ok I think I understand now.
IMAP essentially stores all email on the host server. All the email client does is effectively browse an email listing from the server and then on read sends you the contents of each message. But the emails are on the remote server. Webmail is effectively a web-based IMAP client. So if you can see the emails on the hosts webmail facility (if they have one) then the host emails are ok. All you have to do is set up a new IMAP email on the new computer and it will simply browse the remote emails just like webmail.
However, there is often a setting on IMAP clients whereby the client can store a local copy of the IMAP listing and email contents so that if you don't have an internet connection you can still read old emails. If this was on, then you will be able to move them to the new computer. I don't know the full details for Windows, but it is along the lines you and RTJ suggest.
Once configured it won't sync back up to the remote host, but only pull down any new messages.
If this was not on, then you have no local copy and if the host server also had lost them then you also have no remote copy either. The best you can do is simply set up a new IMAP account on the new computer.
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Moving an IMAP PST file and changing host.. new
Moving an IMAP PST file and changing host.. new
