Thunderbird Help retrieving old files/folders

[sanchee79]

HI everyone,

I was automatically updated to windows 10 some months ago and was using it for a while and was not happy with it so I returned back to windows 7. Unfortunately I saved most things but not Thunderbird which is primary source for all emailing. I had dozens of folders work related that are all gone. Is there anyway of retrieving these? I did not do a mozbackup or save the profile folder like a dummy this time around. Started a whole new thunderbird but really hoping to get my old stuff back if at all possible. Gmail user

[DanRaisch]

When you returned to Win 7 did you use some Windows tool that may have stored your old data or did you do a format of the drive and install Win 7 as a new OS?
If you remember, how was the account set up in Win 10, as POP or as IMAP?

[sanchee79]

I did a system restore bringing cpu back to original like when I bought it. It came pre loaded with Windows 7. As far as windows 10 setup I have no clue whether Pop or IMAP I am a novice when it comes to computers at best. Is there anyway I can check ?? again I did system restore and I am pretty sure wiped out windows 10

[DanRaisch]

Yup, the data is lost because of the system being restored to "out of the box" condition. All data from Thunderbird was deleted by that process. The best you can do now, as there was no backup, is set up Thunderbird from scratch and add the account(s) using the same email addresses you used before. If the original set up was IMAP, you should find all of your messages still on the server. If it was set up as POP, the data will be gone locally but you could log onto the account's web mail page to see if any messages were left on the server after being downloaded to Thunderbird.

[sanchee79]

I setup my acct already with same emails as before but it did not display all the folders and the setup I had before restoring cpu. How do I know about Imap or POP. I would think it was POP right since the old folders did not all reappear? is there a way I can email or talk to you on the phone? Let me know thank you for your help

[DanRaisch]

I'm sorry but we do not give email, private message, or phone support on this forum. Everyone here is a user like yourself, perhaps with more experience. This forum is not run by or formally associated with Mozilla. We're an independent user-helping-user community.

You can determine how the account is set up now using menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->Server Type at the top right of the dialogue.

Who is your email provider? That is, what comes after the @ symbol in your email address?

[sanchee79]

It says imap.gmail.com. Is there hope? I would assume my old one was setup same way. I use gmail for the 2 accounts I had on thunderbird and still have

[DanRaisch]

If the old accounts were set up as IMAP the messages should still have been on the server when you set up Thunderbird under Win 7. The fact that they are not visible now suggests that the old account set up may have been POP, resulting in messages being downloaded to the local computer and then were lost when the system was wiped prior to installing Windows 7.

You might log onto those accounts using browser to review the messages on the server and deterimine whether any of the old messages are visible there.

[sanchee79]

what do you mean by this? (You might log onto those accounts using browser to review the messages on the server)

do you mean logging into my gmail accounts? can you breakdown how I can do this?

[DanRaisch]

do you mean logging into my gmail accounts?

Yes, exactly.

Access Gmail at https://www.google.com/accounts/Service ... mplcache=2