Connecting Thunderbird to existing profile

[Lindsay Graham]

I have Tbird 24.6 on a Windows XP netbook. I'm now setting up a Windows
8.1 laptop and I want the same version of Tbird (because I'm having
problems with v31 on another computer, but that's another story). I
copied the profile from netbook to laptop and installed v24.6 on the
latter from the Mozilla web site.

Reading kb.mozillazine.org/Go_back_to_an_old_version_of_Thunderbird, I
expected that Tbird would automatically find and use the existing
profile, but that has not happened.

How do I connect Tbird to the existing profile?

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia

[Mike Easter]

Lindsay Graham wrote:
> How do I connect Tbird to the existing profile?

One way is with the profile manager.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager Accessing the Profile Manager

I don't use Windows 8, but my understanding is that it uses the Search
function to accomplish the Run command to start Tb profile manager. Or
if you have a windows logo key, that key + R gives run.


--
Mike Easter

[Keith Nuttle]

The first thing you need to do is install TB on the new computer, and
insure that it is working properly and will connect properly to the network.

Once every thing is up an running, you need to copy the profile.

This MUST be done when Thunderbird is closed and not running.

In Windows 8 it is in

C:\Users\*user*\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird

Copy the folder "Profiles" and the file "profiles.ini" from the old
computer to the Windows 8 computer.

Profiles.ini is required to find the profile. as it directs TB to the
folder with the profile to open.

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/yourprofile.default

[Lindsay Graham]

Thanks very much, Keith. Sounds like I need to remove the profile copy
from the laptop, uninstall Tbird and then do both as per your
instructions -- is that correct? I had thought there was logic in
doing it the other way round, but looks like I stuffed it <g>.

I'm used to having the profile in a directory of my choosing in Win XP
and Vista. Can I still do that in Win 8? If yes, is there any downside
to doing that?

The file "profiles.ini" was in the root directory of the existing
computer. Is that where it should go on the Win 8 computer?

Lindsay Graham

[Keith Nuttle]

If you have already installed TB on the new computer just find the
Thunderbird folder and replace the Profile and Profiles.ini files.

On my Windows 8.1 computer, TB created a folder Profile when installed
in the folder AppData Roaming Thunderbird. In that same Thunderbird
folder it also created the file Profiles.ini.

I believe the Thunderbird folder is arranged similarly on the Windows XP
computer

The Folder Profile from the old computer should be copied and replace
the folder Profile on the new computer.

The profiles.ini file that appears in the same directory as the Profile
folder on the old computer should be copied to the same folder as the
Profile folder on the new computer.

Old Computer Thunderbird (I believe)
Profile
Profiles.ini

New Computer Thunderbird
Profile
Profiles.ini


If you found a profiles.ini file in the root directory, either some one
copied the TB one there for some reason or it is for some other program.

As far as using your directory to store the profile, I think it can be
done, but I would assume the profiles.ini file would remain in the
Thunderbird directory, as this is where Thunderbird expects to find it
when it starts up. It looks like the profiles.ini file directs
Thunderbird to the directory where the profile is stored. It is all
conjecture on changing the directory as I have never done it, so we need
someone who has to assist with this.


Once you get every thing working I would recommend getting a copy of
mozbackup and backing up your computer using that program.

http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

[Lindsay Graham]

Mike Easter has suggested that I use the Profile Manager -- I had looked
briefly at that, but will now do so again if the following does not work.

Keith Nuttle, I said in my original post that I'd copied the profile and
installed Tbird, but you said "The first thing you need to do is install
TB on the new computer ...". So I've now done as you suggested in your
second email and moved the profile to the default Tbird location on the
Win8 computer. I deleted the existing profile (with not much in it)
that had apparently been created automatically by Tbird, and I changed
the profile name in profiles.ini (which had also been created
automatically by Tbird). I'll probably leave the profile in the default
location (at least until I get used to Win8) rather than have it in a
location of my choosing.

Tbird now seems to be working fine, but I'm annoyed that Tbird
automatically updated (without any request from me) to v31. I'll
research recent threads on that topic and ask in a new thread if I need to.

The only oddity is that 10 emails (from 2 different senders within the
last 12 months) in my IMAP Inbox now show the date and time as that on
which the new profile was set up. There were no date changes for any
other emails in that Inbox or for any of the emails in my Local Folders
Inbox. The new dates for the 10 corrupted emails appear in the Date
column of the Inbox screen, but there are no dates at all at the RHS of
the screen when the emails are opened. The correct (original) dates are
still shown in the headers. Anyone heard of this happening before?

Keith Nuttle suggested I use Mozbackup. I have a comprehensive backup
system that works well for me. Are there any particular advantages in
switching to Mozbackup?

Lindsay Graham

[Christian Riechers]

On 08/03/2014 09:14 AM, Lindsay Graham wrote:
<snip>

> Mike Easter has suggested that I use the Profile Manager -- I had looked
> briefly at that, but will now do so again if the following does not work.

It sounds like you've already done that. This would have been the
instructions for using the profile manager.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder_-_Thunderbird#Use_the_Profile_Manager_to_move_your_profile

<snip>

> Keith Nuttle suggested I use Mozbackup. I have a comprehensive backup
> system that works well for me. Are there any particular advantages in
> switching to Mozbackup?

I don't think so. Personally I wouldn't use MozBackup. The point is to
have a backup of your Thunderbird profile at all. If your 'comprehensive
backup system' covers the profile folder, that's good enough.

--
Christian

[Keith Nuttle]

I find it is easier just to copy the profiles.ini from the old computer
to the new, and I know the system works with old profiles.ini and the
old profile folder. If I don't have to, I don't edit those type of files.

The advantage of Mozbackup is that it backs up what it needs. Again I
like to do it easy. HOWEVER, the last couple of times I have lost the
disk and had to return to the original factory configuration, I have had
to manually move the profile if I wanted the very latest changes before
the disk died, so I learned how.

[Trane Francks]

On 8/3/14 4:14 PM, Lindsay Graham wrote:

> Keith Nuttle suggested I use Mozbackup. I have a comprehensive backup
> system that works well for me. Are there any particular advantages in
> switching to Mozbackup?

I suggest that Mozbackup is the preferred method of ensuring that
profile migration to other systems is seamless; otherwise, any standard
backup strategy will work fine.

--
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Trane Francks tr...@tranefrancks.com Tokyo, Japan
// Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.

[Ron Hunter]

IF you have the same folder structure on the new computer as on the old
one, that will work. MUCH safer to let the program build its own, then
just copy the FILES/FOLDERS from the old computer into the new profile
directory.