Contacts Gone after Update

I've been using Windows Live Mail for months, but I lost my contact list
after updating to Version 2009 build 14.0.

How do I recover/import them? I still see the .contact files in my folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\Hammy\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Contacts\Default\

The folder you referenced is used by WLM12 when not signing on with a Live ID ?
Are you signing on with a Live ID ?
If so, stop signing on with a Live ID, are the contacts present ?






--
...winston
ms-mvp mail

"VampY" <> wrote in message news:31D78BB5-1BDD-446B-9DBF-...
> I've been using Windows Live Mail for months, but I lost my contact list
> after updating to Version 2009 build 14.0.
>
> How do I recover/import them? I still see the .contact files in my folder:
> C:\Documents and Settings\Hammy\Local Settings\Application
> Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Contacts\Default\
>

When I was using WLM12, I did not sign on to a Live ID.

When I updated to WLM14, I accessed Windows Live Contacts, but was shown a
blank list. And prompted me to sign on with my Live ID instead, but the Live
Messenger contact list was loaded instead. Now how do I sign out?

And how do I load the contacts from the folder I mentioned?

Tools, Options, uncheck Automatically sign in to Windows Live Messenger.
Tools, Options, Connection, Stop signing in.
--
Ronald Sommer

"VampY" <> wrote in message
news:72F31663-F2CC-47DE-BD02-...
> When I was using WLM12, I did not sign on to a Live ID.
>
> When I updated to WLM14, I accessed Windows Live Contacts, but was shown a
> blank list. And prompted me to sign on with my Live ID instead, but the
> Live
> Messenger contact list was loaded instead. Now how do I sign out?
>
> And how do I load the contacts from the folder I mentioned?

In WLM 14 the contact list for a Live ID is pulled off the web server(contacts.live.com) and stored on you machine for use by both
WLMsgr and WLM in a separate database file. I.e....It does not load the WLMsgr contact list. Changes made in WLM, WLMsgr, or the
web interface will sync to ensure both the web and local stored database files are common.

If a Live ID is not used to sign-on, WLM 14 uses the default contact list which is stored locally in another database file(not the
folder you referenced earlier). The default contact do not sync with the web server.

The database file and its contents are only readable by WLM or WLMsgr.

The database folder name(32 digit numerical) for both the default contacts and Live ID contacts pathname is found in the registry.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\Database
- caution on the pathname...When viewed in Explorer the path is actually:
Vista
C:\Users\<windows id>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{32 digit string found in the registry}
XP
C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{32 digit string found in the
registry}


In Vista or XP each numerical named folder has additional subfolders..the first subfolder below is DBStore which contains the
'contacts.edb file, additonal files and more subfolders with files etc. Contacts.edb contains all contacts. This is the file that
WLM and WLMsgr can read(not Explorer) and is also updated/replaced when sync'd with the web interface.

Note: The folder is a hidden protected folder, thus one needs to disable 'Hide protected operating system files' and enable 'show
hidden
files.

Let us know, if you contacts do show up after disabling signon with a Live ID(Tools/Options/Connections/Stop Signing in).

For future reference..its always a good idea to export contacts periodically to a current csv file.

--
...winston
ms-mvp mail

"VampY" <> wrote in message news:72F31663-F2CC-47DE-BD02-...
> When I was using WLM12, I did not sign on to a Live ID.
>
> When I updated to WLM14, I accessed Windows Live Contacts, but was shown a
> blank list. And prompted me to sign on with my Live ID instead, but the Live
> Messenger contact list was loaded instead. Now how do I sign out?
>
> And how do I load the contacts from the folder I mentioned?

I have disabled signing on, and now the list is blank.

What I wanna know is how to convert the contact list in WLM12 to the ones in
WLM14.

WLM12: C:\Documents and Settings\Hammy\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Contacts\Default\

WLM14: C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{32 digit string found in the
registry}

Unless you can export the contacts list in that WLM12 folder to a csv file then import into WLM(Contacts/File/Import)..

...you can't convert the WLM12 individual contacts to a database file for use in WLM 14.

One alternative, enter manually in WLM.



--
...winston
ms-mvp mail

"VampY" <> wrote in message news:E66D1FB3-8632-4047-A0EE-...
> I have disabled signing on, and now the list is blank.
>
> What I wanna know is how to convert the contact list in WLM12 to the ones in
> WLM14.
>
> WLM12: C:\Documents and Settings\Hammy\Local Settings\Application
> Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Contacts\Default\
>
> WLM14: C:\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\Local Settings\Application
> Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{32 digit string found in the
> registry}

Any idea how to export my WLM12 contacts to a csv file (or other format) now
that my WLM12 is gone?

Or is there any reader for that WLM12 folder besides WLM12 program itself?

Manual conversion is too much of a hassle. Each contact's info is saved in
a xml file in that WLM12 folder, with too many fields.

> One alternative, enter manually in WLM.

Delightfully Labor Intensive...

Why not a wab file as well?

WLM SHOULD import a wab file.
--
DSH
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor

"...winston" <> wrote in message
news:...

> Unless you can export the contacts list in that WLM12 folder to a csv file
> then import into WLM(Contacts/File/Import)..
>
> ...you can't convert the WLM12 individual contacts to a database file for
> use in WLM 14.
>
> One alternative, enter manually in WLM.
>
> --
> ...winston
> ms-mvp mail
>
> "VampY" <> wrote in message
> news:E66D1FB3-8632-4047-A0EE-...
>> I have disabled signing on, and now the list is blank.
>>
>> What I wanna know is how to convert the contact list in WLM12 to the ones
>> in WLM14.
>>
>> WLM12: C:\Documents and Settings\Hammy\Local Settings\Application
>> Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Contacts\Default\ WLM14: C:\Documents
>> and Settings\<User_Name>\Local Settings\Application
>> Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{32 digit string found in the
>> registry}

WLM does import a wab file, but for now, all my contacts are stored in
multiple .contact files.



"D. Spencer Hines" wrote:

> > One alternative, enter manually in WLM.
>
> Delightfully Labor Intensive...
>
> Why not a wab file as well?
>
> WLM SHOULD import a wab file.
> --
> DSH
> Lux et Veritas et Libertas
> Vires et Honor