how to read outlook express files
Hi guys I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software. The files appear to be text/XML but reading them with a text editor is difficult in many cases. Does anyone know of a linux based application I can use to make this task any easier. Cheers Mick --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------
On 8 November 2013 14:49, mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
I believe that Thunderbird can open them fine. (That might be overkill though.) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:01:26 +0000 Mark Rogers <mark@quarella.co.uk> allegedly wrote:
On 8 November 2013 14:49, mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
I believe that Thunderbird can open them fine. (That might be overkill though.)
Mark Thanks for that (I use claws) I didn't think of Tbird. Just tried Tbird on one file and it opened OK, then my PC froze solid (obviously it didn't like the MS file....) One reboot later I seem to be able to read the files in Tbird (one at a time). Since I have around 2000 of these it might take me a while though. Cheers Mick --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:16:19 +0000 mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:01:26 +0000 Mark Rogers <mark@quarella.co.uk> allegedly wrote:
On 8 November 2013 14:49, mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
I believe that Thunderbird can open them fine. (That might be overkill though.)
Mark
Thanks for that (I use claws) I didn't think of Tbird.
Just tried Tbird on one file and it opened OK, then my PC froze solid (obviously it didn't like the MS file....) One reboot later I seem to be able to read the files in Tbird (one at a time). Since I have around 2000 of these it might take me a while though.
Sylpheed is another mail reader that will import them. File -> Import Mail Data. Select the drop down for eml(folder), pick a destination and you're good to go. I *think* I did it another way. I just dragged the folder into the folder tree using the filer and then told Sylpheed to rebuild the folder tree. I might *well* be confusing myself with that though. It's worth a try of course ;-)
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:37:04 +0000 Chris Walker <cdw_alug@the-walker-household.co.uk> allegedly wrote:
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:16:19 +0000 mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
On Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:01:26 +0000 Mark Rogers <mark@quarella.co.uk> allegedly wrote:
On 8 November 2013 14:49, mick <mbm@rlogin.net> wrote:
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
I believe that Thunderbird can open them fine. (That might be overkill though.)
Mark
Thanks for that (I use claws) I didn't think of Tbird.
Just tried Tbird on one file and it opened OK, then my PC froze solid (obviously it didn't like the MS file....) One reboot later I seem to be able to read the files in Tbird (one at a time). Since I have around 2000 of these it might take me a while though.
Sylpheed is another mail reader that will import them. File -> Import Mail Data. Select the drop down for eml(folder), pick a destination and you're good to go.
And since I use claws (which is a fork of sylpheed) I tried this as well and found that I could drag and drop the files (but not the folder) into a new folder in claws just fine. Odd that I cannot open the files directly with Claws though (right click file -> open with -> other application - then select claws.) Once again, thanks guys. Mick --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------
On 08/11/13 14:49, mick wrote:
Hi guys
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
The files appear to be text/XML but reading them with a text editor is difficult in many cases.
Does anyone know of a linux based application I can use to make this task any easier.
Hi, they are email, and as Mark said, Thunderbird can read them. I don't think they're XML, but they will be the bare bones of the emails: Headers & associated text. Perhaps HTML for HTML emails If you're unlucky you may get some "rich text" and you may get some files encoded as a mime attachment. You won't get very far with attachments in a plain text editor. Thunderbird will open .eml files. If you drag and drop into TBird, it will add them to whichever folder you have opened. I dunno if it will do many at a time, but you could create a folder and import them into it. File/Open works well - it doesn't seem to copy the email into a folder, it just displays it. There's a possibility that Tools/Import will help. I guess the question is, what do you want to do with them? If you want to decode the attachments, ISTR that there's an app for that, to strip/extract/decode mime attachments from txt/eml files, but I can't remember what it is. Sorry, hope that helps in some way. Steve
On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 15:13:28 +0000 steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk allegedly wrote:
On 08/11/13 14:49, mick wrote:
Hi guys
I have been given a large stash of (email I believe) files with the extension .eml. I think these were created with outlook or outlook express. I have no MS software.
The files appear to be text/XML but reading them with a text editor is difficult in many cases.
Does anyone know of a linux based application I can use to make this task any easier.
Hi, they are email, and as Mark said, Thunderbird can read them. I don't think they're XML, but they will be the bare bones of the emails: Headers & associated text. Perhaps HTML for HTML emails If you're unlucky you may get some "rich text" and you may get some files encoded as a mime attachment. You won't get very far with attachments in a plain text editor. Thunderbird will open .eml files. If you drag and drop into TBird, it will add them to whichever folder you have opened. I dunno if it will do many at a time, but you could create a folder and import them into it. File/Open works well - it doesn't seem to copy the email into a folder, it just displays it. There's a possibility that Tools/Import will help.
I guess the question is, what do you want to do with them?
If you want to decode the attachments, ISTR that there's an app for that, to strip/extract/decode mime attachments from txt/eml files, but I can't remember what it is.
Steve You are a star. Drag and drop into a new Tbird folder is working (slowly). That means I can read through the emails much more quickly when it finishes. All I need to do is read the damned things to see if there is anything important there. They were discovered as "deleted" emails by someone else who has taken on a "corporate" machine previously used by someone who has now left. They just wanted some help in reading through them all as a check. Most are really old and it looks as if we can ignore them. Cheers Mick (Tbird is more flexible than I thought) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------
participants (4)
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Chris Walker -
Mark Rogers -
mick -
steve-ALUG＠hst.me.uk