Installing Netscape 7.01

Hi again! I am currently using Netscape 7.0 and received a notification saying that 7.01 upgrade is now available...great! Actually looks like it's not an upgrade but an installation of the entire 7.01 program. If this is the case, is it best to uninstall 7.0 before installing the newer version, or is this really an upgrade that will overwrite the older program? Thanks so much for your help on this one.

 

Hi IceWine,

It's best to uninstall 7.0 first. Check out the Clean Install guideline. You might also want to review the Custom Install guidelines as well.

Let us know if you have questions, or if we can be of further help.

Ramona

 

Profile backup

Hi Ramona, thanks for your clean install guide...for sure that's the way to go. My main concern was that my stored passwords would not be deleted. They are saved with my profile, right?

 

Yes, they are. You may need to edit your prefs.js file once you are up and running again to point Netscape to the correct password file. If you use the user.js file, you can add the line from the prefs.js file to make life easier...

"somenumber.s "
user_pref( "signon.SignonFileName ", "37854957.s ");

tranquilo

 

OOOOOppps. I fell for the "upgrade" to 7.01 and unfortunately have come to the forum for help. Apparently I successfully installed 7.0 without invoking the ProfMgr and managed to get all of the email accounts into the Mail settings as well as bringing other mail and settings into the Local Folders. Yesterday when I pressed install on the 7.01 "upgrade" I seemed to have lost most of that and instead pulled the profiles from my NS4.79 Users folder in instead which doesn't have the newer mail, nor more importantly the Address Book info. What should I do now? I do have some new mail in the new Moz mail profile.

As a loyal NS user, I now have many old profiles left from upgrades with old mail and other settings which I am at a loss to know how I can best consolidate these for easy reference or use.

 

Welcome to the Forum, RoyaleRacer!

Hi RoyaleRace,

Ooops, is right!

Let's see if we can get you out of your upgrade disaster.

I need a few facts from you, so we can get your 7.01 Profile current again.

Prior to the 7.01 upgrade, you were using Netscape 7.0?
If so, do you have a backup of your 7.0 Profile prior to the update?
How many Profiles do you have, and for what Versions of Netscape?
What specific Profile components did you want to merge with 7.01?

Let me know, and then we can see if it would be better for you to uninstall 7.01 and start from scratch, or to try and salvage your existing install.

Ramona

 

First, I was using 7.0 since approx 9/20/02 and, IF there was a Moz profile when I installed the 7.0 (rather than the USERS profiles I am/was used to, I didn't even know it was there!

It seems that I have been installing NS 4.x versions forever and each time have NOT uninstalled prior, so I just checked and found I have just 5 of them (copied from my old HD using 98SE) on the new XP C drive, primarily in \data\netscape\users.

When I installed 7.0, I never got a Profile Manager to come up, however I installed it. I am pretty sure that I installed it into a new directory rather than over the NS4.79, now that I think about it.

What I had set up in 7.0 was five email accounts, pulled intact from the directory above with their respective mail, address books and other prefs. I had also (somehow...) pointed to the older mail and address books for some of the older profiles so that they were in the Local Folders. All of this was workable but a bit unwieldy.

Merging, if possible, the mail folders would allow consolidation of various old email accounts would be great. I really need to get the address book back from the NS 7.0 since that took a LOT of work before.

And, while there is a bit of new mail in the new profile, I can alway send a Bc: to myself before I uninstall if that is the way to go.

Thanks for the great welcome to the forum,

Monte

_______________

 

RoyaleRacer,

You definitely had a Profile folder when you installed 7.0. Look at this folder and tell me how many Profiles you see here, and the Profile names:

C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename
NOTE: These files are hidden by default
To see hidden files:
1. On the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options
2. Click the View tab
3. Under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders

Each of the profiles will have a salted subfolder (xxxxxxxx.slt) which will contain your Mail & Newsgroups, Address Book, Bookmarks, etc.

Ramona

 

Ramona,

There are five profiles in Moz\Prof named

Administrator
ATTNEW
default
Default User
monte_on_bellsouth.

The only profile which has been used is ATTNEW. I can delete all profiles but ATTNEW at this point.

Monte

 

Monte,

Don't delete any profiles until we are certain which Profile contains your good Mail files.

Have you opened the Mail folder in the other Profile folders, and if so do they all show 0KB ?

Lemmeno,

Ramona

EDIT: Does the ATTNEW Mail folder contain all your new email? You can open the Inbox file (with no msf extension) with Notepad and look at the mail files.

 

Good suggestion!

Ramona,

Thanks!!!!

I had copied Administrator previously from the \USERS\ into the Moz\Profiles\ subdir to see if the Profile Manager would recognize it- it didn't - as a result it does not appear to be "salted ".

ATTNEW has 158MB in the \Mail\xxx.slt subdir.

default has 227MB in its \Mail\xxx.slt subdir, and has the various email accounts that I had put into the old NS7.0. I haven't opened this Profile yet in 7.01. I guess that the addresses are there?

Default User has no Mail subdir only CHROME.

monte on bellsouth has 18.7MB in the Mail subdir.

Monte

 

Hi Monte,

O.K., now bear with me for a few more questions. Then we can get down to consolidating your mail into your Profile of choice for 7.01.

First: which Profile will you use as your Default for 7.01.

Do you plan to delete the others, once we have completed copying Mail, etc., from the Profiles?

This is what I am understanding, and want you to verify, so we are on the same page:

Administrator = Netscape Communicator Users Folder
ATTNEW = Netscape 7.01
default = 7.0 Profile
Default User = Contains nothing and probably can delete
monte_on_bellsouth = has mail files and what else?

Your Address Book (abook.mab), bookmarks.html, cookies.txt, etc., are most likely in the "default" Profile. That is, if we are on the same page. Look at the size of those files, and the dates, and are they the current files?

Lemmeno, and we can get started consolidating all your Mail, get your Address Book, Bookmarks, etc., in the proper profile,

Ramona

 

"default" should be the default profile.

I would not need the other profiles in 7.01 after consolidating, so I would delete them.

monte on bellsouth has mail and possibly some bookmarks, but likely no significant addresses

I am leaving for the night so I will do some more checking in the am and let you know about the address book sizes etc, but just to make sure I understand, if you mean "default" in quotes is the profile NAMED default (in my profiles), then we are on the same page and the "default" address books are the ones that I need.

Monte

 

Ramona,

Should I open the profile "default" ? I need to get to it for the address book today because I normally send a mass email Wed pm. Thanks,

Monte

 

Hi Monte,

Just getting back to the Forum, and see your question. Yes, go ahead and use the default Profile.

We are on the same page, as I am calling "default" the name of the Profile you wish to use for the Netscape 7.01 default...

I'll go ahead and get you started with your Mail. Back up all Profile Folders before doing this edit. Better safe than sorry!

To copy all your Mail files to the 7.01 "default" Profile:

With Netscape closed, open Windows Explorer:
Starting with the Administrator Profile, copy the files with no .msf extensions, .snm in Communicator in the Administrator Profile Mail folder (Inbox, Sent, Templates, Drafts, etc.).

Caution: these mail files will replace any existing mail files in the 7.01 Mail folder, unless you follow the below procedure:
Rename the Communicator 4.x or Netscape 7.x Mail files. The renamed files will appear in the Netscape 7.01 Mail. This will ensure that you lose no existing mail. Do this as you copy each of the Folders.

As an example:
Administrator Profile
Inbox A
Sent A
Trash A
Drafts A

Default User Profile
Inbox B
Sent B
Trash B
Drafts B Etc., etc., etc.


NEXT:
Paste the renamed files, with no extension, in the "default" Mail folder:
Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename\xxxxxxxx.slt\Mail\accountname

Follow the same steps, as listed above, for the remaining Profiles that have Mail files that you wish to transfer.

Once you have moved all Mail to the "default" Profile, you can consolidate all the renamed Inbox, Sent, Drafts, etc., into your "default" Profile folders.

Post back if you have more questions, or if the above is unclear in any way.

Ramona

P.S. once you are set up, you might consider changing the Profile name.

 

Whew!!!

Done on the Mail conversions, but BOY do I have a lot of dupes to erase!

Anyhow, thanks for the help on the Mail.

Now, what about addresses and passwords? Is that possible?

Monte

 

Hi Monty,

ADDRESS BOOK.....................

In your "default" Profile, look in the salted folder for the abook.mab file. If you are certain this is the current Address Book then:

Open Netscape using the "default" Profile
Open the Address Book
Click on Tools | Export
Export the Address Book as an LDIF file to any folder on your HD
Close Netscape

Open Netscape using your ATTNEW Profile
Click on Tools | Import
Import the LDIF file you exported to your HD
You should have your "Good" Address Book now, and it will be named LDIF.
To move the LDIF addresses into your "Personal Address Book ":
Highlight the Addresses in the LDIF Address Book, then drag them into Personal Address Book.

BOOKMARKS............................

With Netscape closed:
In the "default" salted folder, copy the bookmarks.html file, if you are certain it is the current and up to date file. Paste the file into the "ATTNEW" salted folder. When asked if you want to replace the existing file, answer YES.

Run Netscape for several days using the ATTNEW Profile. If no problems occur, then I would remove the other profiles from the Profiles folder. Don't delete them, just put them in your backup folder, and if you don't have a backup folder, you can create one. You can delete the leftovers after you have several backups of your new and improved ATTNEW Profile. You should back up your Profiles folder every few days.

PASSWORDS..................
In addition to adding the following two files (somenumber.s and somenumber.w) also edit lines in the prefs.js, to point to the existing file (or rename the existing file to the new salted name).

somenumber.s (Password data)
user_pref( "signon.SignonFileName ", "xxxxxxxx.s ");

somenumber.w (Fill Form data)
user_pref( "wallet.SchemaValueFileName ", "xxxxxxxx.w ");

Let me know if this isn't clear.

On your Mail Files, I could have had you open your ATTNEW Mail Folders, and then opened the other Mail Folders and done a copy paste that way. I didn't, because you risk corrupting your Mail files, and losing everything. When you have multiple Profiles it's tedious, but worth the extra trouble when all is intact.

Cheers!

Ramona