OE Reader

OE Reader is a feather-light and portable piece of software which features only a couple of options to help you open and study files containing Outlook Express messages, whether we are talking about Outlook Express 4, 5, 6.

Since installation is not required, you can drop the app directory in any part of the HDD and simply click the .exe file to launch OE Reader. An alternative is to move it to a USB flash drive to be able to run it on any PC with minimum effort. Unlike most installers, it doesn't add new entries to the Windows registry or Start menu, leaving no traces behind after removal.

The GUI is plain and intuitive, consisting of a single window that provides easy access to all available options. You can open a message file using the traditional file browser to view the title, subject, date and time received, along with the size of each email.

By default, OE Reader loads all emails in a list view, enabling you to view any selected message up close. Information can be extracted and saved to a local file. Apart from the fact that the status bar reveals the total messages and full path of the database file, there are no other notable aspects provided by OE Reader.

As we expected, the program left a small footprint on system resources usage in our tests, so it didn't hamper the computer's performance. On the other hand, it prompted an error dialog when we attempted to open several files. We must also keep in mind that OE Reader hasn't been updated for a long time, and it may not be compatible with later Windows editions. Nevertheless, you can test it for yourself, since it's free.