Macintosh

[paulrlange]

I have been accessing my Comcast email accts from the browser and logging into comcast.net. My wife and i share same computer with different addresses and have to constantly log in / logout.

I have therefore set up Mail with an inbox for her and an inbox for me and can quickly/simply switch between accts. That is fine.

However, I would like to import into MAIL, the several folders of saved messages that are on the left side of my Comcast.net email page. While there is apparently a command for that, I can't get it to work. It tells me to click the box using "Mbox" format. But that is where I get lost. Nothing happens and I get a message to get export instructions from Comcast. 

I wold like to retain these messages in the folders that they are currently in and be able to add to these folders in the future using MAIL.

Thanks

Thanks

[BethKatz]

Hmmm. I don't think you'll be able to maintain the folders in SmartZone from Mail. You can have folders in both, but you'll keep the folders on your Mac.

I have some folders on my SmartZone account. I don't see where you could export them to get an mbox file. If you could, you could put it into your file system at an appropriate palce and have Mac Mail open it.

If moving the contents of the folders was important to me, I would do the following. Maybe it will give you some ideas for how to do what you need.

I am not saying this is straightforward. It's a way to get it done:

• make sure email is being downloaded from email server to Mac Mail how you wish it to be (deleted from server when downloaded or not or after some time)
• have inbox empty in both places (maybe have a temporary folder for that)
• create a folder in Mac Mail tol hold the incoming items
• select the messages in SmartZone you want to move 
• click the move icon in SmartZone (folder with arrow on it, for me it's between Delete and Spam) and move to Inbox
• now those messages are in your inbox in SmartZone. Get mail on your Mac. When they are there, move them into the folder you created
• if you are leaving the messages on the server and want to keep them in folders there, move them back into the folder

Do you and your wife use the same account on the Mac? I'd suggest having different user accounts, and then you could continue to just use SmartZone. Your individual web browsers would have separate usernames and passwords stored. You would also have your own browser bookmarks and files. It's easy to switch back and forth between accounts. That's what we do. It's also better for security to have the administrator account and separate user accounts.

[littlepaulie42]

Hi Beth,

Thanks for all the good tips!

I spent some time setting-up separate accounts today.I have "Mac for Dummies" and "My New Mac " (wallace Wang) and can get alot done with those books. I played around with it a bit and decided that for right now, we are better off using two inboxes on the same account and using the same ICal and Address book.

I took your other suggestion and set up the same file names in Mail as on my Comcast file. The transfer is a bit tricky as not all the transferred messages stayed together. (I guess that is why you suggested emptying out both Inboxes before transfer- which I didn't do). Anyway, I will get there by tomorrow. I don't need to maintain my folders on the Comcast.net site once I have them on MAIL.

Anyway, your comments were very helpful to me. I've been struggling with my conversion to MAC for a year. To really  use all the features, it takes a lot of time and effort and reading. So, I still peck away at it when I have extra time and am making steady progress. Remains to see if it is worth it...

[BethKatz · Accepted solution]

Glad to help.

There are many reasons to use separate user accounts. I won't go into them here.

Let me put in a plug for local face-to-face Apple user groups. You can find a local one at

http://www.apple.com/usergroups/

Edit: Let me also suggest that once you get your messages into folders on your Mac, back up that data on CD or DVD. You can locate the mail data by opening the Finder, going to your home, and then opening Library and then Mail. The Mailboxes folder contains all the whatever.mbox files possibly grouped into folders if you did that.

To make a backup, quit Mail. In the Finder, click on the Mailboxes folder (home / Library / Mail / Mailboxes) and choose File / Burn Mailboxes to Disc ... It will take a few moments and then tell you to insert a writeable CD of appropriate size (mine said 4.5 GB which doesn't fit on a single CD or DVD - we do backups to a separate hard disk.)

[littlepaulie42]

Hi Beth

Thanks for the tip on the Apple user group. I'm sure it will be useful for me.

Separate user groups. I can see that there are advantages to switching between users . I did set-up the IMAC yesterday to do quick switching between users. For now, tho, I will try use my wife's user page and receive hers/mine email on different mailboxes under her user name.

I was not aware of backing up Email thru the Finder menus. Thanks for that.

I also have ordered a WD Passport for Mac back-up HD and will start using that with Time Machine for back-up of Email and Documents (neither of which I currently back-up).

I spend much of the year sitting here in Mexico scratching my head and fiddling with stuff.

Thanks again

Paul

[bhiga]

Beth

Excellent work around suggestion.  I think it's crazy that there is no way to make a copy or back up Comcast email folders.  This is THE reason to NOT use Comcast as one's primary email handler.  Thanks again for the good idea and I'm switching over to Outlook right now and get with a REAL email program.