I archived my e-mail folders on a computer running Internet Explorer 4 and its e-mail client software, Outlook Express 4. I stored the files on a Zip disk. My new computer has IE 5, and thus Outlook Express 5, installed on it. The problem is, I cannot get Outlook Express 5 to import my OE 4 messages. When I try to import them using FileòImportòMessagesòMicrosoft Outlook Express 4 (see FIGURE 2), I just get this error message: 'No messages can be found in this folder or another application is running that has the required files open. Please select another folder or try closing the application that may have the files open.' It doesn't matter whether I try importing the message files directly from the Zip disk or from a folder on the hard disk. If you can solve this, I'll owe you eternally!

-Rhea Stevens

Eternity is a long, long time. But don't worry. This one was relatively easy-Microsoft's Knowledge Base explains the problem (see support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q217/2/64.asp). Outlook Express 5 expects that those files will be stored in a folder called Mail, and it grinds to a halt when they're not. After you're finished screaming, rename the folder the files are stored in as Mail (or create a new one named Mail somewhere and copy the files to it), and then repeat the import steps that you described in your letter. And here's another important item: During the import process, you have to browse to the folder that contains the Mail folder. If you browse to the Mail folder itself, you'll get the same cryptic error message. Thank you, Microsoft.

The Knowledge Base reports a few other situations where OE 5 may balk at importing messages. If you backed up your OE 5 files to a CD-Recordable disk, the files will be read-only, even if you copy them back to a hard disk. OE 5 gives you the same helpful error message you mention when you try to import read-only files. To work around this sterling Microsoft feature, copy the files to a hard disk or other writable device, select them in Explorer, choose FileòProperties, and uncheck Read-only at the bottom of the General tab.

-Scott Spanbauer