replacement for Windows Live Mail

**Chikara** · 08-12-2020, 12:41 AM

Hi
My Mum (retired) has always used Windows Live Mail on her Win10 laptop. I know it's long since unsupported by MS, but it worked fine for her, she knew how to use it, and doesn't like change so she just kept using it.
Recently she got a Google security check alert, and as a result of that, turned off the access to less secure apps setting. This caused Live Mail to not work "unexpected error". Well, I'm assuming that's the reason.
However turning the access to insecure apps setting back did not solve the problem, and actually I'd rather move her on to a more recent and secure product anyway.

My questions:
1) With ease of use being important for her, ideally as similar to the old Windows Live Mail interface as possible, would you just recommend the built-in Windows 10 mail client? Or if not, what else?
2) I'm waiting to hear back from her, but I think as well as her Gmail, she may have some old emails from her old Xnet account stored there that she would like to keep. If so, is it possible to import those from Windows Live Mail, into mail? This would just be for archive purposes as I don't think she actually uses that old Xnet account any more (don't even know if Xnet are even operating any more under that name) so they would just be local files only.

Thank in advance

**wainuitech** · 08-12-2020, 08:14 AM

If you want a email Client that is the same layout as Windows live mail, theres really only paid versions or if you want free Thunderbird BUT I wouldn't recommend Thunderbird.

Lots of customers who had it have been saying its been giving various problems for quite some time now, with the latest last week when it upgraded to the newer and higher security and either stopped working or couldn't receive mail, Thunderbirds solution was to lower / revert to its old security, then Gmail would throw up errors about insecure apps and refuse to work. The problem with that upgrade was it didn't bring across some of the existing security settings. Some say it was a Eset (nod32) problem but it was much more than that, I fixed over a dozen in two days and only 4 had Eset, the others either had a different AV or the inbuilt Windows.

The program I now install is EMClient - It does import directly from Windows live mail, all mails, accounts and Address Book. There's two version, the Free and paid. For general use, limited to two accounts the Free is fine. You need to get the free License but that's no big deal, all you need is your email Address.https://www.emclient.com/?lang=en You can change the base color to several available, as well as the reading layout ( Read - on Right, below etc).

The other option is the inbuilt Windows mail -- Personal choice some people like it others absolutely hate it -- Your choice.

Another Option is simply use the online - just log into gmail and use that.

The "unexpected error" with Live mail is simply because its to old and outdated, insecure these days, and gmail wont accept it. You can manually lower the security settings in your gmail account to allow insecure apps, but that as well will eventually fail.

MANY of the other advertised Free ones are now paid, so the options are limited.

**1101** · 08-12-2020, 09:55 AM

I also use emclient . I like its clean basic layout
Only bug is when I open emclient & click on the 1st unread email, SOMETIMES it takes several clicks to get that 1st email open (ie sometimes a delay in opening 1st email)

Thunderbird : the (never fixed) font bug became so annoying I stopped using it. I hated they way it handled contacts (adress book )
Outlook : possibly the best , apart from sometimes buggy imap support . Not free .

**wainuitech** · 08-12-2020, 11:29 AM

Just got two more jobs this afternoon, fixing Faulty Email clients - Guess Which one, and neither have Eset ??

(Hint starts with T ).

**Johny C** · 08-12-2020, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by wainuitech

Just got two more jobs this afternoon, fixing Faulty Email clients - Guess Which one, and neither have Eset ??

(Hint starts with T ).

What version are they Wainuitech. I have version 78.5.1 (32bit) installed on 3 Win10 64bit pc's and are having no problems with them, fingers crossed.

**rumpty** · 08-12-2020, 01:49 PM

Have a look at OE Classic. www.oeclassic.com It has a free version, I think, but, whatever, it's nice and familiar to use. Their web page suggests it as a replacement for Windows Live Mail, among others.

**DrNum** · 08-12-2020, 08:42 PM

That is interesting! I hope you get an efficient answer to your questions.

**wainuitech** · 09-12-2020, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by Johny C

What version are they Wainuitech. I have version 78.5.1 (32bit) installed on 3 Win10 64bit pc's and are having no problems with them, fingers crossed.

Dont know what versions they were, one wouldn't open at all, according to the person it did an update, and next time trying to open it keep on crashing.

The Other - Didn't look for the version, the person just wanted it changed as they have been having problems for weeks now. So put in EMClient on both and they are both happy.

One of the fixes is to install fresh. Seen it a couple of times now, the so called "fixes" even if using Eset dont work. So uninstall Thunderbird, download a new version and install, generally works again. Its something to do with the actual upgrade not doing what its meant to.

One thing is Consistent though, if changing to EMClient, Windows live mail imports Fine, mails, address book etc, but Thunderbird -- Naaaa Doesn't want to do it, just errors with not authorized when logging into gmail (and email / password is correct) so just setup EMClient manually, and being IMAP it syncs fine from the online.

The contacts need to be manually adjusted, even if you can export them from Thunderbird as .csv for some reason they wont import in the right formats so you have to do it manually.

Like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qqh-2-8YOU

**Lawrence** · 09-12-2020, 01:16 PM

If you want to import your contacts from another client (Browser or Email) use Hekasoft https://www.hekasoft.com/hekasoft-backup-restore/

Used for a few years with Opera/Brave/ Thunderbird with backup and Deployment

**Chikara** · 09-12-2020, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. She switched to the built-in Win 10 Mail client, and seems happy with it, so I'll just suggest she stays with that.
Interestingly she said her contacts are all visible too om the 'people' section. When she added her Google account, it must also sync her Google contacts. I don't use 'Mail' personally, so didn't realise it could do that also.