rebuilt want to bring back messages

Had to rebuild a clients machine so I made a backup of the user folder with all the mail files and folders. They have the extension .snm when I copy these files into the proper folder and then I open Netscape Mail I get a message talking about security and I dont have rights to write to the folder.

Thanks a head of time.

Greg

 

Greg,

All you need to do is create the same profiles that your client had before. Once the profile is created, copy the backup Users folder into the Netscape folder. Everything should be back.

Mike

 

Mike

Thanks for you input and thats pretty much what I did before but I uninstalled everything and redid based on your comments and what I am getting no matter what folder I click on is "cant open whatever box. You may not have permissions to write to this file. Check the permissions and try again ".

This is on a Windows 98 2nd machine so permissions dont really come into place here. Am also using Netscape 4.79.

Any idea ??? Was able to import messages into Outlook Express with no problem so am confused as to why Netscape isnt recognizing its own extension.

Greg

 

Hi Greg,

Check your Mail File Properties to ensure that they are not "Read Only ".

With Netscape closed:
Open Windows Explorer
Navigate to the Mail Folder
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\Mail
Delete all files with the SNM extension
Start Netscape

Hopefully your problem will be solved.

Ramona

 

Yep did that before I wrote and no check marks on anything not read only or archive nothing. Strange this Netscape but client is going to start using O.E.

Something happened with their Netscape mail program cuz a lot of folders never made the import over to O.E. so the folder must have been corrupted a bit. At least thats all I can think of that might have caused this.

Thanks again.

 

Ramona

The files that are in the user folder only have files with the extension .snm if I delete them how is it going to rebuild if there is nothing there to rebuild from ???

 

Greg,

From your back up Users folder, copy the files without the SNM extension. These are the Mail files, and the SNM files are the summary files which contain custom settings, etc.

Ramona

 

I think that will be a problem seeing as the only files are the ones with the .snm extension - nothing more. I guess thats why Netscape is having a problem with them. Is okay though she is using o.e. and I guess that will work. Thanks for the info.

 

Hi Greg,

I do understand that you can't copy what isn't there! I didn't understand that the corruption occurred when you made the backup of the Users folder. This is what the Mail folder should look like:
http://home.att.net/~cherokee68/ns4mail.html

Ramona

 

Ramona

I used an xternal cdrw to back up her system and I always back up certain areas of the system automatically which would always include program files. Unfortunately when I reviewed the backup before reformatting I didnt notice the file structure looked funny in netscape didnt realize there might be a problem until I tried to get the mail back.

I appreciate your assistance.

Greg

 

Greg,

Didn't mean to disappear from the thread here, but I figured if anyone could get you going, Ramona could. Too bad about the files. Curious if you could convert the files back to Netscape from OE. Maybe Ramona would know. I'll look when I get some more time.

Mike

 

That also has me confused is how o.e. was able to bring over the mail but netscape wasnt. O.E. did find corruption in the import cuz it made 3 .tmp folders. It looks like it had problems with the folders name cuz there are individual emails within the folders.

 

Everybody has about the right idea I find in all the responses.
But it Lacks the right order and sequence & other information.

1. First backup you user profile to a temp directory, (Copy & Paste).

2. Then launch your netscape ver 7x. Go to Pref's and start copying all the vital information such as server settings and home page to start up with.
Make note of what boxes are checed for function calls.

3. Close out of netscape and unable any resident netscape functions curently running or resident's! Very Important. No TSR's

4. Useing Explorer or My Computer path to the exsisting profile in question. (we asume you have only one here & not useing Profile Manager).

5. Delete the java script file called prefs.* ( this is what is causing you all the problems, crashing and everything in browsing.) Don't worry! Netscape will rebuild a new one when you reboot and Launch Netscape (your profile) again!

6. No, we are not done yet. Now path to the Mail (or IMAP) folder within your profile. Delet all the *.snm files by holding the " Ctrl" key down on each of them. Carefull to not delete any other files here than the *.snm's. Remeber the names of the parent files which use the *.snm's.

7. Now we are going to get daring! Such is the relationship as Inbox with it's partner Inbox.snm that you deleted the *.snm partner. You will go to each partner left standing and rename them all by just adding a 1 to them.
Explain: Inbox.* to Inbox1.* and Draft.* to Draft1.* and so on!
Now this directory dosent look at all like it was when we started out, but that's OK when netscape is launched again after reboot netscape will rebuild the *.snm files!
Warning: Do not try to add a file extention to any of these left! The files you rename will maintain ther aspects and properties! You can't usually see the extentions anyway, they are hidden from you even if you have hidden files view enabled.

8. OK...Now you are ready> Close out of explorer or file management progie and reboot.

9. Then launch your netscape! First goto prefs and re-enter your settings and variables we talked about here which you wrote down from Step #2. Put them all back like they were before if they originally worked before your crash or whatever problem.

10. Click ok and close " prefrences ".
Goto your mailbox and launch. You will now see 2 of everything in folders except for Samples <cause it didn't have a partner *.snm to begin with so you didn't rename it by adding a 1.
you didn't rename Samples to Samples1 did you? Don't worry if you did. Just rename it in the mail progie to Samples again.

11. What has happend here with all of this is that you forced the protection mode of netscape to Re-Create what you deleted.
Now you just go to the Inbox1, Drafts1,Sent1,and so on to copy the contents of each folder into the un-named and new pristene folders netscape created for you.

12. Now all the folders with *1 are empty. Do no't delete them by throwing them all in the mail/trash bucket. Highlight each file one at a time and press 'Delete" on your keyboard. Then as each delets you see them move to the Trash. then do the same ..Hightlight and delete! So you delete twice to get rid of one empty! THIS is very important. DO NOT drag the empties into the New "Trash " folder and tell the mail progi to empty.......You will in retur ine-atverntantly destroy the sent and inbox which was created by netscape and have to go through this whole process again .
13> is there a 13? If your satisfyed just reboot here.

13. Yup You don't know it now but your Address book (pab.na2) will not read . It didn't read before, you just were too concerned about loseing the e-mail message and not having permission to your inbox to notice. GOTO your temp directory where you copied your Profile too User\mail\ and copy the pab.(nab,na2) file.
Paste it on the desktop. Change the Read only atributes of this file to remove "read only ". Say yes to the 2 popup window you will get. IE: if you have Administrator rights on this Computer then right click the file and enable sharing for this by NETWORK, ADMINISTRATOR and which is need to acsess this. Cause you took the read only properties out of this file!
Now copy this again from the desktop or drag it over the exsisting pab file in the directory of the WORKING Profile you are doing all this too!
Close netscape and re-start and you should have your address book! Don't bother with thew netcenter and verisign ones. You don't need them.

14. Finaly your netscape functions perfectly. And in case this happens again some time make sure that you have a user copy of the profile and a secret little file to also save and be put back where you got it when you backup your netscape again after a problem so you don't have to doo ALL THIS AGAIN..
Here is the secret>>Save this too>>
C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename\xxxxxxxx.slt

See ya don't want to be ya.heheheheheheheheh
MrGraphic