Outlook 2007 email problem

Question

   I've got lots of old emails from 2005 through 2014 on my Comcast server, in various folders such as "sent" and other named folders there.  I can't download any of those emails into my Outlook 2007 program on my desktop computer, where I keep all my other old emails stored essentially forever.  Does anyone know how to get those emails (presently "trapped" on the Comcast server) downloaded?    I have successfully "moved" some other more recent emails from my Comcast "sent" folder to my Comcast "inbox" folder, and then those have automatically been downloaded to my Outlook folder; however, this process does not work with those older email files.   Any ideas, anyone?  Thanks!

Answer 1

You cannot move FOLDERS from Xfinity Connect, but you can move the emails themselves.  The directions are below.
Are you currently using POP for your other email programs or devices?  If you are, I would recommend that you switch to the IMAP server.  With Imap, you can have emails sent to specific Folders, say, in Outlook, that you create there, and set the email program to save copies of emails on the Comcast server.
Settings for IMAP are:
Server name: IMAP.comcast.net
Port 993 with SSL on
Outgoing Server remains: SMTP.comcast.net
Port remains 465 with SSL on
This server requires authentication must be checked too.
I strongly suggest that you save important email in an email program, not on the Comcast server.
Moving email from Comcast's webmail (aka Xfinify Connect) to your computer.
People want to do this for a variety of reasons, the main ones being to backup the email, or to get local copies prior to switching ISPs.
Notes
You have to do this with an email client (like Outlook Express, Outlook, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, etc.).
You can only do this via POP3, and POP3 can only download email that's in the webmail Inbox.
IMPORTANT The default behavior of almost all POP3 email clients is to delete messages after downloading them. If you want copies of your email to still be available via webmail you have to configure the email client to "leave messages on server".
Different email clients have different ways of storing email. Although it's generally possible to export/import the various formats from client to client, viewing the downloaded email conveniently will always require using an email client.
Setup
Empty out the Inboxes of both webmail (unless you're only interested in what's in the webmail Inbox) and the email client. Create Temp folders and move messages in the Inbox to the Temp folder if necessary.
Create folders in the email client that correspond to the webmail folders.
Email client config: port 995, SSL, Leave messages on server; detailed configuration steps for some common email clients can be found here: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/E-Mail-and-Xfinity-Connect-Help/E-Mail-Client-Settings-customer-generated/td-p/778889 . That doesn't address the "Leave messages on server" aspect. Best bet there is to Google on "'your email software' 'version number' + leave messages on server" (without the single or double quotes).
How to do it
Move a folder's worth of messages into the webmail Inbox.
Download via email client
Move messages in the client Inbox to the appropriate folder (should be as simple as CTRL-A > Move)
Move messages in the webmail Inbox back to where they were.
Move another folder's worth of messages into the webmail Inbox.
Etc.
CC