Migrating email account to new laptop

​ JohnOrrett​ 

"via Pop3, only new emails come through. "

Yes that's normal, it's the way POP3 is designed to work.

"If I change the settings on the new laptop to IMAP, will all of the existing emails and sub folders then populate?"

Yes, but.....

1)  You cannot simply change the incoming server in the existing Outlook settings from pop3.virginmedia.com to smtp.virginmedia.com. 

You will need to set up a new email account in Outlook using the IMAP option. 

2)  The IMAP account will then mirror the structure and content of your friend's VM email account as displayed in their webmail account on the VM website. 

So any folders that have been set up in the POP3 Outlook (such as their sent emails) will not appear in their webmail account and so will not be downloaded to the new IMAP  account in Outlook, 

So if you want to include them then you will need to do something like you are suggesting with PST files.

One big difference they will see is that when they send a VM email using Outlook it will also appear in their VM webmail account. POP3 is strictly a one way process simply downloading new emails to Outlook, 

However, IMAP's two way process does also mean that if they delete a VM email in Outlook it will also disappear from their webmail account - and vice versa. 

When you set up a new IMAP Outlook, it should auto fill the SMTP and IMAP  server details but if you need them:

IMAP settings
Host Name: imap.virginmedia.com
Username: your full Virgin Media email address
Password: your Virgin Media email app password
Advanced settings
SSL Encryption: Enabled
Port: 993 (this may be automatically chosen by selecting SSL encryption)

Note also, that the password in the email Outlook, or any other email client/app,  does need to be your friend's  VM mail app password. If necessary here's recent post where I set our how to generate a new one Using Thunderbird email client | Virgin Media Community - 5686390    

Coenoby

Is this a VM mailbox that you are working with?

Are you installing 'classic' Outlook (the desktop app from part of a paid-for MS Office suite)?

How insistent is your friend that all of the old emails and folder structure be brought back into active use on the new laptop?

When I set up new equipment for people, I generally try to encourage them to treat things like historical emails as archive material and to start afresh with the new device i.e. set up the new laptop/phone only for messages in/out from this point forward

If you have a PST file from the old laptop, that should be accessible as read-only in Outlook and should show the old folder structure as an archive when opened up from within Outlook.

You may well find that setting up Outlook on a new device requires the 4-word app password along with the VM email address. It may very well also trigger VM's other VMO2ID process which you have already experienced yourself.

If I was setting up a new laptop for someone with VM email, I would use the opportunity to encourage them to start the process of ditching VM email altogether at the same time. New laptop, new year, new email address!

With the version of Outlook are you able to use File --> Open --> Open Outlook Data File 
and attach the PST from the previous laptop so you have access to the complete 
folder structures from the previous laptop ?