Domain Name/E-Mail Transfer Nightmare

[CHE]

This one is literally making me ill.

For the last 20 years my first and only e-mail account has been with Poweryourname (part of Register.com) and is associated with a domain name I lease with them. I just got an e-mail from them saying that my domain account will be closed and transferred to another Register.com system ("to improve the service") within days* and my e-mail accounts will be deleted. It also says that my e-mail accounts (5 in total, other family members use some) or maybe a singular account can be recreated on the new 'system' but that no messages can be transferred !

In essence 20 years of information will be deleted with no comeback, so legal stuff, tax, information about a building conversion, hobbies, etc, etc, over 20 years all gone; about 2.7GB. It seems I can export in to a text file (which is almost gibberish) one message at a time - I don't know where to start.

I guess in the short term I will stay with them for e-mail but next year I should consider moving. I like their web-based e-mail which I can also access via iphone (I think it's POP3 ?) but I can't go through this again - I'm literally shaking at what will be lost that I don't even know is important.

So any suggestions on what options might suit me ? I have a 5GB e-mail limit per address which suits and if all my old stuff is deleted then I don't need that much to start with. I've had the option to add more e-mail addresses up to 10 I think which has been very useful but I have no idea how I can link to my domain name if I go with a different supplier. I would prefer UK based as Register.com is US based and their support operation is therefore effectively limited to e-mail which is obviously making all this a nightmare at the moment.

CHE

*I'm not clear how long I have, maybe days, maybe a few weeks before all this happens.

 

[Marchbanks]

I may have misunderstood, but can you not simply bulk-archive your email? That’s what I do with Outlook.

 

[hc25036]

^^ This. It must be possible to use your current email program to either save or archive messages locally (on your computer). You can then un-archive them and point the program at the new server and carry on.

You will only lose the messages on the remote server. I've done this a couple of times when we had to change provider.

 

[deebster]

If you have been accessing emails via a web interface then I think if you use an email program instead such as Outlook you may be able to configure its settings to download the emails to your computer rather than leave them on the email provider's server.

This I think is POP3 protocol rather than IMAP but I confess I've had trouble with these settings on my Mac so may be off base a bit.

If not then once you have each email account configured within your email program then it may download each and every email (that you haven't deleted from the server via the web interface). You'd then have a shedload of emails in your inbox but at least there a copy on your hard drive that you can then move to an archive.

Hope this helps.

 

[CHE]

Thanks for the comments so far - very much appreciated.

Archive : No, I can't see any archive option at all as that would be the logical route. I've asked the support (sic) people about a global download but no reply as yet - they say they can't transfer to the new system. The help button goes to 'enom Support Centre' and there's nothing I can see that helps me.

Outlook : That sounds like an option if I could get it to work. I've never used Outlook but if I could get them on my PC at least I might be able to sleep. Does anyone know if that is possible/practical to bulk archive to a PC 3GB of messages ?

CHE

 

[deebster]

I don't think moving emails to an archive is an issue in itself - an archive is just a folder within the email program as far as I'm concerned.

Perhaps try with the account that has the least number of messages. You will of course need the email address and password but may also need to have the correct settings for incoming and outgoing email servers, but that is generic information and ought to be available from a net search.

Then stick all that into Outlook and see what it does. It may automatically download every email that exists on the server, from which point it's just a mahoosive filing job within Outlook, but then there should be no time limit as you have copied everything to your computer.

 

[Eyebroughty]

Hi,

I think Gmail can do a similar thing about pulling emails from another email account.

Found this, maybe helps.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get only old messages
If you recently switched to Gmail, you can transfer your old emails from your other account.

Important: If you use Gmail for work or school and don't see the import mail option, then your administrator may have disabled this feature.

1. On your computer, open Gmail.
2. In the top right, click Settings
   
   
   See all settings.
3. Click the Accounts and import or Accounts tab.
4. In the second section, click Import mail and contacts.
5. Follow the steps on the screen.
6. Click Start import.

To give you time to tell your friends about your new Gmail address, we'll forward messages sent to your other account for 30 days. We'll display your new Gmail address for 60 days, or until you delete the reminder.

Stop importing emails

1. On your computer, open the Gmail account you've been importing to.
2. In the top right, click Settings
   
   
   See all settings.
3. Click the Accounts and import tab.
4. In the "Check mail from other accounts" section, click Delete next to the account you want to stop getting emails from.

Tip: If you're still getting emails, check if automatic forwarding is set up in your other account, then do a search on how to turn it off in your other account. If you want to delete emails that were already imported, learn how to delete them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers

John

PS.
Not sure if they mean another old Gmail email or a completely different email.

I know my Gmail pulled and still does all my BT emails.

 

[Amber Audio]

Thanks for the comments so far - very much appreciated.

Archive : No, I can't see any archive option at all as that would be the logical route. I've asked the support (sic) people about a global download but no reply as yet - they say they can't transfer to the new system. The help button goes to 'enom Support Centre' and there's nothing I can see that helps me.

Outlook : That sounds like an option if I could get it to work. I've never used Outlook but if I could get them on my PC at least I might be able to sleep. Does anyone know if that is possible/practical to bulk archive to a PC 3GB of messages ?

CHE

As above Gmail and other methods are options - this is a pretty common issue and you'll get loads of hits if you Google.

Here's a brief overview of one method using Outlook to move from 1 Mailbox provider to another.

If you don't have Outlook you can buy it cheap as part of Office 2016/19 usual places or get a Trial from the Microsoft Site of Office. It's part of Office 365 Family and good value at £60 for 6 family members with 6TB of Cloud Storage. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DRP537A/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

In Outlook there is an option to Export your mailbox to a portable format called a PST file.

Before your account/mailboxes are closed it's essential you install and setup each Account in Outlook.

Make sure you slide the option for how much mail to store locally to All as it defaults to 1 Year.

Depending on your broadband it may take a while to fully copy everything to a local mailbox as part of Outlook. Once you are sure it is all present (search for old messages) move on to exporting.

Export to PST File to 2 different locations and devices - typically I use the Downloads Folder and a USB Hard Disk. Reason, PST can corrupt, Hard Disk can corrupt.

Setup a new Account in Outlook to use the new Mailbox provider - typically it will be a new password and some settings to dial in - SMTP/IMAP/POP are the kind of tech you will see mentioned. There are usually guides on the Mail Provider Help Site to show or some have an automatic method. Once setup send a test message to and from - if they work you're good to proceed to Importing.

In Outlook you will Import the PST file you created and after a short session of activity all your old Mail/Folders will be there.

That's a top level view - there are gotchas and if you are not an IT guy I would suggest you get a mate/pay an IT Pro to do it for you.

You'll do it for each individual Mailbox so 5 times in total.

HTH

Gus

 

[gintonic]

As above Gmail and other methods are options - this is a pretty common issue and you'll get loads of hits if you Google.

Here's a brief overview of one method using Outlook to move from 1 Mailbox provider to another.

If you don't have Outlook you can buy it cheap as part of Office 2016/19 usual places or get a Trial from the Microsoft Site of Office. It's part of Office 365 Family and good value at £60 for 6 family members with 6TB of Cloud Storage. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DRP537A/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

In Outlook there is an option to Export your mailbox to a portable format called a PST file.

Before your account/mailboxes are closed it's essential you install and setup each Account in Outlook.

Make sure you slide the option for how much mail to store locally to All as it defaults to 1 Year.

Depending on your broadband it may take a while to fully copy everything to a local mailbox as part of Outlook. Once you are sure it is all present (search for old messages) move on to exporting.

Export to PST File to 2 different locations and devices - typically I use the Downloads Folder and a USB Hard Disk. Reason, PST can corrupt, Hard Disk can corrupt.

Setup a new Account in Outlook to use the new Mailbox provider - typically it will be a new password and some settings to dial in - SMTP/IMAP/POP are the kind of tech you will see mentioned. There are usually guides on the Mail Provider Help Site to show or some have an automatic method. Once setup send a test message to and from - if they work you're good to proceed to Importing.

In Outlook you will Import the PST file you created and after a short session of activity all your old Mail/Folders will be there.

That's a top level view - there are gotchas and if you are not an IT guy I would suggest you get a mate/pay an IT Pro to do it for you.

You'll do it for each individual Mailbox so 5 times in total.

HTH

Gus

that saved me typing all that out - that works, i have done it........ I was lucky i had Outlook anyway as i am a corporate user.

 

[hc25036]

If Outlook looks a bit daunting, then Thunderbird is well supported and very easy to set up.

 

[Amber Audio]

TBird can be a royal pita to get out from down the line though

 

[Mark Grant]

It also says that my e-mail accounts (5 in total, other family members use some

Don't worry too much as will be easy to migrate to a better provider.

Do these other users use just webmail to view emails online or do they use outlook or similar to either download with POP and store emails on their own PC or view with IMAP and leave emails stored on the server?

You need to know where the emails are before you can start migrating as some users may have POP collected the emails. IMAP is better as easy to migrate.

When you start moving emails to a new host everyone on your account will need completing on the same day before you can make changes to DNS to where the new emails are to be delivered.

Do you have everyones email passwords so that you can do all the migrations easily or so that someone who can help will be able to complete the task.

Also do you have login details and password into the admin control panel at your existing host as DNS MX settings will need changing once emails have been migrated away.

I have an idea but you cant start unless you know all the details.

 

[CHE]

if you are not an IT guy I would suggest you get a mate/pay an IT Pro to do it for you.

Yes, I've now approached a semi-family member based on the Outlook options noted above. He thinks there are a couple of possibilities and I may well go that way. Register.com have finally admitted that I can use Outlook to archive locally and it may be that if I use the right format I may be able to get them back in to the new system, but they're not telling me what format the import will take !! The current system uses EML format which I think Outlook will export to, so that might work.

Don't worry too much as will be easy to migrate to a better provider.
Do you have login details and password into the admin control panel at your existing host as DNS MX settings will need changing once emails have been migrated away. I have an idea but you cant start unless you know all the details.

I don't know what DNS MX is but I did set up all the e-mail accounts myself and am the administrator (and will remain so) so I guess I can get the parameters needed.

What's really frustrating is that the company have given no hint as to what is possible or how to go about transferring emails other than saying they won't do it, without me badgering them. I would understand if they wanted payment to do it as a service, but they clearly don't; they're happy that (some) customers will flounder about and make mistakes - unacceptable. Even their messages have been ambiguous. This has been very stressful and will remain so until I get copy everything to my PC in the right format.

CHE

 

[Amber Audio]

The data is clearly important to you so you are defo doing the right thing and getting someone in who knows IT, well worth a few quid.

A good jugdge would be if they know what DNS, an MX and an A record are. Basically it is the yellow pages of the Internet, when you type in a website address or send an email it’s the system that acts as the postman for your email and taxi driver to get you to a website.

 

[Mark Grant]

I don't know what DNS MX is but I did set up all the e-mail accounts myself and am the administrator (and will remain so) so I guess I can get the parameters needed.

CHE

I would suggest to use a different company for the email hosting. Leave the domain name where it is for now and then change that later.

Zoho mail do a free web mail only 5 user plan that might do for now to get all the emails imported directly from the old provider.

scroll down the page to see the free plan.

https://www.zoho.com/mail/zohomail-pricing.html

You could upgrade to a paid plan later if users want IMAP email for outlook etc. £1 per month including vat per user by the looks of it.

lots of guides here:
https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/

Looks suitable for your requirements.

You could probably have all this completed within a few hours once you get going.

I always have domain name, email hosting and web hosting with 3 separate companies, much easier to change one provider quickly if needed when you have full control.

 

[CHE]

I would suggest to use a different company for the email hosting. Leave the domain name where it is for now and then change that later.

I always have domain name, email hosting and web hosting with 3 separate companies, much easier to change one provider quickly if needed when you have full control.

Thanks for that, I'm thinking along the same lines. I have the option for one-years free 'executive' e-mail with Register.com which I suspect will cost me an arm and a leg when it come up for renewal so I am planning to look at options. To be honest this had really hit my health hard and all due to poor communications starting with a "Your email account will be deleted in days" message, so I'm struggling to function properly at the moment.

What I don't understand is how I can link the 'new' e-mail provider to the domain name - are there some simple guides anywhere I can look at ?

CHE

 

[Mark Grant]

What I don't understand is how I can link the 'new' e-mail provider to the domain name - are there some simple guides anywhere I can look at ?
CHE

That is the MX record that Amber Audio mentions.
A simple bit of text added to the DNS control panel at your domain registrar register.com that tells the internet where to deliver your incoming emails to.

There are guides online but each provider will have a slightly different control panel.

People here will help you, don't let it make you ill.

 

[Amber Audio]

Do not let this stuff make you unwell. What you do need to do is pay a Pro to help. Keep posting questions there are IT guys/Pros on here that will help.

I'll try and explain this but it's a geeks delight this stuff. Hopefully others will pile in and try to explain this stuff in plain speak.


Your Domain Name needs to be "looked after" to work and prove it belongs to you, you therefore pay a company to do this and they take a "Registration Fee" This is effectively a paper exercise.

Generally this is the same Company that will look after the technical stuff that makes websites and email work, it is called DNS - Domain Name System. There will be a place to manipulate these settings, generally we call it your DNS Control Panel and it should be part of the deal. In here there is an MX Record (Mail Xchanger) - it defines where emails sent to your email address end up. For now this points to your Old Email Provider (OEP). This will need to be changed to point to your New Email Provider (NEP).

Say for arguments sake your OEP is BT and your NEP is Plusnet.

Current MX Record is "mail.btinternet.com" You would need to have the MX Record changed to "relay.plus.net" It can take up to 72 hours for this change to be fully realised but usually minutes/hours later the Email messages will stop going to the BT Mail Server in London and head over to the Plusnet Server in Sheffield.

Outlook then will need to be changed from your BT Account Settings to your new Plusnet Account Settings. Email will then come into Inbox from Plusnet in a bunch depending how long they have been hitting the new destination and then normally moving forward.​

There will be other changes that are required to make all this work in that Control Panel. Typically they will be A records and CNAME Records that need changed from OEP to NEP settings. Your OEP and NEP should furnish you with sufficient Technical Info.

If done by a Pro the change over can be pretty much seamless and you will have no interruption in Mail delivery. Likewise if they take on the migration of email messages you should lose absolutely nothing.


Like Mark we have all our Clients Domains/DNS/Mail/Websites split over multiple Providers for redundancy and so we cannot be held to ransom/changes dictated upon us. I run an IT Company so not suggesting you go mad with these changes.

This stuff is bread and butter for many IT guys, your best bet for peace of mind is delegate this task, find someone local you can meet up with, local business association or chamber may help with recommendations.

ATB

Gus

 

[CHE]

Sorry to have to resurrect this thread but I still struggling with this and am running out of time. The IT guy who was helping me is experiencing a serious family problem so can't help, so I'm on my own now. I loosing sleep again, especially as I might loose all my e-mail including personal ones from my Dad who died just a week ago.

I've set up a trial Outlook (well Office 365) account so have that now. I also have some settings from my current e-mail provider that they tell me I can use in Outlook to view my e-mails and then download the database. The problem is I don't see how to use those settings anywhere - can anyone help please ?

I really just need pointers to where I input the settings so I can read my e-mail database.

Thanks in anticipation,

CHE

 

[ff1d1l]

Is there an independent shop near you that fixes computers?
Walk in, explain your problem, ask if can they help, or recommend someone who can.
Stress the urgency.
Say you'll pay.