still confused - importing .pst files to Mail from ext. hard drive

[nauset24]

I just got an MBP and need help in importing Outlook email to my IMAIL. THis is my only sticking point with the conversion.
Unfortunately, my Windows laptop died and I only have back up .pst files on an external hard drive.

I have read through so many threads, but still cannot figure out what to do. Can someone give me a clear link or directions what to do? I am really a dunce about this.

I do have a mac.mail account, so would that work for the IMAP part rather than Thunderbird? I am also willing to buy the O2M program if that helps, but that also seems unclear since I only have pst files on the ext. hard drive.


Also, is there a way to import my contacts from Outlook?

Ever so grateful for your help.

 

[Gbeav]

I don't think you can import to Mail from a .pst file.

 

[Jaygray]

O2M converts .pst files to .mbox files. I believe .mbox files can be imported by Apple Mail.

O2M is a PC application. It runs on the PC with Outlook on it. It creates .mbox files on the PC. You then copy these to your external drive and connect it to the Mac. From within Apple Mail, you then import from the .mbox file on the USB drive.

You can also import your Outlook Contacts using the exact same process. O2M will ask if you wish to convert them as well.

Someone feel free to jump in if I'm incorrect about this. I used O2M to import from PC Outlook to Mac Entourage and was very impressed. I don't use Apple Mail, but from what I understand, the process is exactly the same.

 

[nauset24]

can i install the O2M on my mac?

a follow up question jaygray:



So, is this the sequence:
I download O2M to my Mac,
hook up my PC formatted hard drive with .pst files,
and then import them to my MBP and Mail

I thought it was supposed to go on the PC---which is dead, in my case. Will this work if I have the pst files on the ext hard drive and no outlook there.

 

[Jaygray]

O2M is a Windows based application. It needs to be installed on a PC (or in Parallels). The converted .mbox files are then copied to the Mac.

I just opened up O2M in Parallels/XP on my Mac. Parallels does not have a copy of Office installed. It didn't work. O2M could not find Outlook and did not have an option to point it to a specific location to look for the .pst files.

I was in a similar situation when I switched to Mac. I installed O2M and Office within Parallels on my Mac. I then copied the .pst files to the appropriate folder within Parallels. I then ran O2M and it found them without a problem.

So basically, you will need something that runs Windows and a copy of Office to use O2M. But you can use Parallels as a substitute for another PC.

 

[nauset24]

parallels?

I have no idea what parallels are! lol

 

[rob.h]

I have no idea what parallels are! lol

Parallels (like VMWare Fusion) is software which allows you to create a 'virtual' Windows machine on your Mac inside which you can run Windows applications. As Jaygray suggests, you could install Parallels or Fusion on your Mac and then install MS Office inside the virtual Windows machine, into which you could import the .pst file from your external hard drive. You would then have the option to either continue using Outlook inside Parallels as your mail program, or use Outlook to then export your mail in a format that you could import into iMail.

Parallels and Fusion both retail at about £40 ($80).

 

[nauset24]

thank you all - O2M is FANTASTIC

Well, I finally migrated my emails, contacts and calendar from my XP Outlook to IMAIL on my MBP. Thanks for all of your help.

I finally got my old XP to boot and STAY ON long enough to download O2M. I followed the super easy instructions to save the files in the new format onto my external hard drive. I then imported those folders from my external hard drive to my MBP. It was beautiful!

I was so overwhelmed by the information on this site on how to transfer .pst files that I was stuck. Thank goodness I didn't have to deal with the .pst email files after all. Doing it right from the PC was easy.

The only glitch occurred when trying to pay for it on the Firefox browser. It wouldn't let me complete the transaction because the "SSL protocol was outdated and unsecure." I just did it in Safari and all was fine. Also, be warned, trying the demo only transfers 5 emails. Don't waste your time; take the plunge.

I encourage any of you working on exporting your old email--go ahead and spend the $10 on O2M. It is worth it.

Thanks for all the hand holding.