Can't import data from Entourage X

[silexmultimedia]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Power PC
Email Client: pop

I've just upgraded a client of mine to Office 2008, from Office X.

Sadly, Entourage, even after the latest maintenance upgrade still can't import its old data.

I read a few fixes here and there, like saving everything as mbox files and reimporting them or buying an extra script/application to do the job.

I'm not sure I read well though as THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. MICROSOFT NEEDS TO FIX THIS BUG AND PUBLISH A FREE MAINTENANCE UPGRADE TO ENTOURAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

If there is another real solution, please let me know. In the meantime, my client is really mad at Microsoft for publishing and selling a defective product, and at me for giving him the advice to upgrade. He will downgre and try to return the product until a real fix can be found or the import feature is repaired.

 

[Diane Ross]

If there is another real solution, please let me know. In the meantime, my
client is really mad at Microsoft for publishing and selling a defective
product, and at me for giving him the advice to upgrade. He will downgre and
try to return the product until a real fix can be found or the import feature
is repaired.

It's not that difficult to manually move over the data. Entourage 2008 is
much more stable than Entourage X.

First, please keep in mind that these newsgroups are peer-to-peer. There
isn't much we can do. The best way is to send feedback to Microsoft .

When working in Office, you can use the ³Send Feedback² option under the
Help menu in all of the Office applications.

 

[Linotype]

It's not that difficult to manually move over the data. Entourage 2008 is
much more stable than Entourage X.

First, please keep in mind that these newsgroups are peer-to-peer. There
isn't much we can do. The best way is to send feedback to Microsoft .

When working in Office, you can use the ³Send Feedback² option under the
Help menu in all of the Office applications.

Excuse me for using this thread to ask a question about moving to 2008
from X.

I'm still in the dark ages with X and would consider moving up to the
21st century if I knew that there were explicit instructions included
with 2008 for transferring the necessary X data to 2008.

Are there easy to understand and follow foolproof directions included
with Office 2008 Home & Student Edition to painlessly and perfectly
transfer every thing needed to effectively be up and running in a
short time that a first time Office upgrader can perform?

 

[Diane Ross]

I'm still in the dark ages with X and would consider moving up to the
21st century if I knew that there were explicit instructions included
with 2008 for transferring the necessary X data to 2008.

As you have discovered importing Entourage X data generally fails. You have
two options described here

Manually move your Entourage data
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/install/manual_install.html>

1) Force an Update
2) Manually move your data

If the force update does not work, follow the directions here:

Manually move your Entourage X data
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/import_export/manual_vX.html>

 

[silexmultimedia]

Another solution I'm exploring right now is installating Office 2004. Importing my X indentity in that and then try to import the 2004 indentity in 2008. So far, importing in 2004 has worked. I have yet to try from 2004 to 2008.

And, yes MS has thought of a clear and easy process to import your old data. But so far in Entourage 2008, I have found this feature to be more reliable with just about any other format that MS's own... which is quite a shame really.

If you don't have many nested subfolders and such, you can maybe try installing Office 2008 demo and try to see if it'll work with your own X data. The import feature is easy to use and you'll see right away if it's broken for you too or if you are one of the lucky ones

 

[Diane Ross]

If you don't have many nested subfolders and such, you can maybe try
installing Office 2008 demo and try to see if it'll work with your own X data.
The import feature is easy to use and you'll see right away if it's broken for
you too or if you are one of the lucky ones

There is no Office 2008 demo. There is a Office 2004 demo.

The problem many users have is not that it's an old database format, it's
corrupted data. As long as the Identity can be opened, the data can be
salvaged. Rebuilding can work under the right circumstances as described
here:

Rebuilding a damaged database that exceeded size limit

<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2007/09/rebuilding_a_damaged_database_that_e
xceeded_size_limit.html>

In case the above link does not work:

<http://tinyurl.com/4s6qv3>

 

[silexmultimedia]

I was worried about corrupted data. That's why I rebuilt my databases before attempting any importing on them.

Plus if they were corrupted, Office 2004 wouldn't import them.

And it worked fine to import 2004 into 2008. So, I guess the X to 2004 to 2008 workaround maybe is a good bet for some people who have that kind of problem and the luck to have an MS2004 version on a shelf waiting to be used.

Yet, in my view this still qualifies as a big bug. If some data works in one version of an application, that data should be movable to a newer version no matter what. Of course, maybe there's corruption, well then I'm sure they can find the budget to hire a programmer for a weekend and ask him to build an import corruption filter...