New E-Mail Address/ Import

[Pezzy]

Hi all.

OK, tell me if what I'm about to describe makes sense, and if it's possible to do:

I've been using the Thunderbird e-mail program for many, many years. The ISP - and, the e-mail address I had along with it - was EarthLink (I had been with them since way back in 1998). I've probably been using Thunderbird as my e-mail client to handle my correspondence since about 2005.

I build custom PC systems, and every few years when I would do so, what I would do is go to: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming, and in here was the Thunderbird folder; I'd Copy all the contents inside this folder and save it. Then, when I had my new computer system up & running, I'd install the Thunderbird program fresh with the latest version/ build, launch it once, then close it.

I'd then go to those contents I'd Copied from the Thunderbird folder from the path I described above, then Paste them into the same location in the new system build I'd have. When I would then next launch Thunderbird, all my old e-mails, custom folders I'd created, address book, also my customized settings, would all be there.

However.....

However, now, I have a new ISP. And for my e-mail, I had been using a Hotmail account, which really now is Outlook.com.

Here's what I'd like to do now; please tell me if this is possible:

I'll install the Thunderbird e-mail program on the new system I've just built recently. I'll enter in my e-mail account information (Hotmail/ Outlook.com), and yes, I know, it's an i-map instead of Pop3 like I used to use with EarthLink.

After it launches and pulls in my current Hotmail/ Outlook e-mails, since I've saved my previous Thunderbird folder from my previous use of it with EarthLink (from the path I gave above), is there a way to import just the old e-mails & custom folders I created when I used EarthLink?

I don't want to do what I used to do, where I'd just Copy/ Paste the entire contents of that Thunderbird folder; the settings in there are for the old EarthLink account; I don't want that stuff to interfere with the Hotmail/ Outlook.com stuff.

Is there a way to do what I'm describing?

Thanks for any help & info,
Pez

[tanstaafl]

If your IMAP account enabled offline folders in the accounts synchronization & storage settings it would create mbox files that contain a copy of the messages in the corresponding remote folder. For example, "inbox." for the inbox folder. It would not help to copy them into the local directory for a IMAP account in your current profile as it will either wipe the contents when it synchs the folders, or ignore them depending upon the folder names. Instead, import them into a child folder in "Local Folders" per http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_folders . Then you can drag and drop the folders to the IMAP account. If the corresponding folder already exists in the IMAP account, copy the messages instead between the two folders.