Exchange and IMAP mail is stored on the server, so you do not need to migrate it to your Linux partition. However, if you have stored mail on your computer, you might want to make it accessible to Evolution.
First, while using Windows, prepare your messages for import:
Clean up your mail. Delete messages and folders you do not need, and click File > Folders > Properties > Advanced > Compact to erase old, deleted messages from your PST file.
If you nest your folders one inside another, you might want to rename subfolders so that you can tell which folder they belong to. You must re-nest them after you load them into Evolution.
Import the files into Mozilla Mail (or another mailer, such as Netscape or Eudora, that uses the standard mbox format). Linux mailers cannot do this task, because it requires a library available only under Windows. In Mozilla, import by selecting Window Mail & Newsgroups Tools Import.
Mozilla creates a set of files in the directory Windows\Application_Data\Mozilla\Profiles\(UserName)\(Random Letters)\Mail\Local Folders\OutlookMail\. The data files are those that have no file extension.
If you are using Windows XP or Windows 2000, your Windows hard drive is probably in the NTFS format, which some Linux systems cannot read without additional software. You might find it simpler to copy the mail folders to a different drive or to burn a CD.
When you have your mail in a format Evolution can understand, reboot to Linux. Then continue with the following procedure. To create new folders for your files:
Mount your Windows drive or the disk where you saved the mail files.
Copy all the mail files into your home directory or another convenient place.
Start Evolution.
Press Shift+Ctrl+F or select File > New Folder to create the folders you want.
To import the data files:
In Evolution, open the File Import assistant by clicking File > Import.
Click Next, then select Import A Single File.
Leave the file type as Automatic, then click Browse to select the data file.
Remember, the data files are the files that have no file extension.
Select the folder where you want to put the imported data file.
Click OK.
Repeat the import steps until you have imported all your mail.