Migrating addressbook from Outlook (PC)

belvaderebelvadere
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I have Entourage, but not sure what I should use in my new PB. I have almost 1000 contacts in Outlook on my old PC. I sure don't want to manually enter all that information unless I have no choice.



Any advice on the best email software for the Mac and advice on migrating all these contacts over?



I'd also like to carry over quite a few of the messages (just for archival purposes).



Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Belvadere

    I have Entourage, but not sure what I should use in my new PB. I have almost 1000 contacts in Outlook on my old PC. I sure don't want to manually enter all that information unless I have no choice.



    Any advice on the best email software for the Mac and advice on migrating all these contacts over?



    I'd also like to carry over quite a few of the messages (just for archival purposes).



    Thanks!



    I have switched back and forth between Apple's Mail/Address Book and Entourage 2004. Each has its strengths, depending upon your purposes. I'd give the edge SLIGHTLY to Entourage right now, just because of the all-in-one approach, right-side e-mail preview, and Project Center.



    However, Apple's apps are so well integrated that it's nearly impossible not to want to use them. Also, TIGER will eliminate all of the above advantages and put Apple's Suite on top again (Project Center is pathetic next to Spotlight, since Project Center is a manual procedure).



    As for how to get your contacts from PC into your MAC, there are a few software alternatives (check VersionTracker for "Outlook to Vcard", a freeware app for this purpose) which will allow you to take an export from Outlook and convert it into a VCard that can be imported into Address Book. It's a simple pocedure and reliable as well. Great for a one-time move.



    If you want the 2 constantly in sync, then I recommend my eventual solution: A Palm PDA. I sync with Outlook on the PC, then with my Mac (Apple Apps), and also with Entourage on the Mac. This keeps all 3 PIMS in relative order and allows me the best of all worlds.



    Good luck.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    doctorbertzdoctorbertz Posts: 3member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Belvadere

    I have Entourage, but not sure what I should use in my new PB. I have almost 1000 contacts in Outlook on my old PC. I sure don't want to manually enter all that information unless I have no choice.



    Any advice on the best email software for the Mac and advice on migrating all these contacts over?



    I'd also like to carry over quite a few of the messages (just for archival purposes).



    Thanks!



    Depending on what version of Outlook you have, you ought to be able to export your contacts in any number of formats, for import by a Mac OS X client. Entourage 2004 has a Tab-Delimited Text Import option, among others. The above poster is right, in that the address book functionality of Apple's system-wide addressing is almost a necessity. I prefer Entourage 2004, and in Tiger, you ought to be able to sync Entourage and Mail directly, through the new Sync API that Apple is publishing.



    In the meantime, Sync-Entourage-Address-Book is a great utility for me.

    http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10435



    Good luck...
  • Reply 3 of 11
    belvaderebelvadere Posts: 18member
    I've got about 1000 contacts in Outlook 2002. About 600 of them have vcard type information from Plaxo (an online utility program where recepients can send you updated contact information) . I'm trying to salvage as much data as possible and keep it entact so I can minimize reformating, etc.



    I'm going to spend some time researching your advice. At least I've been able to print out a hard copy of the contacts...so worse case scenario, I'll have to just re-enter it all.



    By the way, is there a Mac-friendly Plaxo type service out there?
  • Reply 4 of 11
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Belvadere

    I've got about 1000 contacts in Outlook 2002. About 600 of them have vcard type information from Plaxo (an online utility program where recepients can send you updated contact information) . I'm trying to salvage as much data as possible and keep it entact so I can minimize reformating, etc.



    I'm going to spend some time researching your advice. At least I've been able to print out a hard copy of the contacts...so worse case scenario, I'll have to just re-enter it all.



    By the way, is there a Mac-friendly Plaxo type service out there?



    I believe there are some Plaxo like services, but can't think of any off the top of my head. The solution I outlined using Outlook to VCard should be simple, straight forward, and easy. Highly recommended before you enter anything manually.



    http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18237
  • Reply 5 of 11
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sport73

    I believe there are some Plaxo like services, but can't think of any off the top of my head. The solution I outlined using Outlook to VCard should be simple, straight forward, and easy. Highly recommended before you enter anything manually.



    http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/18237



    This might be an option if you don't want to move the contacts to Mac OS Classic (Outlook 2001) first.



    http://vcard4outlook.4team.biz/defau...060900348f43tk
  • Reply 6 of 11
    belvaderebelvadere Posts: 18member
    Trust me. I'll put in a few hours of fiddling with conversion before I start entering this stuff manually. I'm going to try your suggestion with that vcard conversion before I try anything else.



    Right now I'm backing up copies of everything on my PC laptop (before it totally craps out). I'm chomping at the bit to get converted over to my new 17" PB. It's awesome, but I'm working between it and the PC at the moment...and getting very tired of switching back and forth.



    I appreciate all the help.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Not sure if you're entirely new to the Mac or just had a Windows laptop that you're replacing with another Mac in your life, but either way:



    WELCOME TO THE PROMISED LAND.



    Here things are easier, prettier, and just plain more fun than you might be used to. Here, there is no blue screen of death, no futile struggles to get things functioning. Here, we live in peace and happiness under the warm sunlight from the Supreme Being: Steve Jobs. While here, others might look at you oddly, and old friends might worry about your departure. Don't worry, they'll be along shortly...Everyone must arrive at their own pace.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    gordygordy Posts: 1,004member
    There are free Windows utilities that can take care of this (Contacts to .VCS format). I found one on VersionTracker some time ago.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    belvaderebelvadere Posts: 18member
    I tried Outlook to Vcard, but the data was pretty scrambled. Not the clean, easy option I thought it would be. I tried to migrate to Entourage once with poor results. Then I tried to migrate to Apple's address book and the results were equally poor.



    Back to the drawing board.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Belvadere

    I tried Outlook to Vcard, but the data was pretty scrambled. Not the clean, easy option I thought it would be. I tried to migrate to Entourage once with poor results. Then I tried to migrate to Apple's address book and the results were equally poor.



    Back to the drawing board.



    Any chance you can beg, borrow, or steal a Palm device. With a Mac-Compatible Palm Pilot (or Palm Desktop, any Palm, and MarkSpace Missing Sync) you can easily sync with Outlook on your PC, then Sync with Apple's apps or Entourage on the Mac.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    belvaderebelvadere Posts: 18member
    I do have a palm-type device, Handspring Visor Deluxe. That was going to be my next effort...to sync the files from Outlook into that, then see if I could migrate the files to Entourage or Apple's address book.



    I can download the Mac version of the palm software to the Powerbook. I'll see if that works.



    Has anybody dealt with Outlook2Mac? Might be worth $10 to try it.
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