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I was able to recover files from the Mail subdirectory of my TB profile.
Now, I would like to include these in (different) installation I'm
using now. Just dropping the files and .msf files into ...\Mail
didn't work.
I welcome advice. TIA.

Stubby wrote:
> I was able to recover files from the Mail subdirectory of my TB
> profile. Now, I would like to include these in (different)
> installation I'm using now. Just dropping the files and .msf files
> into ...\Mail didn't work.
> I welcome advice. TIA.
Dont transfer the .msf files. They are indexes of the underlying file
and will be recreated by TB when needed.


Prepare the 'target' profile, the one you will be moving things into.
Usually this involves moving mail out of the files you will be moving.
i.e. if one of the files you will be moving is named inbox then move all
your current mail out of the inbox in the target profile. (you can move
it back later after recovering the old mail)

If the names of the files you will be moving dont exist in the target
profile, then create them there by using the create folder command in
Thunderbird. Dont put anything in these folders tho.

Ideally, all the files you are moving should already exist in the target
profile AND be empty at the time of transfer. This is because they will
be overwritten when you move the old ones. Once those conditions are
met, then simply drop in the old files letting them replace (the empty
ones) in the target profile. Do this with Thunderbird OFF.

Restart Thunderbird and all your old mail files should be visible (the
..msf files will be recreated for you). Now just move any new mail back
into their respective folders and <VOILA> all your mail is in one place
again.

Moz Champion (Dan) wrote:
> Stubby wrote:
>> I was able to recover files from the Mail subdirectory of my TB
>> profile. Now, I would like to include these in (different)
>> installation I'm using now. Just dropping the files and .msf files
>> into ...\Mail didn't work.
>> I welcome advice. TIA.
> Dont transfer the .msf files. They are indexes of the underlying file
> and will be recreated by TB when needed.
>
>
> Prepare the 'target' profile, the one you will be moving things into.
> Usually this involves moving mail out of the files you will be moving.
> i.e. if one of the files you will be moving is named inbox then move all
> your current mail out of the inbox in the target profile. (you can move
> it back later after recovering the old mail)
>
> If the names of the files you will be moving dont exist in the target
> profile, then create them there by using the create folder command in
> Thunderbird. Dont put anything in these folders tho.
>
> Ideally, all the files you are moving should already exist in the target
> profile AND be empty at the time of transfer. This is because they will
> be overwritten when you move the old ones. Once those conditions are
> met, then simply drop in the old files letting them replace (the empty
> ones) in the target profile. Do this with Thunderbird OFF.
>
> Restart Thunderbird and all your old mail files should be visible (the
> .msf files will be recreated for you). Now just move any new mail back
> into their respective folders and <VOILA> all your mail is in one place
> again.
Sorry. The above directions don't make sense to me. What does it mean
for a file to exist and be empty? What does it mean for Thunderbird to
be OFF?

Are you saying I must create a new profile, stuff the Mail subdirectory,
delete any .msf files, get out of TB. Then get back in and let TB
create the .msf files?

Stubby wrote:
> Moz Champion (Dan) wrote:
>> Stubby wrote:
>>> I was able to recover files from the Mail subdirectory of my TB
>>> profile. Now, I would like to include these in (different)
>>> installation I'm using now. Just dropping the files and .msf files
>>> into ...\Mail didn't work.
>>> I welcome advice. TIA.
>> Dont transfer the .msf files. They are indexes of the underlying file
>> and will be recreated by TB when needed.
>>
>>
>> Prepare the 'target' profile, the one you will be moving things into.
>> Usually this involves moving mail out of the files you will be
>> moving. i.e. if one of the files you will be moving is named inbox
>> then move all your current mail out of the inbox in the target
>> profile. (you can move it back later after recovering the old mail)
>>
>> If the names of the files you will be moving dont exist in the target
>> profile, then create them there by using the create folder command in
>> Thunderbird. Dont put anything in these folders tho.
>>
>> Ideally, all the files you are moving should already exist in the
>> target profile AND be empty at the time of transfer. This is because
>> they will be overwritten when you move the old ones. Once those
>> conditions are met, then simply drop in the old files letting them
>> replace (the empty ones) in the target profile. Do this with
>> Thunderbird OFF.
>>
>> Restart Thunderbird and all your old mail files should be visible (the
>> .msf files will be recreated for you). Now just move any new mail back
>> into their respective folders and <VOILA> all your mail is in one
>> place again.
> Sorry. The above directions don't make sense to me. What does it mean
> for a file to exist and be empty? What does it mean for Thunderbird to
> be OFF?
>
> Are you saying I must create a new profile, stuff the Mail subdirectory,
> delete any .msf files, get out of TB. Then get back in and let TB
> create the .msf files?

Off means closed, not running.

An empty file will have no data in it. For example, an Inbox file that
has no mail in it would be considered empty.

Lee