Downloading saved webmail

[shiny5437]

Apologies for the unsexiness of the post folks.

I'm moving into a house where there's already internet access so will be terminating my AOL account (yay!). I here that you can keep your email address but after a while access can get a little flaky (unsurprisingly).

When I got my new computer I never got round to setting up outlook (or Eudora which I prefer) and so have spent the past 12 months using AOL webmail. So I've accumulated a big online folder of saved messages and attachments which I want to keep.

Is there any way of downloading that file onto my harddrive? I've seen some freeware called AOL archiver but was wondering if there's any other way doing it?

Thanks folks!

 

[SweetErika]

Will AOL allow you to download the contents of your folder(s) to Outlook Express, Eudora, or a similar program?

If so, that'd probably be your easiest option. You can always download the emails, back them up on your computer and keep them on the server for as long as you can. I'm not sure what AOL's email policies are, but you may want to make sure you log into your account online at regular, short intervals just in case they have a 'clear account due to inactivity' policy (like Hotmail does, or did).

If not, and there's not a nifty tool to help you with this task, you might have to go through those saved emails and forward them to your new, permanent account (Gmail is great for this, with it's free POP and account linking features, massive storage and general reliability; worst case, you could forward to a new gmail acct, then download them to your PC via your preferred email client from there) that is NOT through your ISP. It's never wise to have your primary account through an ISP or unreliable website, so resist any urges to start over with your new ISP.

 

[shiny5437]

Thanks SweetErika. I'll look into your suggestions.

I was kinda hoping to avoid the mass-forwarding approach but it looks like it might be a necessary evil if it comes to it.

 

[shiny5437]

Quick update (feedback is an expression of gratitude):

Actually downloaded windows live email (the new version of outlook) and was able to simply drag and drop email across folders to save onto my computer.

Plus it apparently can log into several email accounts simultaneously which will allow me to monitor my old account as I transition over to a new one.