Can't create new profile

[moran1328]

I'm having an issue with the loss of folders in my inbox that I'm trying to solve.
I have 2 profiles that work, one old one and my current one that has missing folders (Missing in TB but appear in the Mail folder in explorer)
I have created several new profiles with backups of my current inbox and folders but I can't get TB to open them.
When I launch TB offline with a new profile I get a welcome screen and an error message saying TB can't connect with the server. I close that and there is just an empty TB page.

Thanks Marc

[DanRaisch]

How is that mail account set up, as POP or IMAP?
How are you creating "new profiles with backups of my current inbox and folders"? If you are copying in backup data, are you pasting that data into the correct directory level? http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup

[moran1328]

It's a POP Account.
I backup my profiles like any other file, I just keep copies of the entire Profile folder.
I create a profile and then go back and copy all the contents of the backup files (calendar, crashes, Mail.. everything) into the new profile folder. I have several to chose from.
xxxxxxxxx.mynewnamre under Thunderbird/Profiles.

[DanRaisch]

xxxxxxxxx.mynewnamre under Thunderbird/Profiles.

...and there may lie the problem. Thunderbird uses a file named profiles.ini to identify the location in which the program should find the profile. That file resides in the directory C:\Users\WINUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird and it points to a specific profile name. You need to backup data from the directory one level below C:\Users\WINUSERID\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default and restore to the "same" location, so the directory name retains the name of the profile.

Please see the link I posted above.

[moran1328]

I think I may have figured something out.
I replaced all the non folder contents in one of the profiles. That is files: abook.mab, *.sqlite, *.json, *.dat with the same contents from my working profile and the new profile works.
I still have to rebuild the missing folders in my current profile.
Can I drag and drop *.sbd, *.msf etc into my good inbox.sbd?
Marc

[DanRaisch]

Are you referring to .sbd folders that support sub-sub-folders of the inbox?
You don't need to deal with .msf files. They are summary files and will be rebuilt by Thunderbird when the message folder is accessed. The files you need to copy in from the backup are the files with the same names as the folders and have no file name extension. e.g. Inbox, Sent, Trash, Junk, etc.

[moran1328]

I have reviewed that article and I've gone back to it several times.
I'm trying to create a new profile so I can review the old backups and see if there are contents that I want to retrieve. I'm not really trying to restore my profile. My profile works but some of the folders are missing.

I just noticed that I back up everything from Thunderbird down but profile.ini was unchecked. So If I were trying to restore a profile would I replace the Profiles Folder and profiles configuration setting to the TB folder?

[moran1328]

I apologize for having two threads going at once. But I appreciate all your help.
I'm going to try bringing in some of the missing folders now.
Marc

[DanRaisch]

So If I were trying to restore a profile would I replace the Profiles Folder and profiles configuration setting to the TB folder?

No, you want to leave profiles.ini, the directory it is in in and those above it right where they are. What you want to bring from the back up are those files and sub-folders that appear below the directory with the random 8 characters in the name.

[moran1328]

I understand that now.
When I create a new profile it creates a new folder under Profiles with a list of folders and files but no mail folder. When I start TB I get a blank TB page.
Why won't that work?
Marc

[DanRaisch]

Work for what. I don't understand what you are referring to.

[moran1328]

Sorry for the delay.
--When I start TB I get a blank TB page.--
The profile has an identical copy of my mail folder in it

Click Start TB

Close Window

This is what I was calling a blank TB page.

[DanRaisch]

According to that second image you don't have any account(s) defined in that profile so you won't be able to access any message files you may have copied into the profile. Thunderbird has to have an account (or multiple accounts) to which message folders will be associated. Simply copying the message files into a profile structure which has not had any accounts created will not work.

If the message files are in the original profile, you should be able to simply restore your access to the message data in that profile. What are you seeing when you access the account that has the "missing" folders?

[moran1328]

I'm having a lot more success rebuilding my folders. I'm not sure if I'm doing everything 100% correctly but I think I have restored almost everything.

I had all my suborders as sub-folders (and Sub-sub-folders) of my Inbox. I think I read that is a bad idea and have changed that and made everything sub-folders of my email address. I've been using TB for about 6 or 7 years and have always done it that way, my profile is about 4.5GB. Does that mean that I had 4.5 GB in my inbox?

Thanks for all your help,
Marc

[makaiguy]

... my profile is about 4.5GB. Does that mean that I had 4.5 GB in my inbox?

No, it means your entire profile is 4.5GB -- Your Inbox, plus all other "folders" plus settings, plus addressbook, plus extensions, and probably a few things I haven't thought of. The vast majority will be the messages, though.