windows 10 crashed - get me out of it !

It is time to get rid of all Microsoft Mail except Outlook. Microsoft does not properly support non-Outlook email.

jackie - that site is reported as not secure - and i cannot click on anything ? ?
 John - that requires that live mail is still running - which is not the case

You can create a Windows 7 virtual machine, set up Live Mail, import the live mail files, set up Outlook and make a PST file and then move forward with PST files.

>>   set up Live Mail   <<  HOw??

Seems I spoke too soon. WLM is gone from my own Windows 7 machine.

I have ZERO idea why people use this stuff but maybe your user needs to start again.

Try:   https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Windows-Live-Mail-to-9f2558e4

as a converter. If that does not work, you may be lost.

that site is reported as not secure - and i cannot click on anything ? ?

Try to use Firefox browser to access the link.

https://archive.org should be safe. I am downloading the EXE file from the link above in Chrome browser of my Win 10 notebook.

john  -do you know if live mail must be running in order to use the tool ? it is not clear to me

No need for live mail to be installed but the tool is only a demo.

So far as I know the converter will convert the files and WLM does not need to be running

jackie  -what does the demo do -and not do ?
i'll probably test it out tomorrow

Actually, you need to try my previous link with another browser as I am sure you do not only want a demo.

You need to pay to get the task done as demo will only convert a few dozen emails as a proof of concept.

ok i'll do that Jackie ( i'll try anything at this point)
&#e$!!§ MS and their lack of support
the least they could do is provide an easy - off line converter tool

I have been down too many outlook rat holes, trying to save, retrieve, move mail on Microsoft clients.  The worst is situations like this where you can't get the owning client to operate.    To me, this is why Yahoo and Gmail exist and are so popular.  

I apologize for the rant.  I've just been beaten up in too many "situations" with Microsoft mail products.  Microsoft provides no sort of safety for, or access to, user mail and data.  Especially once their products fail or get too old.  Customers often have years of saved mail accumulated.   Microsoft products are simply not a safe place for it as time moves on IMHO.    
 
Maybe its because right now I'm fighting an outlook 2010 user data issue, and concurrently a hotmail issue in Windows 10 for another user.  They both have me going in circles with right now.  Or maybe it because these users get mad at me, when their stuff is not retrievable.

Nobus, if you can get onto Outlook successfully, Outlook works well for me and has done so since 2002. I am very happy with it. All my clients use it as well.

Fred -  100% agreed (it's not the first time i had this); and they have a fair list of abandoned mail programs :
Outlook express - Windows Mail - windows Live Mail
John - i know that -  the only question is what will happen when they abanon that also ?
then i prefer Tbird - which is operational from XP time till now; or as Fred said gmail
personally i have Hotmail - but it changed also a couple of times - and i fear the day they stop it

**just came up in my mind : with an online mail like gmail or others -  the mail adress changes to <name>.gmail.com
is it possible to retain the old (isp provided) name like <name>telenet.be ??

Jackie -  i was able to download and install live Essentials - but was met with following problems :
on my Dutch windows  10  -it refused to install :  error platform language -  so i installed english as default language - then it worked
however, since the mail is in Dutch -  and conversions are not Always using the same fields and names, may i ask if you can find a DUTCH version of windows Essentials? that would surely help

It is weekend and I will reply you tmr.

no problem - in the meantime, i found the dutch version and installed it
on startup - it found the live mail account -no problem
but i don't see anywhere the old mails? ?

The folder Jackie describes should have the mail in it.

that's what i did of course - how would it know the account otherwise?

Permission issue?

what do you mean?  on startup of live mail, it sees directly the account info - and asks for password
i provide it and all is well -  but no old mails to be seen ? ?

Are you fairly sure the emails exist?  They could have been lost in the machine crash.

i am very posistive - a whole folder with correct dates

Take ownership of the folder and its content.

why ?  i have access
i discovered that mails and contacts are not to gether in the windows live mail folder, and am gathering all mails and contacts now

I am not sure why they would have drifted out of the main WLM folder.

Also did you try opening these files in Outlook?

not at this stage. i setup WLM, as i said above and am trying to correct everything first
then i may decide to do anything else -  but the client is more than 70, so not much new things are appreciated

I shall have to remind myself I do not know how to try new things :)

i'm doing that everyday -  it keeps me ...?  id on't know the english word -  not young, but alive and kicking

So am I alive and kicking

Alive and problem solved yet?

i'm reconstructing all the mail folders now - i have to copy each one manually
then test again if everything is ok -  then check if it must be converted to outlook with the customer (but i don't think so)

i tried to export this WLM to outlook - but exporting mails got error : WLM does not run anymore
also, by changing the folder setup - i got multiple copies of every mail (3x)
i'm restarting from a fresh WLM setup now

I think you shall do a test of the basic folders like Inbox, Draft and Sent folders first.

Besides, do you run the export in Win 7 or Win 10? If Win 10, you need to change the OS to Win 7 first.

what test do you suggest?  i don't know what/how to test them
>>   do you run the export in Win 7 or Win 10? If Win 10, you need to change the OS to Win 7 first  <<  why is that?  it was running on w10; upgraded from w7

i got everything together, with all your help
everyone apported bits and pieces, so thank you all

You are very welcome and I am glad you got everything working.