Thunderbird:accounts & folders not displayed

I have just run mozbackup on thunderbird 3.1.7 and created a .pcv file. After again running mozbackup to restore from this pcv file , I get back to a thunderbird version which only shows local files and I seem unable to display the individual accounts or any of their folders, subfolders or emails that I displayed prior to the recovery. I am unsure whether this is a thunderbird problem or mozbackup, but it certainly occurred immediately after restoring


I have checked that I have set view all folders and view all threads and have clicked both the left and right arrows to the right of "all folders ". Incoming messages are correctly displayed in the local folders inbox.

I experimentally created a new account with subfolders and mail and that account displays correctly [outside local files].

Please can you help me get back to where I was. I foolishly did not make a copy of the profile before trying the restore profile using mozbackup. I can find nothing in Thunderbird help that seems relevant.

I have checked the default profile, using Notepad to display the file contents. All the missing thunderbird folders and sub folders [as file and .msf file] are there in the Mail folder of the missing accounts. The set of pairs of type file and .msf file in the mail contain all the email messages and so do the .sbd folders.

The popstate.dat file contains the account name although the account that does not display also contains what look like a lot of random characters.

I am running XP Home

 

Let's assume that your TB shortcut is: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe ", and you say that you have "default" profile folder, is it located where it should be?,i.e. in this path: C:\Documents and Settings\user_name_\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\lxxxxxxt.default? That's where it should be. If anywhere else, it must be a mozbackup, which I don't use, issue. You can try to change Target line of your TB shortcut, by adding -p default, with keyboard spaces before the -, and after the p,to give an edited Target line of: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -p default

 

TB is where you suggest.

I have just tried changing Target line of my TB shortcut, by adding -p default, as you suggested giving target line of: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -p default

two possibilities are offered, default and old default . default has pathname C:\Documents and Settings\ms\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\wmdrsac2.margarets profile

which is the profile that contains all the lost emails
[old default is a similar pathname but very long in the past and the file is in the same directory]

I also tried running thunderbird.exe -Profilemanager which seems to do the same.

According to tb, tools/ account settings , the local directory for local folders [no identities] is in
C:\Documents and Settings\ms\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\wmdrsac2.margarets profile\Mail\Local Folders

There does not seem to be any directory mentioned in account settings for the actual mail accounts, but they are all there in account settings with the correct information even though the folders are not displayed.

 

The problem must be here, if I understood your question, correctly. Go to Tools|Account Settings|Account name|Server Settings|Local Directory. If it is blank, click on Browse, next to that line. You should see your profile, with whatever litters and numbers.default, or whatever is called. Find Mail|account name, which should match the name of the account name, listed initially, or a renamed account name. Select the one which you feel has your mail. Save the info, and restarting TB. It should show your folders. In my case, I have two sets of folders, one with the name of the account, e.g: pop.whatever.com. The other is a renamed folder. I copied and pasted all mail from the original to the renamed account. If I selected the renamed account in the local directory I would not see any folder, until I restarted Firefox. It works all the time.
But, if the local directory line is blank, it must be a mozbackup flaw.

 

Thankyou. I have done as you suggest.. The mail folder now selected for BT mail [C:\Documents and Settings\ms\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\wmdrsac2.margarets profile\Mail\mail.btinternet.com
has the right subfolders but still no luck on restarting tb.

Might I need to make an amendment to the profile itself?- perhaps a brand new profile and copy [somehow] the missing mails.?

 

The path in the Target line of your shortcut, should be: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" . Is it? It appears from the information that you provided that the profile is: margarets profile (although you call it:default), then the Target line should be modified, so that the path looks like this: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -p margarets profile
I was under the impression that you had said that that it was called default, but, obviously, the name has been changed. FYI: -p is shorthand for -Profilemanager. If you create a new profile, do not make the name is long, leave out the word: "profile ". The reason why you have problem when you restart TB, could be because in your Profile Manager list, you have listed "default ", and with a check mark, on "do not ask... ". I, always uncheck the box, if I use a different profile name.

 

Thankyou very much for all your help.

I think I have solved the problem this morning. I decided to re-recovering only the actual emails from my mozbackup file of a week ago. [the same one which gave me the problem in the first place so I do not understand why!] and , amazingly, the subfiles and accounts are all back as far as I can see.

I think I confused you earlier with an unclear answer.

the target line was
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe "
which when I altered to
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe -p
came up with a screen offered me 2 options named default and old default. When I hovered over default is pointed me to the profile

C:\Documents and Settings\ms\Application D Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\wmdrsac2.margarets profile

There are 2 other folders in that profile directory but only one other seems accessible [the old default, called rwesu.....] from TB

I am really grateful to you for coming up with your suggestions. It encouraged me to keep at it.

 

follow up. If fact I seem to now have duplicates of all my emails, but that is at least solvable easily.