Having trouble with restoring email in Outlook

[memory]

I just recently reinstalled Windows XP Pro on my Dad's computer. We backed up everything he wanted to keep to the second hard drive. I put the email folders in the second hard drive too.

Now we got Windows up and running and I went to import the email back into Outlook. But whenever I point to the location where they are stored at, it says no messages can be found or they are in use by another application. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[carnageX]

Are they DBX files? If so, just replace the existing ones that are in Outlook (assuming you haven't downloaded any new mail..if you do, this will overwrite the existing email folder [Inbox.dbx for example] and won't have the new emails anymore; just the ones you backed up).

 

[memory]

Yes they are .dbx files. I dragged the folder that he wants to keep into the Outlook's store folder and it doesn't show up in Outlook.

 

[KSoD]

Have you taken ownership of the files? Since they are from a previous install you will have to take ownership first with XP then try to import them.

 

[memory]

I got this figured out. I renamed the folder that he wanted to keep Inbox and dragged it to the store folder.

Just curious, how would I take ownership of the files?

 

[KSoD]

How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP