Converting Windows Address Book files to read on Linux Mint Cinnamon
 

Hi! I just installed Linux Mint Cinnamon on an older Vista laptop & want to export my Windows address book (initially saved on XP, & transferred to the Vista laptop via USB thumb drive). What file extension do I need to export the contact list files to in order to read the text on the Linux os? When I imported the contact list from the thumb drive on to the Linux laptop, I can read the contact list, but not the info stored on any of the contacts when I open them, such as phone number, address, email,l address, etc. Once I open any given contact, all I get is a lot of garbled, unreadable text, so I know I probably need to export the list & save it with a different file extension such as .csv, but am just not sure. I won't typically use the Thunderbird email ap in Linux, but can use it to access the contact list, if need be. Please advise.........Thanks!

If you've still got Windows somewhere, import your address book and then export it in ldif format. This is can be imported into any Linux email client. For Thunderbird you can also use csv format.

As mentioned in my post, I'm trying to avoid using the contact list in Thunderbird, as I don't use that email program. The Linux laptop is a back-up; I currently use the old Windows address book, saved as a free standing icon on my desktop on a Windows 8 laptop, & would like to have it the same way on the Linux laptop, but when I install the whole list to the Linux laptop, the names in the list show just fine, but not the info I need to get to, like the address, phone number, etc.........all of that text is unreadable. I just need to be able to save the address book to my desktop in the Linux laptop, & be able to read the info in it once it's there..............thanks!

Does this mean you are having trouble with ldif format?

Export to CSV format, it should be universal. And since you specifically don't want to use Thunderbird, then perhaps you should state what you are trying to use so that people can offer better suggestions. Sorry if I'm missing the email program you do wish to use, I'm not sure I see that stated anywhere yet.

Thanks to everyone who replied! I haven't tried the ldif format yet, as the poster said it worked with Thunderbird, but I won't really use that program, if I can have a free-standing contact list like I do now. I use both gmail & earthlink email programs, as well as a company domain for my job, which is mail.kenlynews.com. That being said, I don't access my contacts through either of the email programs that I use. I have had the contact list, building & adding to it, for about 13 years now, & when I first started using the Windows Address Book, it was back when Windows XP was fairly new. When I wore that XPlaptop out, I saved the address book to a thumb drive & just transferred the list to the new laptop I bought that had Vista as the OS. By doing it that way, I was able to save the address book to the desktop(created a desktop shortcut) & am able to reference it all day, in order to call on my clients, adding new entries as needed, all by just opening the address book from the desktop icon.............so it's free-standing on the desktop & has YEARS of entries in it that I hand-entered as needed. I did not export it from any email program ever. Ideally what I would like to do is the same thing on the Linux desktop; pop the thumb drive in the USB, save the address book to the desktop & be able to open the address book & type in the name of the contact I need, & be able to see the address, email address, phone number, etc. that I have already entered, as well as, enter new entries or edit existing ones when needed. That's what I meant by "free-standing"..............I really don't want to have to enter into an email program for contacts since I already have literally, thousands of entries in that address book that I use now. I'll use an email program if there's no other way, but I think I can convert the entries & export the whole converted list onto the Linux desktop in 1 file, can't I? If the .csv extension will work that way, I'll convert to that file extension.......does all that make sense?

Since Windows Address Book is a windows application it will not natively run in linux. I have not looked but it could run under wine and somewhat of an option.

Your contacts are stored in a local database on Windows which can be exported as stated in a number of formats but what you need is a suitable linux application to view them. There are personal information managers that perform a number of functions but are typically integrated with an email client. Take a look at Evolution.

Without a suitable application your CSV file will most likely open in a text editor which you will not find very useful.

Thanks michaelk............If I install the Evolution program, what are the necessary steps to be able to view the address book entries, saved into 1 readable file, like i have them now? Please advise.........also, a previous post said the csv format is universal, so I'm a bit confused. If I covert all the entries to a .csv format, you're saying they still won't be readable in Linux? I work for a newspaper, & they employ Macs instead of PC's, & several years ago, I tried several ways to export the same list on a Mac for another employee (after converting to a different extension), but was never able to get a readable version on a Mac, nor was the IT Tech that worked for the company. It really, really shouldn't be this hard to share files across operating systems!

csv is universal and since it is a text file very easy to share between operating systems. I was trying to say by itself may not be meaningful or useful unless you can import it into an application. I use Thunderbird and only briefly played with Evolution so I have never tried importing an address book yet. It is Gnome based so should be compatible with Cinnamon.

Thanks for all the posts......I did install Wine, but it won't work with it. But it'll work with other MS aps, so it's good to have anyway! I don't think I'll be able to use my contact list, which currently has 3302 entries (from 13 years of using it, & transferring the file from 1 laptop to another, then another, etc, over that time span). I started it on XP, then moved to Vista, then to Windows 8 with it, through the years, & I just cannot fathom that these files can't be opened in an OS that opens all other file types like Windows does; pdf's jpg's, tif's, doc's, but not a simple address book. It won't convert in Thunderbird either; I set that up with my existing gmail account & no luck there either. I like the Linux OS a lot, but am quite bummed that I cannot use a productivity tool with it that has served me for almost 14 years............Furthermore, it makes no sense to me why I can see the name of the contacts in the list just fine, but not the other info. Oh well, if anyone else has any suggestions, please feel free to post them & I'll sure try them. Thanks all!

Blame the original authors - that would be Microsoft. Not Apple, and not Linux.

As for why you can read some of it and not the rest, that is because some is in ASCII text, and the rest presumably binary format. This is why the original tool must provide an export option to some common (non-proprietary) format. Again, blame Microsoft not Linux.

I didn't realise you wanted a free-standing address book. The application you need imho is Libreoffice Base. Import your address list into Base (it can read both ldif and csv) and it will become a Base database. Then create an icon that points to that file.

You can also read a csv or ldif file using Base without incorporating it. However it is then available read-only and I suppose you would prefer to be able to keep your address list up to date.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions & I will try the LibreOffice Base route. I surely don't blame Linux..........or any other OS, for that matter. I was just commenting that file extensions used by Windows make it hard to work around in other operating systems. It is what it is; no one's fault in particular! Linux is great, from what I have used in it so far...thanks again to all!

does gnome-contacts do the needful ?

I can sure try gnome contacts................I'm brand new to Linux tough........how do I get to gnome contacts in Mint? Thanks!