how do i import my email contacts on a cd to Thunderbird's address book?

Where did the stuff on the CD come from? What format is it in?

CSV files can be imported using Tools|Import. Address book files from other programs can be problematic.

I assume I must down load a program to change the .contact file to a CVS file?

not necessarily. Answer Zenos question, tell us what program exported them and format it is in Extension of the address-book on CD

The program was either windows 7 or 8. The file extension is .contact.

It appears to be proprietary Microsoft format.

http://fileinfo.com/extension/contact

You haven't said what version of Windows you're using now. I think you need to use one of those Microsoft products to export the data to a more useful format.

If you still have a win 7 (or 8). Open contacts and export them as .csv or .vcf http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/import-export-change-format-contacts#1TC=windows-7

I am now running windows 10.The PC I saved the contacts with no longer exists. I tried re naming the file extension (.contact to .csv) but that does not work.

Thanks for the help!

sorry, no answer