Table of Contents
Introduction
ImportServer helps you import email in standard mbox format into email applications that otherwise cannot. Specifically, the ImportServer acts like an email server that holds all your old email, ready to be downloaded as if you were checking email for the first time.
Email programs often can only import 1 or 2 different formats, and even then, sometimes they don't do it very accurately. So, how do you get your old email into your new email program? If your new email program uses the standard mbox format, then it's usually as simple as using Emailchemy and copying the mbox files to some directory. However, many email programs use closed, proprietary formats, and when these programs don't have a universal import facility, it's very difficult (if not impossible) to import your old email.
ImportServer bypasses the import procedures by hosting your old email on a local, secure email server. You then "import" your old email by telling your new email program to download mail from the ImportServer. All your old email will appear in your new email program, with all the correct formatting, dates, and attachments.
Trialware Notice
ImportServer is distributed as "trialware". This means that you may download and try ImportServer, but you will be limited to importing 10 messages per mailbox until ImportServer is purchased and then registered with a valid registration key.
Trademark Notice
ImportServer is a trademark of Weird Kid Software LLC. All other brands or product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Using NetGlance
System Requirements
For Macintosh computers, ImportServer requires Mac OS X, version 10.2.6 or higher.
For computers running any version of Windows, ImportServer requires that Java, version 1.4.1 or higher, be installed. The latest version of Java for your computer is always available as a free download from http://java.com.
If you are not sure which Java version you already have, you can check by typing "java -version" at a command-line in the appropriate terminal application for your operating system. You should see something like this:
Installing
ImportServer for Windows and Linux is distributed as a compressed installer program. All you need to do is start the installer program and answer any questions about where to put ImportServer and its shortcuts. Although, we recommend you just use the default settings of the installer.
ImportServer for Mac OS X is distributed as a compressed disk image. To install, double click the .tgz file to uncompress the disk image file, then double-click the .dmg file that will appear.
Running ImportServer
Depending on your operating system, you'll double-click the ImportServer icon, select it from your Start menu, or start it at the command line. As ImportServer starts for the first time, you'll be asked to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). If you don't accept the agreement, ImportServer will not run.
ImportServer operates as a "wizard" that walks you through a step-by-step process to import your mail into your new email program. For your convenience, the steps are listed here below:
Step 1: Introduction and Preparation
The ImportServer works by pretending to be a mail server with all the mail you want to import held in a pretend email account. By having your email program check for new email on this pretend email account, your email program will be able to "import" email that it normally otherwise could not through its existing import capability.All email programs work a little differently, so you'll have to consult the documentation that came with yours if you need help setting it up to check mail on a new account. In addition, depending on your email program, you may want to consider the following actions for ensuring a smoother import:
When you are ready to begin, at the bottom of this window, choose whether you will be importing a single mbox file or a folder of many mbox files. ImportServer only works with standard mbox files.
- Clean out your Inbox, the local folder where all new mail is downloaded.
- Turn off checking of email for all existing accounts. The simplest way to accomplish this may be to temporarily disable (unplug) your current network connection.
Step 2: Configure Your Mail Application
Create a new account in your email application with these settings:
Account or Server Type: POP3 or sometimes just POPTurn off any settings for automatically checking new mail. If the ImportServer is not running on port 110, consult your email application's user manual or advanced settings to set the port number of the incoming mail (POP3) server. Use default values for all other settings.
Email Address: import@localhost
Incoming Mail Server (POP3): localhost
Incoming Mail Server Port: see field below
Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): localhost
Account User Name: import
Account Password: mymailFor security, ImportServer must be running on the same computer as your new email application.
Step 3: Check your mail
- Clean out all the mail currently in your inbox, if you haven't already.
- Click the "Get New Mail" or "Send/Receive" button in your email application. Repeat if your email application stops before all the mail is transferred.
- After all the messages have downloaded to your inbox, move them to a new folder corresponding to the mailbox name you see below.
- Click the "Next" button when you are finished, to go to the next mailbox or back to the beginning.
Helpful Tips
Troubleshooting ImportServer
Here are some common tips that should help with the most common problems that have been reported by users of ImportServer.
- Make sure you have the correct version of Java installed, as identified in the System Requirements.
- For security reasons, ImportServer only allows connections from the localhost. You need to run ImportServer on the same computer as your new email application.
- Mac OS X Mail folders that have the ".mbox" filename extension are not standard mbox files and need to be converted by Emailchemy before ImportServer can read them.
Purchasing ImportServer
Once you've determined that ImportServer is a product that you want to use, you can purchase a license for the fully-functional version. The details of how to do so are on the Weird Kid Software web site: http://weirdkid.com.
Registering your copy of ImportServer
Once you've purchased a ImportServer license, you will be sent a registration key. You will need to enter this key into the "Register ImportServer" dialog to convert your trialware license into a full-use license. Look for "Register ImportServer" in ImportServer's "Help" menu.
IMPORTANT: Keep this key in a safe place! You may need to re-enter it sometime in the future.
Thank you for trying ImportServer!
WKS