"Broken" Email Search?

Yes - I guess 'babies came over with the bathwater' in the first attempt.

Now I have set up a new profile - in C with mail in F. I have also backed up all 10 years of mail in a gazillion places.

I set the local directory setting on TB to F:Ymail106 - I have thought I have taken out all msf's.

I open TB - can see the FULL search box which I COULD use - but I see all the mail folders in a list and when checking on WinExpl they are chock full of mail (as evidenced by GB's of stuff in 'properties') but none of them show any mail when in TB.

This once was so - not able to 'read' bcs I ddn't delete msf's - but now I do (or at least I think I have) - and still nothing - and, of course. every time I try TB - I get msf's again - then delete - and re-try - etc etc (amazes me why TB poisons itself with these msf's - one would think 'program developers' wouldn't continue to use suicide pills)

So seemingly I'm ready to go but these folders don't 'open up' - I have TB and Firefox off when doing these gymnastics so that shouldn't be the problem.

I'm stumped.

By the way - what is the meaning of the .sbd files? They seem to generate like bunnies as well. How safely may they be deleted if suspected to be weeds?

 

Rob,

To clarify, you deleted the supposed corrupt msf files. Thunderbird, and all other Gecko Mail clients replace these Index files on reopening the application. So stop deleting them, or you will wear yourself out...

The empty SBD files don't seem to have any purpose, altho I'm certain the programmers had something in mind. SBD=subdirectory The SBD folder basically mimics the logical folder structure in Thunderbird. However, if you create a new Profile in Thunderbird 1.5, you would see that these empty SBD folders are no longer created. The only SBD folders you need are the subfolders which you created, and actually have messages in them.

I will say this, that if you have GB's of Mail, then you are truly asking for trouble. You should keep your folders much leaner than that. Archive your Mail to CD, and clear out those folders. This could even be part of your problem, as I have seen cases of Thunderbird dying because of disproportionately sized Inboxes. You should never keep 10 years of Mail unless you back up that Profile each and every day. I have a page on archiving Mail to CD, which enables the user to read, and to send mail via the CD: http://home.att.net/~cherokee67/archivemailcd.html Altho this was originally created for Mozilla and Netscape, it can also be used for Thunderbird, and in fact I use it for Thunderbird.

Check this setting: Tools | Account Settings | Server Settings
Scroll down to the "Local directory" field

Does the path point to the correct location for your Mail Account folder?

 

One of your instructions says that one has to delete msf files otherwise the mail will not show - so now am confused even more

These files are spread over about 120 subdirectories - 10 years - 120 months

I am home now and the culprit is at the office - but I re-checked that this would be the case many times - indeed all the subfolders which SHOULD and actually DO contain emails (according to WinExpl the directories have content) - but lists of actual mail appear in right size large area - when this happened before - I removed msf's according to instructions and they appeared - now nuttin'

 

I'm not certain where the reference is located, but that is correct. You delete the msf (Index) files in the event they are corrupt, and they do become corrupt often. That is also why they are not copied from Profile to Profile, in the event of corruption. You only delete them one time.

If you followed the below referenced TB Knowledge Base article when creating the new Profile, then your Mail should be available. There are no shortcuts in creating the Profile, and you must follow each step carefully.

These are the files which should have been copied to the new Profile:

abook.mab
cert8.db
chrome/userChrome.css and chrome/userContent.css (if they exist)
key3.db
mimeTypes.rdf
msgFilterRules.dat
persdict.dat
signons.txt
training.dat
virtualfolders.dat

News folder - Newsgroups messages and settings. If necessary, create a new "newsgroup" account for each news server in the new profile ( "File -> New -> Account "), then close Mozilla Suite or Thunderbird and copy over the "News" folder contents.

Note: Do not copy the whole profile directory. Some of the other files contain absolute path information (like for security certificates), and your profile might not work correctly with old entries from the original profile.

Mail files (Inbox, Sent, etc., without the msf extension)
• Mail Filters (rules.dat)
• Copy all user created SBD folders to the NEW Mail folder

Caution: these files will replace any existing files in the new Mail folder (if any). You may first want to rename the Mail files, e.g., rename Inbox to OldInbox, etc. This will ensure that you lose no existing mail.

 

OK - thanks - will drive that one around the block tomorrow when back with the problem child (who may actually be me)

But one question - when one 'creates' a new profile with the profile manager - shouldn't it be an integral working 'profile' that should be able to read the mail one points at it via 'local folders?'

That's one of the matters that is confusing me - as a subdirectory of that comment I have started to think that I might not want to copy an old profile but just create a new one and point to the mail to open - and move over my address books via that copy and paste thing with the 'kind of' text files - export then import etc. - and so today I thought I had a 'new' tool (profile) and then amazed it was showing all the folders and subfolders but not allowing me to view the actual contents.

 

Only if the user makes it an integral profile. Copy the correct files, ensure that all settings are correct, etc. As an example, if you copy the prefs.js file, from a Profile that doesn't work, then that destroys the integrity of the Profile.

 

Thanks

Since I suppose some others might be reading all this to figure out their own problems sometime - for pedagogical purposes let me ask this question in response before I go messing around today with anything

When one 'creates' a profile with Profile Manager - isn't TB supposed to create a fully working Profile? - and then one can add or change things from previous or parallel profiles? I'm not seeing this as something one would HAVE to do:

 

Rob,

I created a new profile with Profile Manager, and below are the files created:

Directory of C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\xf5w67aq.newprofile\

extensions

cert8.db - 65 KB - 1/31/06 12:19:08 PM
compatibility.ini - 1 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:52 PM
compreg.dat - 157 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:56 PM
extensions.cache - 1 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:54 PM
extensions.ini - 1 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:54 PM
extensions.rdf - 2 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:54 PM
key3.db - 17 KB - 1/31/06 12:19:08 PM
localstore.rdf - 5 KB - 1/31/06 12:19:08 PM
mailViews.dat - 1 KB - 1/16/06 4:38:06 PM
mimeTypes.rdf - 3 KB - 1/16/06 4:38:00 PM
prefs.js - 1 KB - 1/31/06 12:19:10 PM
secmod.db - 17 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:58 PM
xpti.dat - 88 KB - 1/31/06 12:18:54 PM
XUL.mfl - 1186 KB - 1/31/06 12:19:04 PM

14 file(s)
Total filesize 1536 KB
3 folder(s)

This is not a fully working Profile, until:
1. Create Mail Accounts
2. Add Address Book
3. Configure Options/Preferences
Etc., etc., etc.

It isn't viable until the user makes it so...

 

For pedagogical purposes - (- high flying aspirations )

Let me first comment that IMHO that is a 'usual' working system - the things to still be done are basically concerned with getting the driver's license and filling up the fuel tank and maybe getting a map. Otherwise one has a working car.

The things one needs to do are natural 'ordinary' matters - once 'it' knows the various servers, passwords, etc. one could send and receive mail. The other items are really convenience factors -- and adding history - old mail, etc.

But no real 'software' aspects - that's one place where I was going off the tracks - as I was starting to think I would have to know the insides of various actual operating files - which ones to copy, etc.

(I have found a solution - but I do want to post the above first and see your (R) comment)