Trying again. Thunderbird profile woes

I spent a long time, last time, trying to explain a strange problem which I have with my Thunderbird profiles. But, who knows what I did. Most likely, I never posted, and I will try again.
Sometimes, in mid-May 2005, I got some Mail problem with my Thunderbird, whichever it was back then. I resorted to the XMail treatment, and put everything back in place, and my mail has been working ok, except that at times, I have to reboot, because one of the profile must be still active, and I can't start TB, after having closed it. This is in spite of profile bypass which is usually working. So, I have a choice, or none.
On examining the contents of my C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles folder, I see a glorious mess. Instead of two folders such as xxxxxx.TB1 and xxxxxx.TB2, I see a default folder with an .slt in it, and no mail folder, then a xxxxx.default with accounts which I don't use, and, a perfectly good xxxx.default1, which works with my TB1.0.7. Then, to add to the confusion, every file which should be in a folder, like xxxxx.defaultx, is "loose" in the Profile folder. And, to conclude, a new folder also without the standard configuration is found in this path: C:\Documents and Settings\Fulvio Perini\My Documents\New Office Files. I did not create anything like that, and the mailboxes have inactive since 8/16/05.
I think I know which file belongs to what, but I would like to see them in a proper configuration. Should I give up, just praying for no more nuttiness, or is there any way out?
The profile.ini, shows, correctly that xxxx.default1 is the default profile, then there is just plain default, and finally a profile which is unknown to me.
Hey, who is messing around with my computer?

 

Westside ...

"...at times, I have to reboot, because one of the profile must be still active, and I can't start TB, after having closed it. "​

You should be able to just open Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and close the still-running TB from there, without the need to reboot.

I know you like to be on the cutting edge, but don't you think it's time to simplify your life? It looks to me as though you have three email programs on your computer, with two profiles in Netscape 7.2. Why not just standardize on a single email program, like TB, using multiple profiles if you feel you need them?

While I certainly don't mean to tell you what to do or how to do it, I've never favored letting either Firefox or Thunderbird install to their default locations in C:\Docs & Settings. I don't want anything on my C: drive that doesn't have to be there.

I have FF and TB in "E:\Mozilla\Programs" and their profiles in "E:\Mozilla\Profiles ", with only the profile locations in C:\Documents and Settings\JSS\Application Data\Thunderbird\profiles.ini and C:\Documents and Settings\JSS\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\profiles.ini. Not only does it simplify my life by making things easier to find, when necessary, but everything is protected should I need to reformat my C: drive.

If "xxxx.default1" is your good TB profile folder, and it's the one described in profiles.ini, why can't you just delete everything else? I'd copy the folder to a temporary location first, though, just to be on the safe side.

 

Westside,

Not that it means anything, but I concure with JSS3rd.

I too have more that one FF and TB (installed and zips) ALL are located on E:\ drive - the only thing on C:\ is the profile.ini file for the programs ( cause I can not relocate it as can be done in Mozilla and Seamonkey - registry.dat in Moz and Seamonkey ).

I answered in you in:

see my reply

regards:captjlddavis

 

You should be able to just open Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Del) and close the still-running TB from there, without the need to reboot.

There is nothing in the Task Manager. I am assuming that there is something somewhere which prevents the operation, just because rebooting restores the choice.
As for simplifying, you are mistaken, between my wife and I, we have fourteen e-mail addresses. Why? To simplify, and restrict the chances of getting Spam. I am using four ISP e-mail addresses, all of which are devoted to different topics. I have not gotten a single Spam message at any of my addresses, since I instituted this "regime ". And, there are two profiles, one for me, and one for my wife. In addition, I am a couple of free addresses, plus webmail accounts set up with freePOPs. It works, and most of the addresses can come or go any time.
Since 1.5 is getting close to being released, I like to have it side by side to 1.0.7, for comparison sake. This has worked well with firefox, and Thunderbird got me confused. I don't think that I am complicating anything.
I have a very pragmatic look on the situation. Some people use backups, I use active programs, whose files can serve as backups. Easy come, easy go.
After saying that, I am sorry I brought up my problem. I got advice which makes sense, but it does no good for my present problem.
I will work on it, and, I may give a feedback if I solve the mess. I was trying to simplify, after all.

 

Just trying to be helpful, just as you always try. What works for you would never work for me, but to each his own. Good luck.

 

Jim,
I know you meant well. I just wanted to make sense of a big mess. FYI, everything is fixed. It took me longer than expected, because of the very bad habit of these mail clients to put their account names, while I had my own. I had to deal with six pop.central.cox.net, two of which had nothing in it, and I had to open each Inbox to find out which account was there.
In addition, three of my accounts pointed to the mystery New Office files folder. The two default folders were irrelevant, and were deleted. Everything is under one roof, after I moved each "loose" file into the newly created profile.
Now, I had only two profile folders in the Thunderbird folder, instead of at least four, located who knows where or why.
I am sure, I created the monster, but it is a more manageable one, and now I was able to go from one profile to the other with no problem, for the first time in ages.
I fully understand that what works for me would not even be understood by many people, but it makes sense, since I can't tolerate spam, and neither my ISP spam controls nor the mail clients' could handle that avalanche. It is a liberating experience.