Cannot save account settings changes

[Peter Holsberg]

When I clicked OK after changing an account setting, I got this error
message:

The Local Directory path
"C:\Users\pjh\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\sd1fi4vh.default\Mail\colin"
is not suitable for message storage. Please choose another directory.

No idea why this is happening. Can someone please help?

[Peter Holsberg]

[Mike Easter]

Is there anything useful to your situation in this 40 msg 3 pg thread in
the m'zine forum?

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2750681&sid=f2ae7f850f26fce54e04acb56a8ea5e1
Board index ‹ Mozilla Thunderbird ‹ Thunderbird Support - Local
Directory Path Is Not Suitable For Message Storage


--
Mike Easter

[Eckard]

Le 29/09/13 19:56, Peter Holsberg a écrit :

It's a new feature in TB 24 as a safeguard against people messing their
profile: ;)
<https://developer.mozilla.org/fr/docs/Mozilla/Thunderbird/Releases/24#Further_changes>

"The Local directory used for mail storage is now checked for validity
and safeness. Filesystem directories deemed inappropriate are rejected
by the account manager. Extensions can add theirs own lists of file
directories which can (or should not) be used for mail storage by
extending the global gDangerousLocalStorageDirs array in
/mailnews/base/prefs/content/AccountManager.js."

This change is the consequence of the assessment of bug 750781:
<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=750781#c122>

[Peter Holsberg]

What makes a directory inappropriate?

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[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 9/29/2013 3:12 PM:

None of the other directories under

"C:\Users\pjh\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\sd1fi4vh.default\Mail\"

has this problem.

[Eckard]

Le 30/09/13 00:09, Peter Holsberg a écrit :

So it's the folder "colin" which is considered inappropriate by TB but I
can't tell you why.
I just created a folder "colin" in my "Mail" folder and in the Server
settings changed the path to this folder "colin". I didn't get the message.

Go to the TB config editor, type "mail.root" (without quotes) in the
search bar, look for a preference which contains a path leading to
"colin" and right-click -> "Reset".
Now try again to change the path in the server settings.

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 9/29/2013 6:56 PM:

No paths to colin but a suspicious entry for pop3 which I deleted, and
all is well again!!

[Eckard]

Fine you could solve the problem!
In fact, obsolete mail.root.pop3.xxx" paths in the prefs.js file also
can generate the "not suitable" message.

[Peter Holsberg]

Why did this suddenly become obsolete?

[Eckard]

On 30/09/13 20:36, Peter Holsberg wrote:
> Why did this suddenly become obsolete?
>

Theses paths became obsolete since the corresponding profiles have been
deleted in the past but the prefs.js file has kept the remainders of the
profiles in the paths.

For an example see
<http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=13099985#p13099985>

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 10/1/2013 4:41 AM:

You mean "accounts" rather than "profiles", don't you?

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 9/30/2013 4:56 AM:

Here are all the mail.root lines in prefs.js:

user_pref("mail.root.imap-rel", "[ProfD]ImapMail");
user_pref("mail.root.imap", "");
user_pref("mail.root.nntp-rel", "[ProfD]News");
user_pref("mail.root.nntp", "E:\\Thunderbird\\Profile\\News");
user_pref("mail.root.none-rel", "[ProfD]Mail");
user_pref("mail.root.none", "");
user_pref("mail.root.pop3-rel", "[ProfD]../0c9iapp6.PJH/Mail");
user_pref("mail.root.pop3", "F:\\0c9iapp6.PJH\\Mail");

0c9iapp6.PJH is an obsolete profile directory name. It does exist on F:
but hasn't been used since 2011.

E:\Thunderbird\Profile is a bogus path.

What is ProfD?

What is mail.root, for that matter?

Thanks.

[Eckard]

In fact accounts or profiles since paths to the local directory for
message storage can be set to another profile, too, or even to an
external drive. But it is not recommended.

[Eckard]

Sorry, but I don't know what these terms (or abbreviations) mean exactly.

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 9/29/2013 3:12 PM:

> Le 29/09/13 19:56, Peter Holsberg a écrit :
>> When I clicked OK after changing an account setting, I got this error
>> message:
>>
>> The Local Directory path
>> "C:\Users\pjh\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\sd1fi4vh.default\Mail\colin"
>> is not suitable for message storage. Please choose another directory.
>>
>> No idea why this is happening. Can someone please help?
>>
> It's a new feature in TB 24 as a safeguard against people messing their
> profile: ;)
> <https://developer.mozilla.org/fr/docs/Mozilla/Thunderbird/Releases/24#Further_changes>

I saw your post at
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2750681&start=30

Which lines did you delete from prefs.js?

[Eckard]

I didn't delete any lines from my prefs.js file since I didn't encounter
this problem ;)

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 10/2/2013 5:50 AM:

Oops. You advised someone to delete lines but I do not understand which
ones you suggested.

[Eckard]

I can't suggest a particular "mail.root.xxxx" pref to be deleted since I
don't see the user's profile directories from my desktop ;)
It's up to the user to check the "mail.root.xxx" paths whether they
point to directories which no longer exist in his TB profile(s), which
has been the case for several users in the German TB forum and the
mozillazine.org forum.
Anyhow, you should always make a backup copy of your pref.js file before
deleting anything.

[Peter Holsberg]

Eckard has written on 10/3/2013 3:35 AM:

>>
> I can't suggest a particular "mail.root.xxxx" pref to be deleted since I
> don't see the user's profile directories from my desktop ;)
> It's up to the user to check the "mail.root.xxx" paths whether they
> point to directories which no longer exist in his TB profile(s), which
> has been the case for several users in the German TB forum and the
> mozillazine.org forum.

What is the purpose of mail.root.* ?

> Anyhow, you should always make a backup copy of your pref.js file before
> deleting anything.

Always!

[Eckard]

On 03/10/13 18:48, Peter Holsberg wrote:
> Eckard has written on 10/3/2013 3:35 AM:
>>>
>> I can't suggest a particular "mail.root.xxxx" pref to be deleted since I
>> don't see the user's profile directories from my desktop ;)
>> It's up to the user to check the "mail.root.xxx" paths whether they
>> point to directories which no longer exist in his TB profile(s), which
>> has been the case for several users in the German TB forum and the
>> mozillazine.org forum.
>
> What is the purpose of mail.root.* ?
>

It's the path to the local message storage directory for a given account.

>> Anyhow, you should always make a backup copy of your pref.js file before
>> deleting anything.
>
> Always!
>

;) !!

Peter, there are two new bug reports which might interest you, specially
the first one. You will understand the purpose of this new feature of
verifying the message storage paths and why the error messages are
generated.
A patch has been created for the problem that certain users like you
have encountered, it should come out soon.

Bug 921371 - Can't edit account settings after update to version 24,
folder location error :
<https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=921371>

Bug 921410 - <https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=921410>

[baker...@gmail.com]

I see that there is a fix being developed for this very frustrating bug. Does anyone know when it will be available? I assume it will come as 24.1.1 or 24.2.

From a user standpoint (non technical) it perplexing and annoying. For me, has blocked my moving from one computer (XP) to another (W7) using Mozbackup. Prior to this I have been able to move Thunderbird and associayted files between machines and version of Windows with no problems at all.

Please consider the imact that "technical improvements" have on the normal user before you release them!

John Baker