Recreating Eudora environment after hard disk crash?
Eric A.
crashed. Ontrack was able to get my files off the disk, so that's a
start. In particular, I've got copies of my entire Eudora directory,
including all my mailboxes. I even have a saved copy of my original
Eudora 7.1.0.9 download.
Now I want, if possible, to exactly recreate my Eudora environment. I
had over 300,000 messages saved in fifty Eudora mailboxes (love
Eudora's superfast indexed search), lots of personalities, many
filters, and so on.
I presume I start by running my old 7.1.0.9 download .exe file. Then I
enter name and registration code. Then I copy my recovered files into
the Eudora directory (or directories).
My question is: *which* files? The .mbx and .toc files, of course. The
nickname database. What else? Is there a comprehensive list somewhere?
And is there a checklist for other stuff I need to do? For example,
how do I get my Eudora messages to correctly link to their respective
attachments?
As I say, I have every file from my old Eudora installation. I just
don't know what to do with them to recreate my old environment. I
appreciate any and all suggestions -- I really need Eudora to
function. Thanks!
-- Eric
John H Meyers
> I want to exactly recreate my Eudora environment.
> I have every file from my old Eudora installation.
Install Eudora, then copy the entire content
(including subfolders) of your original mail folder
to the mail folder in your new installation.
Everything (including your mail, your settings, your registration,
your address books, your filters, your incoming attachments)
is normally all contained within that one single main "mail" folder
(and its subfolders),
so there is nothing else to do but put it all back in place.
This does not require examining every file -- just copy
the _entire_ folder's content.
If you move to Vista or Windows 7, your mail folder
should not be under the system "program files" area,
unless you completely disable UAC (which also disables
any improved security, so it's not ideal to do);
otherwise the security features themselves
will interfere with normal operation.
--
Han
news:op.u3rck...@miu.edu:
I am going to face this problem with a new computer. If the new computer
has the mail directory somewhere else than the old one did, do I have to
adjust anything in the old ini file if it referred to the old mail
directory, but not the new one?
I am considering using a clean copy of a similar mail box directory
structure (empty mailboxes mostly), and saving the old mail in a folder
within the new mail structure, so as to get something clean. DOes that
make sense, or is it just cluttering up everything?
--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid
John H Meyers
> I am going to face this problem with a new computer.
> If the new computer has the mail directory
> somewhere else than the old one did,
> do I have to adjust anything in the old ini file
> if it referred to the old mail directory, but not the new one?
There is nothing within Eudora.ini which refers to
the directory containing Eudora.ini -- basically because
Eudora has to find the mail "Data" folder first,
before it finds Eudora.ini within it.
Aside from extraneous paths of previously opened files,
the only setting in Eudora.ini likely to even contain a path is:
AutoReceiveAttachmentsDirectory=...
This will only be present if you had chosen
a non-default location for incoming attachments
(i.e. other than an "Attach" subfolder in the main mail folder)
One can answer many questions about Eudora.ini
by simply opening a copy of it -- ".ini" files are plain text,
and normally automatically open themselves in Notepad.
> I am considering using a clean copy of a similar mail box directory
> structure (empty mailboxes mostly), and saving the old mail
> in a folder within the new mail structure, so as to get something clean.
> Does that make sense, or is it just cluttering up everything?
That is a good way to import just some mailboxes into a mail folder
which has already been in use and already contains its own
In/Out/Etc mailboxes, to solve the problem of "mailbox name collision,"
or to clearly indicate which mail was imported from where,
by organizing it into mail folders showing that "tree" structure,
but the simplest way to transfer an existing complete Eudora "data" folder,
including settings, registration, address books, filters, attachments, etc.,
is to just duplicate the entire folder,
creating an exact "clone" of what existed before.
If you still need to "clean up" anything (e.g. move ten years' mail
from over-stuffed In/Out mailboxes to somewhere else),
you can always do that either before or after you clone your setup.
If you do not "clone" your setup exactly -- in particular,
if you do not copy your current settings, addresses, filters, and attachments
completely, along with your mail, then you may find it harder
to later merge any "old" set of those things with any "new" set.
What's easier or simpler than just "cloning" the whole folder?
When migrating from a pre-Vista (actually pre-Win2K) setup
from prehistoric ages when user data could be stored
in the same folder as program files,
to a Vista or Win7 setup, it is okay
to "clone" the entire prehistoric mail "Data" folder,
even with its extra "program files," but do not locate
the new mail "Data" folder under where Windows normally keeps program files.
A sneaky way to remove program files from such an old "combined" folder
is to uninstall Eudora. If you are uninstalling version 7 and do not have
a copy of your _original_ installer, then first keep a spare copy
of one program file -- x1lib.dll -- this file contains the
"X1" fast search feature (for Paid mode), and can no longer be obtained
by downloading a new copy of the version 7.1 installer.
--
Han
<snip other good advice ...>
> A sneaky way to remove program files from such an old "combined"
> folder is to uninstall Eudora. If you are uninstalling version 7 and
> do not have a copy of your _original_ installer, then first keep a
> spare copy of one program file -- x1lib.dll -- this file contains the
> "X1" fast search feature (for Paid mode), and can no longer be
> obtained by downloading a new copy of the version 7.1 installer.
>
Thanks John, that sounds wonderful!