How to Recover Mail and Other AOL Data from a "Saved on My PC" Backup

So you want to move your AOL data to a new computer, even when AOL is no longer working on the old? So you want to recover from a backup copy of your Saved on My PC files after a hard disk crash?

It's easy. In a matter of copying a few files, you will be up, running and AOL-ing again.

Recover Mail and Other AOL Data from a "Saved on My PC" Backup

To recover mail and other AOL data from a Saved on My PC backup:

• Log on to AOL with your screen name at least once.
• Make sure AOL is not currently running.
• Search your computer for a file called "(your AOL screen name).abi".
  • If your screen name is "myscreenname", for example, search for a file called "myscreenname.abi".
  • You should find it in a folder called organize. A typical location is "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AOL\C_America Online 9.0\organize". You can go to this folder directly, too.
• Go up one directory, to the C_America Online 9.0 folder.
  • For other versions of AOL, the folder name may be different. In any case, go up one directory from the organize folder.
• Rename the organize folder "organize.save".
• Go up another directory.
• Open the folder containing the backup copy of your old organize folder in a new Explorer window.
• Highlight the backup organize folder.
• Press Ctrl-C.
• Switch to the AOL folder window.
• Highlight C-America Online 9.0 or whatever the folder containing the organize.save folder is called on your system.
• Press Ctrl-V.
• Log on to AOL.
• If everything is back in place, delete the organize.save folder.