Hi Bill,

I have three Win7 PCs, one (64-bit) running Windows Live, one (32-bit) running Windows Live Mail, and one in a 32-bit netbook running Mozilla SeaMonkey (suite with Firefox browser, Thunderbird E-mail, Kompozer/Nvu HTML editor). I have several e-mail accounts setup in each including Suddenlink. I've setup both Thunderbird and Windows Live Mail in several Mentees' Win7 PCs for both Suddenlink and Verizon (and a few others  E-mail servers). All can be made to work satisfactorily.

There are two levels of setting up Windows Live Mail: one with subscribing to Live Mail, and one without subscribing to Live Mail. Without a Live Mail subscription, the Windows Live Mail application works pretty much like Vista's Live Mail and the older Windows Outlook Express. Settings, contacts and e-mails can be exported/imported from Outlook Express and Windows Mail into Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail.

'Grafting' Vista's Windows Mail into Win7 can be done. It works well now. But since it's not supported by Microsoft, there's no guarantee that it will work well in Win7 in the future. I see no updates ever being available for Windows Mail installed in Win7. The big advantage of Windows Mail in Win7 is that it's the closest thing to the Outlook Express 'experience' that many Mentees don't want to give up. Windows Live Mail without the Live Mail subscription is the next closest Outlook Express 'experience'.

Thunderbird is a very good and popular e-mail program that has lots of support from both Mozilla and its broad base of users. But, there is a new learning curve going from Outlook Express to Thunderbird, and only the Outlook Express contacts can be exported/imported to Thunderbird.

So for Outlook Express or Windows Mail users, if one doesn't mind a learning curve, can live with only exporting/importing contacts (no e-mails), and doesn't want to go the Windows Live Mail route, Thunderbird is the way to go.

If one is already using Outlook and likes/needs it in Win7, that's definitely the way to go.

Microsoft's Easy Transfer Utility can make an easy job of getting everything from XP or Vista into Win7 to include e-mail if you intend to use Windows Live Mail or Outlook in Win7.

I can help you with any way you want to go. The articles that Jan relayed to you cover all the steps of going from Outlook Express or Windows Mail of older Windows to Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail in Win7.

I hope this helps, Dale....

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