Which profile folders or files can carry corruption?
I have created new profiles a few times but still have problems with my mail.
I earlier posted asking what I would lose if I do not copy prefs.js. prefs.js has many places where it mentions old profile names, and printers that no longer exist. I have not heard but will try creating a new profile without copying it.
Is there a way to narrow down which files carry corruption?
there are 2 kinds of files that I _need_ actual message folders (with no filename extensions aka file types)
- .mab
msgFilterRules.dat training.dat It would be a little bit a of pain to re-create these from scratch but I would if these have been known to carry corruption? Have they?
I had disabled the only extension "Extra Folder Columns". Has this extension been known to cause problems?
There are plugins that seem to be more like those for FireFox, how were they brought into TB? I.e., which folder/file in the profile tells TB what plugins to use?
All Replies (3)
If you are creating a new profile and then copying everything from the old profile and overwriting the new profile, then you just creating a copy of what already exists.
So if you have a prefs.js file which is too messy to clean up, i suggest you try wih a clean pref.js.
Try this:
For any address book you created, select the address book Tools > Export save as a comma separated file or LDIF. You can reimport these later.
Close Thunderbird. Create a new Profile using Profile Manager and open Thunderbird using that new Profile. Then create the mail accounts afresh, but do not download any emails.
Access Profiles folder. Close Thunderbird.
- Locate the old Profile folder.
- click on Mail
- select the mail account
- Copy all the contents - files and folders, in the mail account
- Locate the new Profile folder
- click on Mail
- select the mail account
- Paste them into the new Profile mail account folder
repeat for other mail accounts.
Now to copy the default address books:
- 'Personal address Book' = abook.mab
- 'Collected address' = history.mab
Locate them in the old Profile folder and use copy paste method to put them in the new Profile folder.
Do the same for these files:
- mimeTypes.rdf
- training.dat
Close window and open Thunderbird on new Profile.
Now import any address books you created.
- Select 'Address Book.
- Tools > Import
- select 'Address Book' and click on Next
- select 'Text File (LDIF, .tab, .csv, .txt) and click on Next
- locate the addres book and click on open
Then download and install the addon:
Thank you for your detailed instructions. Just a few things to clarify.
When I copy over the contents of Incoming.Verizon.net and Local Folders should I delete *.msf before starting TB?
Is it okay to copy msgFilterRules.dat?
There is no file called mimeTypes.rdf in the most recent profiles. Is that indicative of a problem?
re: 'When I copy over the contents of Incoming.Verizon.net and Local Folders should I delete *.msf before starting TB?'
there is no harm in deleting the .msf as it is an indexing file and it will be recreated by thunderbird.
re: 'Is it okay to copy msgFilterRules.dat? ' Yes.
re: 'There is no file called mimeTypes.rdf in the most recent profiles.' mimeTypes.rdf stores information about which action is to be performed when downloading certain types of files. This will not have been created in the new Profile as you will not have opened any attachments and nor created the instructions.
If you do not copy this file - it is not essential - you will need to create the instruction when opening any attachments.