cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Quote

can anyone tell me how to insert my password into the thunderbird setup, so I don`t have to enter it everytime I want to send an email...?

Found the answer....
open Thunderbird  > Tools > Account settings > outgoing mail server (smtp) > Edit > then on the "Security & Authentication" box.... untick the box nex to User Name & Password
then click OK... OK
no need to type in password any more.!
(still struggling to find the old emails  Undecided Undecided Undecided  )
13 REPLIES 13
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,572
Thanks: 5,408
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

this should help http://www.ehow.com/how_2224367_email-settings-mail-windows-pc.html
On the password front , I thought you just checked the 'save password' box on the dialog when you enter it.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Hmm.... I have the old hdd in a  usb caddy, so I can see both the old hdd  (E:\ ) and the new hdd  ( C:\  )
when I followed the linky and followed the instructions. I found the profiles folder, ...
E:\                                                                               
[    ]  Cache  09/06/2010  File Folder

C:\
[    ] Cache 23/08/10      File Folder   
When I open them , they both have the same contents with various dates ( the latest date is  09/06/2010) but nothing for the very recent dates (up to when the hdd went blue screen....)
There are three other files which are the same on each drive
unclissifeir3sqlite
xpc.mfl
xul.mfl
I have searched (as best I could) in other Thunderbird locations, but cannot find the old emails....


Rich
Grafter
Posts: 184
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

I just moved to a new PC and need to do the same.  I downloaded MozBackup from http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/
This easily moved everything including emails, passwords etc for Thunderbird 3.1, and bookmarks, saved passwords etc for Firefox 3.6.8. Cool
Richard
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Everybody says "Oh, Thunderbird, it's great" but I think it's pretty awkward when it comes to transferring emails and woe betide you if you want to get your emails off Thunderbird and onto something else!  It's too late for MozBackup because your old Windows stopped working.
Shutter, if you really cannot find your old emails I'll look up where they're supposed to be and post instructions.  I don't think profiles is the right location.   
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Quote

Shutter, if you really cannot find your old emails I'll look up where they're supposed to be and post instructions.  I don't think profiles is the right location.   


No, I can`t find them.... checked just about every folder in Thunderbird... zilch.... have got Recuva to find quite a lot of "deleted" emails for the past two months, but not the "live " ones that I am interested in....(i.e., some I have saved for reference... about 10 or 15 at most)... If you could post or PM the instructions, I would appreciate that very much... especially if I can find them.... Wink
I have a sneaking suspicion that somehow they have got "lost"  - possibly by the Xmarks transfer of Firefox "Bookmarks" ... don`t know how, but just a sneaky feeling ! ! ..
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Well to quote from http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Thunderbird
"You can also navigate directly to your profile folder at the following path:
C:\Users\<Windows user name>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\
The AppData folder is a hidden folder; to show hidden folders, open a Windows Explorer window and choose "Organize → Folder and Search Options → Folder Options → View (tab) → Show hidden files and folders".
Your emails should be inside a folder called Mail inside the <Profile name> folder.
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Thanks for the "route map".... and the "hidden folders" bit.... (I had forgotten about that - usually get around to it on a new hdd! ! )
Anyway, managed to find the Mail folder. on my "current C:\ drive but ..... can`t see the current emails in there any where.... nothing in the inbox.sbd folder. except two blank sheets of paper icon with Saved Messages andSaved Messages.msf  (which I just created today - so nothing saved in them yet)
Here is the layout of the Mail folder
[    ]  Mail
        [      ] Local Folders  {contains  4 blank sheet icons two marked Trash and two mared Unsent Messages }
        [      ] shutter.plus.com (see below for contents)
              [    ] Inbox.sbd
        [      ] smart mailboxes
[      ]  minidumps
Contents of shutter plus com  Inbox.sbd folder
Drafts
Drafts.msf
Inbox
Inbox.msf
msgFilterRules
popstate
Sent
Sent.msf
Trash
Trash.msf 
(All with blank sheets icons)
I have tried to open the .msf files with Thunderbird, but nothing.... using "notepad", I can see there is something from an email but most of it is mixed letters and figures....
Microsoft "does not recognise .msf" 
Denzil
Grafter
Posts: 1,733
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Try copying the entire profile folder into the TB profiles folder on your c: drive. Then use the Profiles Manager to tell TB to look in that profile.
Cliff_Jordan
Grafter
Posts: 228
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

...or copying the entire contents of the old profile folder into the newly created profile folder, allowing it to overwrite anything it clashes with. I think that's what I did and it worked - but it's a while ago now and I now use MozBackup regularly.
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Quote from: shutter
and the "hidden folders" bit.... (I had forgotten about that - usually get around to it on a new hdd! ! )

I had a hunch that might be your problem
Quote from: shutter
Contents of shutter plus com   Inbox.sbd folder
Drafts
Drafts.msf
Inbox
Inbox.msf
msgFilterRules
popstate
Sent
Sent.msf
Trash
Trash.msf   

Those are the files that contain your old emails (not sure about the .msf ones, some sort of index/backup perhaps).  Denzil/Whiffler have the right idea about what to do, you need to copy the entire contents of the folder that contains these files and "transplant" it into your new Thunderbird profile.
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

There is another "niggle" that I have with windows explorer.... some of the files do not have the file extension showing.  for example    Letter001    should show as Letter001.doc  I think there is a "switch" for this, but can`t find it...  The reason I bring this up, is because when I tried to Open WIth.... the .msf file it has changed the orginal file extension for all others, because of the little tick in the bottom left corner of "open with"  - - - - -  "Always use this prog to open this kind of file".... and now I can`t change it back cos I can`t see it when I try to "rename" it
Will have a go at the copy and paste as suggested... Thanks for help so far...
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Tools
Folder options
View
Untick Hide Extensions for known file types
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Retrieving Emails from old HDD and transferring to new hdd

Thanks Jim..... I must be getting old..... that is two things that I used to do , almost automatically, when I set up a new hard drive...
In a couple of years time, I shall be going back to pen and paper ! ! ! ..


UPDATE EDIT>....
Finally managed to get them to display.... Found a prog on google ABCthunderbird converter (or similar) that found all my emails on the old hdd. and kindly zipped them up and put them on my C:\ drive under the title "Recovered Emails" ! ! ! ...
However, after doing something wrong with the thunderbird profile manage, I could not open thunderbird because  "Thunderbird is already running, close it to start a new session, or restart your computer"....
Restarted twice, kept getting the message..... uninstalled and re-downloaded and installed again.... still got the message.... so uninstalled, then went looking for stray thunderbird files/folders re-named them zzThunderbird, then did a reg clean with CCleaner... re-installed it again, and everything is tickety boo again ! ! >.
Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy