Hi, I'm new here and hope I can help you out. This is how I retrieved my mail from OE from and old windows program to Windows XP Hopefully it will work for you. Back Up Outlook Express Messages Microsoft stores Outlook Express messages in a subfolder buried deep beneath the Windows folder, where it's nearly impossible to back up. That can mean disaster if you have a disk crash, or if you replace your PC. When you restore your backed-up data files, you discover that your email is gone! Fortunately, Outlook Express 5.5 (included as a component of IE 5.01 with Service Pack 1 and in IE 5.5) allows you to change the default location where messages are stored, making it easier to back them up with your other files. Follow these steps: Open your My Documents folder, right-click on any empty space, and choose New, Folder from the shortcut menu. Because you'll use this new folder to hold your mail messages, give it a descriptive name like My Mail. From the main Outlook Express window, pull down the Tools menu, choose Options, and click the Maintenance tab. Click the Store Folder button. This opens a dialog box that allows you to select the folder where you want Outlook Express messages to be stored. Click the Change button. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder you created in Step 1 and click OK. Note that the path to your My Mail folder now appears in the Store Location dialog box. Click OK to save this change, and click OK to the warning message that appears next. Close the Options dialog box, and then close and restart Outlook Express. All your message files are now in a convenient location in the My Documents folder. Back up the entire contents of your My Documents folder today and you'll be well protected from data disasters! Now that you have them saved in a new file...... Save on a disc just like you did your other files. In your new computer, Go to OE mail and open... Go to File..Import.. messages Select Program - Example (Microsoft outlook express 6) Specify location - Import from an OE6 store directory Location of messages - Browse to fine your file. Select Folders you want to import - Click Next and it will add them to your new Outlook Express. You can do just the ones you want or pick them all at once. Good Luck to you.

Have you purchased songs and/or video that are protected? If so, you'll also want to make sure you decommission the old PC AFTER transferring the songs and videos. With protected content, there's a limit to how many devices it can be copied to. I don't think decommission is the right word, but it's something like that. It frees that license so you can transfer to another computer. One way I've done it is to just copy the itunes folder in My Music to an external drive, then copy that to the new computer.

I'm now leaning more towards doing the transfers through external hard drive (gulp) - however, I'm confused on how to hook up the new computer with the old computer still hooked up. Would I just plug it in, and then connect it to our wireless home network? It seems the (old) monitor has only one hook-up spot which the old computer is plugged into. Should I wait for the new monitor to arrive (which is supposed to be about a month from now according to the estimated delivery date)? Or do I need the new computer hooked into a monitor just for transferring data? Now I'm thinking maybe I just need the new computer plugged into the monitor, and the XP computer not plugged in - lol - I'm confused. Maybe I should wait until everything arrives.

I would recommend buying a usb drive reader. Yank that hard drive out of the old computer, and connect it to the new one. Then copy the files you need over. When doing so, copy the files you want to Dropbox. Will save you a ton of time and frustration with the old computer not working. Bypass it all together unless the hd itself is what's going bad. You old hd is a SATA, so this should work for you. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Adapter-Cable-Power/dp/B005B3VO24/ref=pd_sbs_147_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005B3VO24&pd_rd_r=XMK3XNTH75RD4550AZQ2&pd_rd_w=Aw7ZM&pd_rd_wg=W7lil&psc=1&refRID=XMK3XNTH75RD4550AZQ2 When you plug in your drive, it should show up as another drive, just like a usb drive. Then its just drag and drop.