I tried Gmail Backup, just to make sure it really is as simple as it sounds--and it is. I was able to download messages from one account and "restore" them to another account, and Gmail Backup kept all of my labels (including 'Inbox' and 'Sent') and attachments. Gmail Backup can't support characters that are not alphabetical or numerical (such as a forward slash or an asterisk) in labels, but aside from that little glitch (just rework your labels before backing up), this is a shockingly easy way to make a hard-drive backup of your Gmail account.

Gmail Backup backs up files in .EML format, which any desktop e-mail client can open. The only drawback of Gmail Backup is that it doesn't back up chat logs--Gmail treats chat logs as a different animal, and doesn't put them in the 'All Mail' folder, which is the folder that Gmail Backup scours.

Unfortunately, no "Hotmail Backup" exists for non-Gmail users. However, you can use a free application that's pretty easy to set up: MailStore Home. A Windows-only backup utility, MailStore Home lets you back up and restore both Web-based and desktop-based e-mail.

1. Download and install . Open MailStore Home and click Archive e-mail.