how to backup local folder

[tbirda]

I have been using Thunderbird for many years now and have a local backup account never saved anyplace except on this Windows 10 and I don't remember how I got it there after replacing my windows 7 laptop. I thought it might be a good idea to back up local folders after I moved 95% of my saved emails in this one email folder out of my email account thinking a lot of those emails were old and never used. And maybe it would reduce size of my email account on my android and also to make those emails less visible should someone get my android or whatever.
So I followed instructions Thunderbird backup and end up with 2 new folders after doing following.
PC>Windows C>Users>my name>appdata>roaming>Thunderbird>profiles and in new account two folders.
1 - xxxxxxxx.default-release with 62 folders, 1244 files and 432MB
2 - xxxxxxxx.default havine 8 files and 5.62kb
I copied both of above to another folder I save for my other backup folders.
Questions.
1 -Is every thing I did correct?
2 - If I backup local folder once a month will it copy to same folders in 1 and 2 above and then I copy those folders to my backup folder. Or will I get two new xxxxxxxx files and backup again and delete previous backup.
3 - I saw something about compacting 432MB using Thunderbird.
How big or small a file will I get after compacting 432MB?
Thanks

[tanstaafl]

#1 sounds like your profile. I'm not sure what #2 is. Perhaps its a stub of a profile that was automatically created by the new account wizard.

Go to help -> more troubleshooting information (I'm assuming you're using version 91.*) and click on the open folder button to the right of "profile folder". That will open windows explorer at your profile. You only need to back up that directory though its a good idea to (you only need to do this once unless you add another profile or move your profile) also backup the profiles.ini file several directories above it. Unless you explicitly configure Thunderbird to use a "local directory" for an account outside of the profile (it doesn't sound like you did that) there is no need to backup anything else.

The reason for backing up (just once) profiles.ini is its used to find your profile and Thunderbird won't tolerate any errors in it, even if its a link to a profile you aren't using.

The ImportExportTools NG add-on at https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/th ... ng/?src=ss doesn't support 91 yet but when it does you might want to consider using it to automatically back up your profile. https://github.com/thundernest/import-e ... issues/264 has a link to a beta of that add-on for 91.

The roadmap for version 103 includes adding support for importing and exporting profiles, accounts and folders so I assume the ImportExportTools NG add-on will be eventually merged with the core code of Thunderbird

[tanstaafl]

" I saw something about compacting 432MB using Thunderbird. How big or small a file will I get after compacting 432MB?"

Compacting (in Thunderbird) is not the same thing as zipping/compressing. Its physically removing messages that had been marked deleted and hidden from view. I can't tell how much disk space you would free based on the size of the profile, it depends upon how much you had deleted/moved.

[tbirda]

Thanks Tanstaafl,
I will check to see if my Windows 10 does zipping or somewhere else.
Thanks

[tbirda]

I found Windows 10 compress and compressed 432MB to 261MB.
Now I need a new USB hard drive. What I have are two 128GB and one 32GB
Should or probably will get a 1 TB hard drive 3.1 for this windows 10.
Any suggestions or which one?
Thanks

[tanstaafl]

If you need to boot from a external USB 3.1 drive I suggest you get a 512GB or larger Samsung SSD, not a hard drive.

I boot off of a 256GB internal SSD and also have a 2TB internal hard disk that uses a 6Gbps SATA interface. I find the hard disk pretty slow despite the fast interface speed. My hard disk's performance is limited by the drive speed, not the interface so it wouldn't make much of a difference if it used USB 3.1 instead of SATA.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be ... ,3891.html
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-sol ... rives-ssds

[tbirda]

Thanks. I will let you know what I purchased.