Outlook Express - restore contacts and accounts from dead computer?

[Batch]

Anyone know if you can restore Contact and email account information from Outlook Express without "exporting" first.

Long and short - was trying to fix my mums computer. Plugged it in and it went bang. Literally. Took the master RCA out leaving the house in complete darkness.

Anywho, the hard disk is still alive if not the PSU! Hence the question.

[pauld]

Not tried it myself, but this looks like the kind of thing you might be after:

http://blog.eddsn.com/2011/02/restore-outlook-account-settings-from-second-drive/

(That's pretty impressive btw, trying to fix the PC, took out the main circuit. Remind me never to ask you to look at my car)

[Dazzza]

I recently had the same problem and stuck the old HD into a cheap mains powered USB external enclosure and managed to salvage the old emails and contacts but I am not sure about the account info.  

If you go down this route make sure you get a mains powered USB.  I initially had a bog standard cheap ebay effort and there wasn't enough juice over USB to run the HD.

Edit: PaulD to the rescue.

[Batch]

Thanks all.  I'll have to hassle her nextdoor neighbour for the outgoing SMTP password as it is indeed encryptred. He lets her piggy back off his wireless.

Dazza, I'm now using a USB-IDE connector to suck the mailboxes and contact info. Can you remember if I just need to look for the .wab file for contacts?

Looks like her new laptop birthday present will be a good one!

(That's pretty impressive btw, trying to fix the PC, took out the main circuit. Remind me never to ask you to look at my car)

I only plugged it gov, honest.

[pauld]

Yeah, OE doesn't have it's own contacts storage, relies on Windows address book. Although that only applies to the ones she's explicitly added to Contacts, not the AutoComplete from people you've previously mailed etc