Question:

Using Windows Live Mail, I copied my Hotmail account folders and EMail messages contained in these folders to my laptop computer hard drive. Next, using a drag and drop, I copied these folders and EMail messages to a USB flash drive as backup should my computer hard drive ever crash.

As copied using Windows Live Mail, the EMail messages have unique 16 character alpha-numeric names which does not lend itself to identifying Subject titles if looking to open and read a specific message. For example, Windows Live mail named one of the EMail messages, 02B153B2-00000019. If I double click on this file named 02B153B2-00000019, Windows Live Mail opens it and I can then read the entire EMail message including Subject (title), date received, person received from and the message.

Meanwhile, if I open Windows Live Mail and browse the USB flash drive to the folder containing this very same EMail message, 02B153B2-00000019, and try to Import it to Windows Live mail so that I can read it, I get an error message –

“No messages can be found in this folder or another application is running that has the required files open. Please select another folder or try closing applications that may have files open.

Long story short, is it possible to Import EMail messages from the USB Flash to Windows Live Mail for viewing purposes? If so, then how do I do this?

Thanks. Mark18.