Post by thread:[OT] OutlookExpress message filtering rules

> few weeks ago i read some messages about how to find and save > OutlookExpress message filtering rules. I searched the archive but i was unable to find those messages. Will someone post the instructions on how to do this, again ? /> Probably my post you mean. Copied below. RM _____________ My message 17 March 2004 [OT:] Outlook Express - backing up mail rules I have long wanted to know how to back up my "mail rules" in Outlook Express. Past queries and searches have turned up many spurious (or just plain wrong) answers and how to do all sorts of other interesting things. I'm delighted to now know THE answer. If you have complex mail rules you may be interested in knowing as well. Rebuilding them on a new or crashed machine can take a very long time. (I presently have 57 rules - some complex). A full registry backup does the same thing but less flexibly. (With XP you have a transfer wizards available and with Outlook the .pst backup utility should do the job. ) For OE: Short answer: They are stored at HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Identities\{GUID}\Software\ Microsoft\Outlook Express\ 5.0 The 5.0 seems to apply for OE6 as well. ________________ Medium answer Once you've found out which GUID is which identity and you know which ones you need to back up the rules from, look under HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Identities\{GUID}\Software\ Microsoft\Outlook Express\ 5.0 for the Rules sub key with the Mail and News sub keys inside it for message and news rules respectively. The Filter sub key which stores details of any custom views you've created is also here. The Blocked Senders list isn't in the Rules sub key at all, it has its own key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Identities\{GUID}\Software\ Microsoft\Outlook Express\ 5.0\Block Senders, again divided into Mail and News. There will be a News sub key in Rules even if you haven't created any news filtering rules, but there won't be a News sub key in Block Senders unless you've blocked addresses or domain names for newsgroups. You'll also find the Signatures subkey under HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Identities\{GUID}\ Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0\ if you've created signatures for an identity with Tools, Options, Signatures they'll be here as sub keys like 00000000 and 00000001. To take a copy of your message rules, select the Rules sub-key: you'll see that the registry editor shows the folder icon as opened and the full name and path of the key is in the status bar at the bottom. Right-click on the Rules sub key and choose Export (or choose File, Export - if you're using an older version of Windows that will be Registry, Export Registry Key). In the Export Registry File dialog make sure that Selected Branch is selected under Export range (you don't want the whole Registry) and give the file a name that you'll remember later. You can put the files in the My Documents folder or you could make a Data File folder to keep them separate. Do the same for Block Senders and Signatures if you want to transfer those as well. When you're just doing this once, to transfer your rules and other settings to a new PC, it doesn't take too long, but if you start doing it regularly as a backup routine you'll want to automate it. _______________ Long answer http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=%2Fdirectory%2Fworldwide%2Fen-gb%2Foutrules.asp ____________________________________________