Question about Outlook Express

I have been using Windows 7 for more than 2 years with Windows Live Mail for my e-mail program, having previously had XP with Outlook Express mail.

When for back-up I export my Windows Live Mail to an External Flash Drive (via a file created for this in My Docs), soon after downloading begins I get the message "this file has properties which cannot be exported.  Do you want to Export anyway?"  with the options "Skip" and "Skip all".   I always have continued by saying 'yes' and choosing the "Skip all" option, optimistically presuming the 'properties' referred to are not important.

However, from a question on this Forum which I recently saw and the questioner's responses to the replies he got (I couldn't find the actual answer) I gathered that if "Skip" is selected, the messages will not be saved in a form which would repopulate the program in a readable format.  i.e., I am not in fact backing up my Windows Live messages at all.

Can you tell me what is meant by "messages  have properties that cannot be exported" and whether it is a fact that I can't back up messages in a re-importable form without installing a dedicated program for the purpose – free for a trial period only.  This would seem to me incredible, when my old computer with Windows XP was able to save and reimport messages into its "Outlook Express" Mail programme.

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My list of contacts in Hotmail seems to have disappeared, can anyone help?

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Original title: Contacts list

wish to create a group send list in Windows Live Email. am running windows 7.

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How do I open an .RAR attachment (pictures) on Windows Live Mail? They won't open in Adobe Reader (default) and tried other reasonable programs to open. I've even unclicked my security block, still doesn't work.

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Original title: .RAR Attachments

The popular solutions seems to be to go to manage your contacts in people.live.com. I am unable to access the People page either through mail.com/mail/live or people.live.com. I can get to the page but the little circle of dots in the middle keeps turning and it's unable to complete the download? When I click on the choices logo all I get is a list of a straight line, followed by help and feedback.

I hope whoever might read this can follow what I mean. I have read some the solutions/ answers but as I said I can't access the solutions.  

I made up a group contact with one name for all. When I type in the one name for 5 or 6 people it has been working in recipient list. For the last few weeks it works part of the time and the other times it only lists one or two of the people I included. I have gone back in Contacts and reentered the ones I wanted in the group and it was good for a while, but again it leaves out some of the names . I cannot find an answer, I hope someone else can tell me what to do. I

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Original Title: I am in WIndows Live Mail and all my saved files for the past year have disappeared,  just a minute ago my Quick Views folder with unread email,  contacts,feeds has now also gone WHAT IS GOING ON???

The Live Mail screen has toolbars horizontally across the top of the screen with the main area of the screen divided into three vertical panels

The leftmost panel allows you to open Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Feeds or Newsgroups.

I have currently selected Mail so the adjacent Panel(middle) shows my inbox messages with the text of the selected message in the large rightmost panel.

So the leftmost panel is the source of my angst!

Up until yesterday evening I had (with mail selected)

Quick Views

     Unread email

          "      from contacts

          "      feeds

ISP name

     Inbox

     Drafts

     Sent Items

     Junk email

     Deleted Items

     Saved Files

         some 30 or more folders

                   "

                   "   

                   "

                   "

Outbox                            So what has gone is all the saved files, some of which had up to 100 emails and as I started this note the "Quick Views" group also vanished

I can receive emails, but when I try to send an email it say errow on smtp setting but the settings is correct incoming Is 25 and outgoing is 110 help.

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In windows live mail, my ribbon bar disappears in my inbox causing difficulty deleting emails. I have to click on home to get the ribbon bar back each time. It is slow and tedious.  This change just happened this week. Have there been changes in the program?

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