 30-day money back guarantee.

 

"Can you tell me how to use ePreserver?"

ePreserver is really easy to use. Our advertising is literally correct - most people can just click Next five times. You can see pictures at http://www.connectedsw.com/ScreenShotsePreserver.php  or you can watch the video at http://www.connectedsw.com/Overview/57266.

 

"Will ePreserver copy my folder structure?"

Yes.

 

"Can I convert to Gmail?"

Yes. See How to convert AOL to Gmail with ePreserver. 

 

"Can I copy my AOL mail to Outlook on another computer?"

Yes. See How do I copy my AOL data to a new computer?

 

"Will ePreserver work with AOL 9.0, 9.5, 9.6 and 9.7?"

Yes.

 

"Will ePreserver work with AOL 10 or AOL Desktop?"

Yes, except that only email and contacts are converted, not favorites.

 

"Will ePreserver work with Windows 7 or Windows 8?"

Yes. ePreserver also works with Windows XP and Windows Vista.

 

"Will ePreserver save my sent mail messages from AOL?"

Yes.

 

"I converted to Viewer but I can't read the messages."

This is correct. You can only view the date, sender and subject in the view. You must convert to something like Outlook, Gmail or HTML to see the messages.

 

"I have many PFC files. Can ePreserver convert all of them?"

Yes. See How do I migrate PFC files with ePreserver?

  

"Can I convert to or from AOL on the Mac?"

No, not with ePreserver. See How do I export messages from AOL on the Mac?

 

"Will ePreserver remove anything from my AOL account?"

No, ePreserver does not remove any email or contacts from your AOL account. ePreserver copies your data. Everything in AOL will remain as it is.

 

"I don't use Outlook or Gmail. Do I have any alternatives?"

Yes. Convert to HTML instead.

 

"Will ePreserver convert the attachments?"

Yes, usually, unless you are converting a separate PFC file or converting to another computer. See these articles:

 Keywords: aol facts, epreserver facts

 

]]> <![CDATA[Where is my email in Outlook?]]> (Applies to: ePreserver and ePreserver Recovery)

Problem: You've converted your AOL email to Outlook but you do not see where to find the email in Outlook. ePreserver reported that it successfully converted your messages.

Solution:

  1. Click the Inbox folder in Outlook. Unlike AOL, Outlook shows the unread count next to folders, not the total mail count, so the Inbox may not appear in the Folder list in the format you expect.
  2. Click the Sent Items folder in Outlook. ePreserver automatically renames folders to match the appropriate Outlook name, so the Outlook folders may not be named the same as it was in AOL.
  3. In Outlook, click the arrow next to the Saved folder. Most of your AOL folders will be found underneath the Saved folder.
  4. If you are also looking for your Contacts, click "Contacts" in the bottom left in Outlook. You should find your AOL address book in the Outlook Contacts folder. To return to your email, click Mail in the bottom left in Outlook.

If the folder list doesn't appear in Outlook, then you are probably running Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002. Go to the View menu and make sure Folder List is checked.

Since Outlook shows the "unread" count next to the folder, the number will usually be different than the number of messages that ePreserver reported transferred.

 

]]> <![CDATA[How do I copy my AOL data to a new computer?]]> (Applies to ePreserver and ePreserver Recovery.)
There are four ways to transfer your AOL information to a new computer. Most people will want to use Choice #3 for simplicity.

Whichever you choose, you'll need to start with these two steps:
  • Find the Organize directory on the old computer, as described in this article:
    http://www.connectedsw.com/faq.php?faq=63/0
  • Shut down AOL by going into AOL System Information and using the Close AOL button under Utilities. This must be done to "unlock" the Organize directory.

Choice #1 - Mount the old directory as a network drive

This choice is simplest if you know know how to mount network drives. Otherwise look at one of the other choices.
  1. Mount the old computers' hard drive as a network drive on the new computer. Mount the entire drive, not just the Organize directory.
  2. Run ePreserver on the new computer.
  3. Click "Show More Choices" (if it appears.)
  4. Click the Folder button.
  5. Choose the Organize directory on the network drive.

Choice #2 - Create an Outlook PST file on the old computer

If you plan to use Outlook and both the old and new computers have Outlook 2002 or later, you can install ePreserver on the old computer, run ePreserver to copy everything to Outlook, then copy the resulting PST file to the new computer and use Outlook's built-in import tool to import it on the new computer.

Choice #3 - Copy the Organize directory

This is technically the easiest to do, but attachments are not copied. You copy the AOL "Organize" directory from the old computer to the new computer, then run ePreserver on the new computer. You do not need to install AOL on the new computer. This process does not allow you to use your AOL data with AOL on the new computer.
  1. Shut down AOL first by going into AOL System Information and use the Close AOL button under Utilities in order to "unlock" the Organize directory.
  2. Copy the entire Organize directory to a CD-R, DVD-R, or USB Thumb drive.
  3. Install and run ePreserver on the new computer. (If you received the receipt on the old computer, forward it to the new computer.) If your old computer does not have Internet access, you'll need to go to this page to activate ePreserver: http://www.connectedsw.com/ActivateProduct.php
  4. After ePreserver starts, click Next.
  5. Click the Show More Choices button.
  6. click the Folder button
  7. Select the Organize directory you placed on the CD-R, DVD-R, or USB Thumb drive. Do not use the File button.
If your old computer is running Windows 95, this process is more difficult because Windows 95 doesn't support USB thumb drives or a CD recorders. There are three alternatives (Connected Software does not provide technical support on how to do any of these):
  • Take the computers to your local computer shop along with a copy of the article and tell them what needs to be done. Companies like Geek Squad can also help.
  • Connect the two computers together with Ethernet cards and transfer the files using a shared drive.� This works well but requires significant technical "know how."
  • Pull the hard drive from the old computer, put it in a USB enclosure, and hook it up to the new computer. This strategy has the advantage that it becomes easy to copy all of the documents from the old computer, but it does require you to open the old computer up and pull the hard drive.

Choice #4 - Switch to Address Magic Personal PLUS

If the old computer is running Windows XP or later, there's one final possibility. Instead of ePreserver, you can run Address Magic Personal PLUS on the old computer and can create migration files that can be copied to the new computer. Use "Thunderbird" as the destination format for messages and Address Magic Backup (AMI) as the destination format for contacts.

Keywords: New computer, another computer, different computer, separate computer

 

]]> <![CDATA[The favorites checkbox is grayed]]> (Applies to: ePreserver)

Symptom: You want to convert your favorites from AOL, but the option in ePreserver to convert favorites is grayed out and cannot be checked.

Cause: Either you are converting from www.aol.com or your are converting from AOL Desktop.

Solution:

If you are converting from www.aol.com, then you do not need to convert your favorites because your favorites are already in your browser.

If you are converting from AOL Desktop, ePreserver does not support converting favorites from AOL Desktop. There is no workaround.

 

]]> <![CDATA[How to forward AOL email to Gmail]]> (Applies to ePreserver)

Problem: You are switching to Gmail, but you still need to get mail you receive at AOL. (ePreserver does not continue to forward email when you are done running it.)

Solution: Please do the following steps:

  1. Go to your Gmail page.
  2. Click the "gear" icon in the top right.
  3. Select Settings from the menu.
  4. Select Accounts and Import from the list at the top of the page.
  5. Click Add a POP3 mail account you own.
  6. Enter the information for your AOL account.

Your AOL email will now be forwarded to your Gmail account.

 

]]> <![CDATA[How do I export messages from AOL on the Mac?]]> None of the products made by Connected Software can read messages or contacts from AOL on the Mac.

Instead, use a tool from AOL called the AOL Service Assistant. It can export messages from the filing cabinet to Mac Mail.

http://download.newaol.com/mac/AOL_Service_Assistant.dmg

This tool is made by AOL. If you need technical support, please contact AOL.

 

]]> <![CDATA[How to convert AOL to Gmail with ePreserver]]> (Applies to: ePreserver)

Question: How do I convert to Gmail with ePreserver?

Solution: ePreserver has built-in support for converting your AOL email and address book to Gmail. Please follow these steps:

  1. Enable IMAP access in your Gmail account. Go to Gmail in your browser, click the gear symbol in the top left, select Settings, click Forwarding and POP/IMAP, select Enable IMAP, and click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Start ePreserver.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Choose your desired screen name as your source. (Or choose [www.aol.com] if that's the only thing listed.)
  5. Click Next.
  6. Click Next again.
  7. Select Gmail as your destination and click Next.
  8. Click Finish.

Because your mail in Gmail is kept "in the cloud", every single message has to be individually uploaded to Gmail. This can take several hours if you have a lot of email.

Related Articles

 

]]> <![CDATA[Error 12029 during activation]]> Symptom: You receive an Error 12029 after you enter your registration code.

Cause: You are running a software firewall and ePreserver is blocked from accessing the Internet.

Solution: Add ePreserver to the "allowed" list for your firewall with the following steps.

1. Right-click the AOL Security Center icon on your task bar.

AOL Security Center task bar icon

2. Choose Firewall | Open from the menu.

AOL Security Center menu

3. You will see the AOL Security Center open up, like this:

AOL Security Center

4. From the Tools menu, choose Program Permissions.

Tools menu in AOL Security Center

5. Click the Add button.

Add button in the AOL Security Center Firewall tab.

6. In the Open dialog, choose the file named

C:\Program Files\Connected Software\ePreserver\ePreserver.exe

7. In the Select Permission window, click the Allow button.

Select Permissions window

8. You should now see ePreserver in the list of allowed applications.

ePreserver in the list of allowed applications

9. Now run ePreserver again and you should be able to activate successfully.

]]> <![CDATA[I am switching to Comcast/Roadrunner/Cox/etc? Will ePreserver work?]]> First, you must currently be using the AOL client (such as AOL 9) in order to get the most out of ePreserver. If you read your email with your web browser on www.aol.com, then ePreserver will only be able to convert your email, not your favorites and not your address book.

Here's how to figure out whether ePreserver will work for you with your new Internet Service Provider (ISP):

If you plan on using Outlook, Outlook Express or Windows Mail:
ePreserver will do exactly what you need.

If you plan on reading your email with your web browser (web mail):
In this case, ePreserver can transfer your favorites and address book, but not your email. You'll need to perform an additional step after ePreserver is done, which is to import your contacts from Outlook Express (Windows Address Book) to your web mail address book. You'll need to contact technical support for new new Internet provider to learn how to do this.

If you aren't sure how you read your email:
Please see this helpful chart.

If you only care about your favorites:
ePreserver will work for you as long as you currently use the AOL client.

]]> <![CDATA[Solving "AOL is currently using the screen name ..."]]> (Applies to: ePreserver)
Symptom: When you try to convert your AOL Filing Cabinet, you get the error "AOL is currently using the screen name xxx" where xxx is your screen name.
 
Cause: The AOL data file is already in use because AOL is running.
 
Solution: Please perform the following steps:
 
1. Close ePreserver.
2. Start "AOL System Information" from your Start menu. It's usually in the AOL group.
3. Click "Utilities", then click "Close All AOL Programs".
AOL System Information
4. Restart ePreserver if it's not still running. You can find it on your Desktop. It's a white life preserver on a blue background.
 
Do not restart AOL until ePreserver is finished.
]]> <![CDATA[How is ePreserver licensed?]]> Home Users: You need one license of ePreserver for each AOL account that you plan to convert. A single account may have multiple screen names, but you only need one license. You can also use that copy of ePreserver on multiple computers, as long as they all use the same AOL account.
Business users: You need one copy of ePreserver for each screen name to be converted. The number of AOL accounts does not matter.
]]> <![CDATA[Where is my AOL Organize directory?]]>
This article describes how to find your AOL Organize directory in various versions of Windows. This article applies to AOL versions 4 through 9.6. This article does not apply to AOL Desktop 10.x.
The AOL Organize directory contains the email, favorites and address books for all of your screen names. The location of your AOL Organize directory depends on the version of AOL you are running and (for AOL 9 only) the version of Windows.

The paths given below are approximate and may need to be updated for your computer. For example, if you are running AOL 8, then the path would be "America Online 8.0", not "America Online 7.0".

If you've installed multiple versions of AOL on your computer, then you will have multiple Organize directories. You will typically want to use the Organize directory from the latest version installed.
AOL 9 in Windows 7 and Vista, (see Notes below)
C:\ProgramData\AOL\C_AOL 9.0\Organize
AOL 9 in Windows XP, (see Notes below)
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AOL\C_America Online 9.0\organize
AOL 7/8
C:\Program Files\America Online 7.0\Organize
(Japan only): C:\Program Files\AOL 7.0\Organize

AOL 5/6

C:\America Online 5.0\Organize
Notes for AOL 9
For AOL 9, the first letter of "C_America Online 9.0" or "C_AOL 9.0" could be another letter other than C. Also, you may not be able to see the "Application Data" folder in Windows Explorer, in which case you should open the Tools menu in Explorer, select the View tab, click the circle labeled, "Show hidden files and folders" and click OK.

Also for AOL 9, if you are getting data from an old Windows 98 or Windows ME computer, the Organize directory can be found at:
C:\WINDOWS\All Users\Application Data\AOL\C_America Online 9.0\organize
]]> <![CDATA[Where are my new favorites in Internet Explorer?]]> To find your new favorites in Internet Explorer after ePreserver runs, start Internet Explorer (the big blue letter "e"), and open your favorites:
 
IE9: Click the white star in the top right
IE7 and IE8: Click the yellow star in the top left.
IE6 and older: Click the Favorites menu at the top of the window.
 
The look for a folder named like this:
 
<your screen name>'s Imported Favorites
 
For example, if your screen name is johndoe, then the folder would be named "Johndoe's Imported Favorites". The folder could be at the beginning or end of the list, depending on how you have your favorites are sorted.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm no longer a member of AOL. Can I still use ePreserver?]]> Yes, ePreserver will convert from AOL PFC files or from AOL Desktop files even if you are no longer a member of AOL. However, you should uncheck the box in ePreserver labeled "E-mail kept on AOL" under "What would you like to copy from AOL?"
 
]]>