Thread: Accessing archived emails from a defunct email address

G'day. I have a collection of emails from a now defunct email address I have archived as .PST files and want to keep for future reference and have access to them to search for stuff. The archived data is currently approx 8 GB of stuff and is on an external hard drive.

I use outlook as an email app on the computer. I currently use two email addresses, both set up as IMAP/SMTP so I can use both computer and phone to access emails.

I tried to set up access to my archived .PST files via one of these IMAP/SMTP addresses on the computer and it started synchronising the archived .PST ones onto the domain name host server I use. This is not something I want to happen.

Can I set up the archive to be read on the computer without synchronising the archive emails onto the IMAP/SMTP server?

Would I be able to set up a 'dummy' POP email account and use this to access my archived emails? My understanding of a POP account is that it downloads emails and doesn't store anything on an external server.

Any advice welcomed.

I can confirm this works, as it's how I make sure Dad gets access to all his archives (he's the only user still using Outlook that I have to support).

I've also got it (along with all my mail) replicated on a local IMAP server to make it easy to access from pretty much anything that's not Outlook and as a backup for when the PST inevitably gets corrupted and the grandkids knock the "backup drives" off the shelf (again).

"Gee I wish I hadn't taken the time to make that extra backup" said nobody, ever..