I guess Thunderbird is looking for Outlook Express which is no longer around. Have you tried double clicking on the .wab file to see if the windows mail program will open it? Whatever version of windows mail is included with Win 7 should open the file and then you should be able to export it as a csv file. If double clicking doesn't open it try right clicking on it and then click open with and see if some mail program is on the list.

If they are extremely important you might consider the thumb drive and a CD. No storage media is full proof. Though I have never had a thumb drive fail I have heard and read about it. I have had storage CDs fail. I am not sure if e-mails would open for viewing when stored on an external media. E-mails by design are in a .eml format. When you save an e-mail to a media you might want to save them in another format, perhaps .txt or html. This would allow them to be read directly from the storage media rather than having to import them into Outlook or having to install another application for reading. DA

It should not be an issue then. However, if you would like to learn about the feature check the the hide box and select the customize button>Apply>OK. Be sure to uncheck and the follow up clicks to return to your previous settings. It's really easy and can clean up a crowded Taskbar/Notification Area. DA

OP, I hope you're able to crack into your information. As info for others: If you've been using Outlook features but are moving from a PC with Outlook to one without it, export the information (both calender and contact data) into a file format that can be read by other programs. All the major free email sites (Yahoo, Gmail, likely many others) offer contact and calendar services that your exported Outlook information can be easily uploaded into. Also, other calendar or contact programs also can be populated with data in the non-proprietary, transportable file formats Owbist, backing up the data is good, but screen captures would mean having to re-input the data in the case of a drive failure. I have exported data files or data in multiple places - two different PCs, a backup drive, my smartphone, and Gmail.