ATTN: Everyone who keeps PM's and/or is nearing their PM limit
ATTN: Everyone who keeps PM's and/or is nearing their PM limit
Found a really really nice way of backing up all your PMs onto a local file, but keeping them in a format you can still easily read them.
You've probably noticed you can download them as plain txt files, but they're really hard to read because none of the bbcode is parsed, so you get a bunch of [quote] tags and junk like that.
However, there is a MUCH better way!
First of all, you can grab all your PMs into a single file by going to your inbox, and allllll the way at the bottom look for:
Download all Private Messages as:
XML | CSV | Text
Click on the link for XML (or, here's a shortcut)
Save the XML somewhere you can find it, like your "My Documents" folder
Now go download this tool:
http://vcldeveloper.com/products/pro...tin-pm-reader/
Here's the direct link: http://vcldeveloper.com/downloads/vB..._PM_Reader.zip
Install the program
Then, once it's installed, launch it... it will ask you about creating a database. Call it whatever you want.
Next, click Import XML file, then go grab the XML file you saved earlier.
Viola! All your messages organized in the same folders as they are in your PM box, now on your computer locally, so you can delete all your messages and people can send you junk again!
Plus it's a much easier program for sorting/deleting your PMs than trying to go through and do it on the site.
You've probably noticed you can download them as plain txt files, but they're really hard to read because none of the bbcode is parsed, so you get a bunch of [quote] tags and junk like that.
However, there is a MUCH better way!
First of all, you can grab all your PMs into a single file by going to your inbox, and allllll the way at the bottom look for:
Download all Private Messages as:
XML | CSV | Text
Click on the link for XML (or, here's a shortcut)
Save the XML somewhere you can find it, like your "My Documents" folder
Now go download this tool:
http://vcldeveloper.com/products/pro...tin-pm-reader/
Here's the direct link: http://vcldeveloper.com/downloads/vB..._PM_Reader.zip
Install the program
Then, once it's installed, launch it... it will ask you about creating a database. Call it whatever you want.
Next, click Import XML file, then go grab the XML file you saved earlier.
Viola! All your messages organized in the same folders as they are in your PM box, now on your computer locally, so you can delete all your messages and people can send you junk again!
Plus it's a much easier program for sorting/deleting your PMs than trying to go through and do it on the site.
Usually ones that have to do with important PMs (from/to mods/admins, etc...) and PMs that have to do with stuff I buy/sell (I never delete those just in case something goes bad down the road)
I normally filter out and keep the ones I plan on keeping, and delete un-important ones, but I kinda got behind on filtering them out a while back, and I was over 900PMs (until I found this tool)
Not only am I emptying my PM box again, but I can also go through and delete/keep PMs a LOT easier, because everything is instant rather than clicking from one page to the next, waiting for load, having to click the check box then click delete message, blah blah blah.
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Awesome thread Ash! I have found myself saving a ton of PMs that contain useful information or important conversations that I'll want to reference later. I'll leave this thread here for a while since there is a lot of traffic in this subforum, then move it over to G35Driver Feedback & Suggestions and sticky it.
