For many years I have backed up email each week by creating a new folder, then exporting email messages, then backing up the folder to an external hard drive.   I think I used this technique way back on Outlook Express, but certainly for at least 4 years on Live Mail 2011.   About 6 weeks ago I switched to Live Mail 2012, and nothing went wrong.

But on my most recent attempt to export, instead of taking 1-2 minutes the export ended in a flash.   I looked at the folder and there were a few empty folders and eventually one folder with just one message.   (There is ample space on the disk by the way).   Since then, being careful to use an empty folder to take the export each time, I have experimented with trying to export fewer and fewer folders, eventually to one folder with just three messages.   Always the same - just one message finds its way to the export folder.

I uninstalled Essentials and re-installed it.  No joy.   I chatted with Microsoft, eventually being told that Live Mail 2012 is now a "self-support" product.  Hmm.   I deleted my two email accounts.  No joy.  I deleted folder after folder until I had just one left.   No joy.  I deleted the single folder and that left me with Outbox, and Storage folders containing Drafts, Sent Items, Deleted items, all empty.    I used the "advanced" maintenance tab to change the store folder.  I closed live mail and upon restart, as expected, the little that was left in the original live mail folders was copied.  I then imported a small folder from a backup, tried to export - 1 message.   As I've said, when I changed the store folder a bunch of stuff was copied from the original place.   I deleted everything in my new store folder so that all that was left was the completely empty folder.   I imported a small folder, tried to export - 1 message.

I am at a complete loss now.

I have searched the web for ideas and of course found quite a bit on this forum, but I hope you can see that I am doing the standard back-up process, it's worked fine for years, but now...

So if anyone knows where live mail 2012 stores its "maximum number of messages to export" (!!!) or something I'd be so, so grateful. 

Windows 8.1, no third party software, Windows Security Essentials, vanilla flavor, HP netbook used for email only.