Thunderbird as a shared account

I have a new PC running Win XP home. This is a shared PC, so I have setup two users, his and hers. Win XP is new to us and this whole concept of a separate folder for her documents/settings and one for mine is a new concept for us. My goal is to have one joint shared e-mail setup that either user can get to from their own user log on. We do use the same e-mail address and the same address book. Most of the e-mail that we get is to both of us, so it makes sense to keep it combined. I will be moving the My Documents folders off the boot drive onto a separate partition for each user.

My question is: what is the best way to setup Thunderbird as a shared account? When I move the my documents folders off of the boot drive, where will the thunderbird address book and mail folders end up, in her partition or his partition? I don't want them to stay on the boot drive. I have not installed thunderbird yet, I wanted to think through the process first and maybe then I could do it right the first time.

Thanks for any advice that you can offer.
Gordon

 

Your question is unusual, since you use the same e-mail address. Of course, the best solution is for you to get a separate address, but you should be able to manage things, reasonably, by creating a new folder ( directly from you mail account name on the left display, right click|name it as you wish). Now you will have another folder with your name, or something like it. You can select message which are strictly for you|right click|Move to new folder.
Now that folder will have, hopefully, only your mail.
But you will have to do this every day, because your ISP does not know which mail is for whom. Basically, it is pointless to have separate logins in XP, and identical mail account. I am not even going to try to tell you how to access your mail from both logins. The results would be just as messy.

 

Westside,
Thanks for the reply. I will have to wait until I install Thunderbird to fully understand what you said.

I can see some great advantages to having separate user ID's on XP. She can have her desktop view with whatever shortcuts she wants, her folder views, her favorite list, her links, etc. Then I can have mine the way I want and they don't have to be alike. However, when the children and grand children send us e-mail, usually they are talking to both of us. So a shared e-mail account would work very well for us. We have been sharing an e-mail account on Win 98 for several years and it has not been a problem there.

Gordon

 

Gordon,
we use only one login, but I understand what you mean. I think that Thunderbird should be installed under both logins. And, each of you should have separate profiles, with bookmarks and other files which are completely separate. That does not preclude having identical mail accounts, although, you can manage it differently. In Win 98 I don't think that there was a separate login system, and the profiles were handled differently.
But, as long as you keep your mail on server, both of you should be able to download all the new mail, and you can manage it any way you like (like deleting what is not yours).

 

Hi Gordon,

I've edited this extensively since I first wrote it so, if you saw the first post, referring to two Thunderbird profiles, please disregard it.

I agree with you that it might be desirable for you and your wife to have separate accounts (user IDs, I believe you called them) in XP, for the reasons you gave. I also agree that it's desirable to move everything you can off the C: partition. Since a discussion of that would be way off-topic, if you need help with that feel free to email me.

Setting up a single email account accessible from either of your XP accounts is far easier to do than it is to explain. One of the beauties of Thunderbird (TB), as well as of its companion browser Firefox (FF), is that the programs and their user profiles can be completely separated. For example, on my E: partition I have a MOZILLA folder, which contains sub-folders for PROFILES and PROGRAMS. In each of them are sub-folders for FIREFOX and THUNDERBIRD.

What you want is a single TB installation, using a single profile (with a name acceptable to both you and your wife, but not "Default ") accessible from both XP accounts.

When you install TB, do it from your XP account, as that's the one with which you're familiar. Select the Custom installation, which will allow you to install the program where you want it. The Standard installation installs the program in the default location on the C: drive.

When you set up the profile, again, don't use the default location ... instead, set it up in a location somewhere off the C: drive. After the TB profile is set up to your satisfaction, do the following, which will tell your wife's account where to find it:

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings. Both your account and your wife's should be visible. Click on the + sign beside each of them.

The "Application Data" folders you'll want to access are hidden by default. If you don't already use the Details view in Explorer, click on the View menu and select Details. This will make the next steps easier.

When the menu closes, open the Tools menu and click Folder Options..., then the View tab. Click the Apply to All Folders button.

In the "Advanced Settings" window, under "Hidden files and folders" select "Show hidden files and folders" and click "OK ". You may have to refresh the view in Explorer to see the "Application Data" folders.

Open the "Application Data" folder in your account and copy the "Thunderbird" folder to your wife's "Application Data" folder.

You probably have TB shortcut icons on your desktop and in your Start menu. Copy those icons from the Desktop and Start Menu folders in your account's "Application Data" folders to those in your wife's account.​

This can all be done using TB's Profile Manager from your wife's account but, if you're not familiar with the Profile Manager, it could be a very frustrating process. The method I've just outlined may sound unduly complicated, but it should be bullet-proof.

BTW, if you ever expect to use FF as your browser, I'd recommend using separate profiles, as it's likely that you and your wife would probably want your own configurations and bookmarks (IE's Favorites).

Good luck, and be sure to let us know how you make out.

 

Jim,
Thank you, you make it look easy.

I will let you know how it works out, but it will be a while before I get to the Thunderbird part of this project. I have already printed off the document by Christer that explains how to move all the user data off drive C, including annex 2 which covers Firefox and Thunderbird. With your explanation and his, I should be able to get the job done. But if I get myself in trouble, I will be back with questions. Right now, I am attempting to get comfortable with XP and Firefox on the new PC, so the e-mail can stay on the old Win 98 system for another week or two.

Gordon

 

Hi Gordon,

As I said, it's easier to do than it is to explain, but it helps to have a blueprint if you've never done it before.

I moved to XP Pro from 98SE a little over four years ago, and had no one to hold my hand during the process. I was completely out of my element and totally self-taught! The BBS was a huge help, after I found it, and I've tried to give back whenever possible.

Personally, I think that Christer has built a mountain out of a molehill, and even I find his guide intimidating. Nearly everything involved in the reassigning of system folders can be done with the two TweakUI programs, 1.33 and 2.10 (XP). You may be familiar with 1.33 from Win98 but if not, it's a very handy program if you're at all interested in customizing your GUI. 2.10 was written to be used with XP (requires at least SP1) and the two have different interfaces, but each has features the other doesn't; they complement each other very nicely. They work best at reassigning system folders when setting up a system immediately after a format and reinstallation of the OS, but that doesn't mean it can't be done later on.

As I said earlier, if you need further help, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

Jim,

I followed your advice and set up Thunderbird for me first, then copied the profile over for my wife. It works exactly like we wanted. We can both use the same profile, address book, and mail folders. These are all stored on drive D, off of the boot partition C.

I had already installed Firefox and have it working as separate profiles, which is what we wanted. Those user files have also been moved off of the boot partition.

Thank you for the very good help.
Gordon

 

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for the feedback. As I suggested, it's easier to do than it is to explain, and I'm pleased to hear that everything is working just as you wanted.