opening Outlook .pst file within windows mail or vista

The only way to directly import a .pst file into Windows Mail, is to have
Outlook installed on the Vista computer.
You could install your old version of Outlook to do this, or download the
trial Office 2007 and install Outlook from that.

Or, on a computer running XP and Outlook, import the Outlook data into
Outlook Express. Copy the OE .dbx and .wab files to the Vista computer and
import.

Incidentally, the date and time on your computer are incorrect.
This can cause all sorts of weird problems.

After I download and install Outlook from Office 2007, does that mean that I
still have to buy a copy of office that I did not want in the first place?
How do I transfer my mail from WinMail back to Outlook? Obviously this is an
inferior product and assumptions were made that it would only be used by kids
writing quick notes, like Hotmail. I have over 200 email addresses in my PAB
file that I can no loger get access to along with some very important emails
in my PST files. Yes, more than one.

If you downloaded a free trial copy, it will run more than long enough to
assist in the transfer and you can decide not to buy it.

Microsoft wants you to buy Outlook enough that they don't add too
many features to Windows Mail, or their new email program, Windows
Live Mail.

Windows Live Mail can connect to Hotmail; Windows Mail cannot.

http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview

You can uninstall the trial after you're done. No purchase required.

If you want to move your email from Windows Mail to Outlook...
File - Export - Messages
select the Microsoft Exchange format
select the folders to export

The messages should be in
C:\Users\"username"\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst

In Outlook you can open this .pst

I have a data transfer file from my old and now dead computer that includes
Microsoft Outlook mail personal folders and mail.
I am unable to open the .pst file with any existing extension or program
offered by vista. When I open with Windows mail, I only get current, newly
opened Windows Mail and new messages from last two days. Please HELP!! I
have all my work search information and my divorce e-mail files. I need
them desperately....and soon. Thanks for your help

Windows Mail has trouble importing messages directly from Outlook. You
have two choices of how to do this: 1. Install Outlook, preferably version
2003 or later, on your Vista machine. Windows Mail needs to use a part
of it to be able to understand .pst files. Version 2002 will also run under
Vista, but with a few problems. 2. Transfer the messages from Outlook
to Outlook Express on your old machine. Then transfer them from
Outlook Express to Windows Mail.

Bring along the .wab file if you want your old contacts. After you copy
the files to a directory on your hard drive, but before you import them
into Windows Mail, make sure the copies are read-write instead of
readonly.

You will need to install Outlook and then you will be able to import the
messages into Windows Mail.

What do you do if you want to move your e-mail from Outlook to Windows mail?

You need Outlook installed & configured with its data file on the same PC
that Mail is installed on

Windows Mail cannot import from a .pst file unless Outlook is installed on
the Vista computer.
1. Install Outlook on your new computer
Copy the .pst file to the new computer
Open the .pst file with Outlook.
In Windows Mail, File - Import - Messages - Microsoft Outlook
or- keep using Outlook, as it's probably better than WM

-OR-
2. Take the .pst file to a computer running Outlook and Outlook Express.
Import the .pst files into Outlook Express
export the messages to .dbx
take the .dbx files to the new computer
Import the .dbx files.