Re: Where are my contacts?

C:\Users\<your windows username>\Contacts
- is called Windows Contacts
- is not used by Windows Live Mail

WLM contacts are stored in a separate database and only accessible by WLM or WLMsgr

WLM has the ability to provide contacts in two modes.
a. signed in to Windows Live with a Live ID (Live ID contacts sync'ed local and with the web)
b. not signed in to Windows Live(default contacts)

Which are you ?
(a) or (b)


Fyi
- Windows Live Mail's import(from CSV file function) is only capable of importing one email address and no groups.

Have you tried importing your contacts from the OE wab file or Windows current address book(Windows Contacts)

It is probably appropriate before doing anything further to ensure you have a backup copy of all contacts in all locations
WLM, Web UI(contacts.live.com), Windows Contacts.

Other options: (proceed at your own risk)

Create a new Live ID account(Hotmail or Live.com), access the account in the web UI to validate the account and setup the Inbox
then close the web UI and use that Live ID to sign in to Windows Live in WLM.
- Control Shift C to open Contacts
- File/Import/Address book for current Windows User (this is the option for Windows Contacts in C:\User\...\Contacts

The alternative to creating a new Live ID in a current Live ID used to sign on in WLM is
a. do the same but operate in mode (b) and import the Windows Contacts or
b. wipe contacts in the older Live ID in WLM and the web UI(for that same Live ID) then import Windows Contacts.
c. Contact support at windowslivehelp.com (Live ID required) under the category 'Mail Client'

Finally...note their may be a limit to the number of contacts in a Hotmail type account(e.g. 1000)..only support can verify that
limitation.


--
...winston
ms-mvp mail

"David Biddulph" <groups [at] biddulph.org.uk> wrote in message news:-...
> I've relatively recently migrated from OE to WLM, but I managed to transfer my contacts & the various distribution lists
> containing contacts as categories, and have been using them for a few weeks.
>
> Since I restarted my machine today, when I go into WLM I can see less than half my contacts. There used to be over 3000
> contacts, and my C:/Users/my_user_name/Contacts folder still shows 3295 *.contacts files, but in WLM when I go to Contacts it
> shows only 1503 contacts, and most of the categories are empty. If I go to my Windows Live ID on http://home.live.com/ and click
> on People it shows me 3253 contacts, but again the categories which are empty in WLM are also empty when I look at them on my
> Windows Live ID.
>
> What do I need to do to get the rest of my contacts back to being visible in WLM?
> What do I need to do to get the relevant contacts back into the categories where they used to be listed?
> What files and folders should I back up, and what process would I need to go through to get the contacts and categories back if I
> lose data in future?
> --
> David Biddulph
>

Inline..

--
...winston
ms-mvp mail

"David Biddulph" <groups [at] biddulph.org.uk> wrote in message news:M5udnRv--...
> I think I understood some of that, Winston.
>
> Up to this morning I had my full list of contacts and groups in WLM.
> From today I seem to be seeing the same incomplete list of contacts in WLM whether I'm in your mode a or b.

They are not the same..if you have them in both locations(sign on or not signed on it is an indication that you operated in both
modes and either migrated or imported to both modes..you have to decide which mode you plan on operating in..they are not the same)
>
> You wisely advised me to backup " all contacts in all locations
> WLM, Web UI(contacts.live.com), Windows Contacts"
> but I'm not certain where to find all of those to back them up:
> Which file do I have to backup for the WLM database?
Export your contacts to a csv file not backup the database.

> How do I backup the WebUI data from contacts.live.com?
Logon at contacts.live.com, click manage, export, enter the characters for validation, follow the rest of the instructions.

> The Windows Contacts you said was my C:\Users\<your windows username>\Contacts folder.
> Should some of these include the groups as well as the individual contacts?
Don't know...the only groups that would be present would be those created in Vista when using Windows contacts. Scoll through the
list..a group should look different than a *.contact....ie..you'll have to tell us if you have groups in Windows Contacts.

>
> As a matter of interest, if Windows Contacts isn't used by WLM, what does use the data there?
Nothing in Windows 7; Windows Mail in Vista

>
> When I've done the backups as you suggest, I'll try one or more of your options.
> Would you expect any of those options to be more or less likely to salvage the groups as well as the contacts?

If groups are present in Windows Contacts, they will import into WLM along with the *.contacts.
- look in the Windows Contact folder, a group has an file extension of *.group, unlike a contact extension(*.contact)


> For one option you said "wipe contacts in the older Live ID in WLM and the web UI(for that same Live ID) ", so how do I wipe
> those?
Did you not find/look for the delete option in either location ?
>
> Sorry for all of the questions, but I've worked with OE for many years, and I'm struggling to find my way around WLM, so thanks
> for your help.

>
> I don't use Hotmail, so that part of it oughtn't to be the problem, I hope.
> --
> David Biddulph
>
>
> "...winston" <> wrote in message news:...
>> C:\Users\<your windows username>\Contacts
>> - is called Windows Contacts
>> - is not used by Windows Live Mail
>>
>> WLM contacts are stored in a separate database and only accessible by WLM or WLMsgr
>>
>> WLM has the ability to provide contacts in two modes.
>> a. signed in to Windows Live with a Live ID (Live ID contacts sync'ed local and with the web)
>> b. not signed in to Windows Live(default contacts)
>>
>> Which are you ?
>> (a) or (b)
>>
>>
>> Fyi
>> - Windows Live Mail's import(from CSV file function) is only capable of importing one email address and no groups.
>>
>> Have you tried importing your contacts from the OE wab file or Windows current address book(Windows Contacts)
>>
>> It is probably appropriate before doing anything further to ensure you have a backup copy of all contacts in all locations
>> WLM, Web UI(contacts.live.com), Windows Contacts.
>>
>> Other options: (proceed at your own risk)
>>
>> Create a new Live ID account(Hotmail or Live.com), access the account in the web UI to validate the account and setup the Inbox
>> then close the web UI and use that Live ID to sign in to Windows Live in WLM.
>> - Control Shift C to open Contacts
>> - File/Import/Address book for current Windows User (this is the option for Windows Contacts in C:\User\...\Contacts
>>
>> The alternative to creating a new Live ID in a current Live ID used to sign on in WLM is
>> a. do the same but operate in mode (b) and import the Windows Contacts or
>> b. wipe contacts in the older Live ID in WLM and the web UI(for that same Live ID) then import Windows Contacts.
>> c. Contact support at windowslivehelp.com (Live ID required) under the category 'Mail Client'
>>
>> Finally...note their may be a limit to the number of contacts in a Hotmail type account(e.g. 1000)..only support can verify that
>> limitation.
>>
>>
>> --
>> ...winston
>> ms-mvp mail
>>
>> "David Biddulph" <groups [at] biddulph.org.uk> wrote in message news:-...
>>> I've relatively recently migrated from OE to WLM, but I managed to transfer my contacts & the various distribution lists
>>> containing contacts as categories, and have been using them for a few weeks.
>>>
>>> Since I restarted my machine today, when I go into WLM I can see less than half my contacts. There used to be over 3000
>>> contacts, and my C:/Users/my_user_name/Contacts folder still shows 3295 *.contacts files, but in WLM when I go to Contacts it
>>> shows only 1503 contacts, and most of the categories are empty. If I go to my Windows Live ID on http://home.live.com/ and
>>> click on People it shows me 3253 contacts, but again the categories which are empty in WLM are also empty when I look at them
>>> on my Windows Live ID.
>>>
>>> What do I need to do to get the rest of my contacts back to being visible in WLM?
>>> What do I need to do to get the relevant contacts back into the categories where they used to be listed?
>>> What files and folders should I back up, and what process would I need to go through to get the contacts and categories back if
>>> I lose data in future?
>>> --
>>> David Biddulph
>>>
>