PC change from Windows XP to either Windows 7 or 10

[john bull]

I have just synced all my data on Firefox successfully. Presumably this data will now be transferred to my new OS Firefox account.,

Thunderbird ? I do not see how to sync this. What then happens to all my mails when I change to my new OS Thunderbird version ?

[DanRaisch]

That rather depends on which email protocol the account has been set up in Thunderbird to use.
How is the account set up in Thunderbird, as POP or IMAP? Find out using menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->Server Type at the top right of the dialogue.

[tanstaafl]

If you upgrade an existing installation it automatically reuses your existing profile, which contains your downloaded mail, address books, settings, saved passwords, installed add-ons etc. Thunderbird normally uses a profile stored on your boot disk, though it can be moved to a file share or another drive.

There is no equivalent of Firefox Sync though some people use Dropbox etc. to sync profiles across multiple machines. One problem with doing that is Thunderbird frequently makes lots of minor modifications to many files. If you use just IMAP accounts your mail is stored on the mail server, with an optional copy on your hard drive. So you are mainly concerned with keeping your address books, settings and saved passwords in sync.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Files_and_fol ... hunderbird
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Sharing_address_books

You may find that the new version doesn't support some of your old add-ons (especially with 60.*). This is usually due to changes in the APIs supported by the Mozilla toolkit. Setting extensions.strictCompatibility false using the config editor will let you try to use an add-on that doesn't explicitly support version 60.

[john bull]

That rather depends on which email protocol the account has been set up in Thunderbird to use.
How is the account set up in Thunderbird, as POP or IMAP? Find out using menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->Server Type at the top right of the dialogue.

I have a POP account. Is that OK ?

[DanRaisch]

You'll want to backup your profile before updating. See this article http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backu ... he_profile
I recommend the manual backup procedure as some folks have had problems using MozBackup, which is no longer being maintained by the author.

When you update Windows it may preserve your user data, moving it to a directory created for that purpose. Installing Thunderbird MIGHT find the original profile, in which case you will be ready to go, as tanstaafl noted above. If not, you can follow the guidance here and using the backed up data or data moved by Windows to that "safe" directory" -- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_ ... hunderbird
For a concise, less detailed version of the process, see this thread --
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... 5#p7251375

For an alternative approach, see tanstaafl's posts in this thread -- http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... #p14209121

[john bull]

How will Thunderbird on a new PC identify me so that all my emails are carried over ?

I have an ID and password, but will Thunderbird ask me for them ?

[DanRaisch]

Installing Thunderbird MIGHT find the original profile, in which case you will be ready to go, as tanstaafl noted above.

Note the word "MIGHT" in my reply. If the Windows update keeps your original profile in it's original, default location (unlikely) Thunderbird will find your data there and use it. If Windows doesn't do that you will then install Thunderbird and use the links I posted above to bring over the backed up profile data and make it available in the new Windows installation.

[tanstaafl]

How will Thunderbird on a new PC identify me so that all my emails are carried over ?
I have an ID and password, but will Thunderbird ask me for them ?

If you are moving to a new PC you need to copy your old profile. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Move_to_a_new_PC for how to do that.