So, you didn't backup your messages and addresses first?

Do an Advanced search on the old drive and include Hidden Files and Folders.
Search for:

*.wab

and:

*.dbx

When you find them, write down the locations and import the AB and OE
Message Store folder from the old location to the new OE identity.

In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by default
marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer, you must enable
Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control Panel | Folder Options
Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools | Folder Options | View.

For your messages:

In the new identity: File | Import | Messages. Select Microsoft Outlook
Express 6 and Import from the old identity.

For your Address Book:

Open the Address Book in the old identity and File | Export | Address Book
(wab) to any place on your HDD that is easy for you. My Documents is fine.
Then, open the Address Book in the new identity and File | Import | Address
Book (wab) and point to where you saved it.
--

Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"John" wrote in message
...
I have a four + year old Dell 4600 that the C drive has been acting up on.

I had the C drive replaced with a new 500 gig hard drive, reloaded the
Windows XP and reloaded most of the programs that I wanted to have on
there
which all work.

Then I got to the Outlook Express portion of my quest. I had to reload
all
of my personal information (email address, user name, in & out arguments,
etc.) which went flawlessly EXCEPT all of my original address book,
contact
lists, and old emails are not there in the new Outlook Express file!

I then bought and connected the old C drive in a USB drive which Windows
has
assigned it to my computer as the "G" drive.

I have searched the G drive for the address book using every conceivable
argument (understand that I'm a motor head, NOT a PC expert by any means).
Anyway, NADA, nothing, zip, zilch has worked to find the files.

I've called and been in chat rooms for Road Runner, Microsoft, and Dell
and
have been run in circles till I'm dizzy! The person at Microsoft said
because my software is OEM from Dell that Dell should fix the problem.
Dell
says that they don't support the software and the ISP should be able to
recover my data. Time Warner Cable (my ISP) says that Microsoft owns the
sofware so they should be able to recover my data.

Bottom line, I want my old data back and no one is either willing or
empowered to or knowledgeable enough to help me.!