UnDBX extracts email messages from Outlook Express data files

Yes, I know it’s hard to believe that there are still people using Outlook Express in the year 2010, but it’s true. And sometimes I still have to recover emails from damaged OE data files — just the other day, in fact.

A customer’s pitifully poorly maintained Outlook Express deleted items folder had ballooned into multiple gigabytes from years of reckless archiving. No, I’m not sure why people use the deleted items and recycle bin to store things they actually want to keep, but that’s a discussion for another day…

I needed a tool which I could use to re-assemble her OE mailbox and eliminate a few problematic messages. Enter UnDBX!

Choose the source folder, choose a destination, and UnDBX spits out every message as individual .EML files which you can drag-and-drop back into Outlook Express. Delete items you don’t want — or file them away in a folder on your hard drive instead of overtaxing the aging mail app.

Sure, it would’ve been nice to get her using webmail — or at least a more modern email program. Sadly, however, comfort is a key factor for many users. This won’t be the last time I have to rescue an Outlook Express install, so I’m keeping UnDBX on my flash drive.