Kmail and Kontact backups

[Alex Hamilton <alex@dushanka.freeserve.co.uk>]

I have been running Mepis 6 for several months and my email client is KMail, 
which I use withing Kontact.

In that time I have tried several times to back up important email messages 
that I want to keep, but without success.  Even Mepis Forum has not been of 
much help.

So, I have 2 options. a) delete emails and lose them to maintain disc space or 
b) keep emails until the system crashes and lose them at that point.

I need the facility to copy important messages to external media like USB 
Stick or CD, or to another hard drive and to be able to restore them if 
needed.  So far, I was able to copy/paste to another hard drive but not back 
to KMail.

I don't understand the obscession with passwords and the paranoia with 
secrecy.  The safest place for my emails is out of the system altogether on a 
CD or USB Stick where they cannot be accessed by anyone.

If I cannot have this basic facility, then my only option is to dump Kmail and 
Linux and return to Windows, I am afraid.

I should be grateful for a reply, please.

Many Thanks,

Alex Hamilton
Reading,
UK