Import from Outlook Express - can't access mail folder

Thank you for the response but that information is not correct.  The Import and Export option in Outlook includes the option to import Internet mail and addresses, and this includes Outlook Express and Eudora, as they are listed as options available under this import procedure. 

The procedure I am following is described at this Microsoft site:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/import-your-messages-or-account-from-outlook-express-to-outlook-HA010079919.aspx

"Microsoft Outlook Express is a free, basic e-mail program. You can import e-mail messages and account information from Outlook Express into Microsoft Outlook."

The versions (Outlook 2007 and OE6) match the description at that site. 

I can follow the procedure described there exactly and everything works properly until the stage where it attempts to open the folder, and the message appears that the folder could not be opened.  The address book is imported and is working properly - it's just the messages that I have the problem with. 

Your problem is that Outlook Express hasn't been available since the release of Vista (or to put it another way - only available on Win'XP or earlier systems) which is why you can't import anything from it on a Win7 system - OE doesn't exist which is what the Outlook importer is looking for).

Your comment provided the hint I needed.  The message about not being able to open the folder does not refer to the folder where I have placed the OE messages - it refers to the Outlook folder which the messages will be imported into.

I logged on as administrator (who does not have an Outlook account) and was able to import the messages without a problem.

It appears that the comment in the instruction about cancelling the offer to create an account is critical - it means that if the account already exists the messages will not be imported.   If the account already exists then presumably your could delete that account from Outlook and restart the process.  Then you will get the offer to create the account, which you must refuse.    In my case it was easier to simply do the import as a different user. Now that I look at it, the solution is obvious - the message quite clearly states that the problem folder is a mail folder, not a file system folder.  

<Edit> In fact, it is even more explicit than I realised.  The comment is "If another process is using this file, please close it and try again." which makes it quite clear that it is the Outlook messages file that is in use, not a file system folder, which was the way I read it.<\Edit>

My mind is quite open to alternative solutions - that's why I enquired here when I had trouble with the instructions.  But your attachment to the 'well documented' alternative solutions and your previous experience with MS documentation may have clouded your judgement of this particular item. The Microsoft description of the process is correct: it works, as is evidenced by the fact that my OE messages are now part of Outlook.   My mind is as open to the possibility of the MS documentation being correct as it is to the possibility of there being other ways to tackle the same problem.  

It is quite possible that adding another application and the associated conversion in the middle of the process would have also worked, but it is patently not essential.  In my case it was easier to carefully read the documentation, and correctly interpret the error message, than to install yet another email program and go through those additional steps.  Other people's experience may be different.

Just quickly looking over the Microsoft article you identifed - under the followng primary section:

When Outlook and Outlook Express are installed on different computers

item #7 states the following:

7.On the computer where Outlook is installed, open Outlook Express. If you are prompted to create an e-mail account, click Cancel.

Your original post shows Windows 7 as the OS so the question becomes

"If you are using Win7 - are you saying that you have OE installed on this computer in order to be able to follow the instructions in that article?

If the answer is yes, how did you install OE on this system?