download Yahoo Mail custom folders into Outlook 2003 using IMAP

Question

There are several posts on the net, some claiming that Yahoo IMAP access is supported only for mobile devices; some claiming that it actually works even for desktop clients including Outlook 2003 but not officially supported.

I want to know is there any harm in configuring Outlook 2003 to download mail from my Yahoo Small Business Email account (Paid Account)? When Yahoo says it is not supported, is there any risk of messages getting deleted (either from the web server or from Outlook), or any other risk / bug. I have several thousands of mails and many of them are in custom folders. I want to retain 1 copy of the mail in server, and I want to download all mails into Outlook 2003 from Inbox, all custom folders, Spam, Sent Mail folders, etc.

If you can suggest me a solution using Outlook 2003, it will be great. Otherwise I do not mind upgrading to Outlook 2007. Please note I am not particular about IMAP, but my requirement is to download all mails from all folders while keeping a copy on the server, and ensure no glitches which can accidentally delete any mail without my knowledge. However, I am not willing to buy any 3rd party app (like YPOP or IzyMail).

Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

It's always a tough call on using a program or feature that isn't fully "supported" (even though they often work).

As Yahoo is internet-based email it could not hurt to try Outlook 2003, since your emails will still be accessible on the internet – so no risk of data loss there (unless you delete them yourself).

But if you have problems using Outlook 2003 with this feature you could try Windows Live Mail. It's a free program from Microsoft. Aside from that, I would recommend to purchase Office Home and Business 2010. I would suggest a full package vs an individual Outlook purchase as you will get up to two PC installs with the Office package as well as other new applications and features.