Thank you for your kind words. My intention was always to migrate to the new laptop, and when I'm sure I have everything I need from the old desk top, to retire that completely. The laptop will go online and should do everything my old desktop (which I did myself during covid) is doing now. My eyes suffer from allergies 2/3 of the year, the lap top has a touch screen that I hope will make viewing easier and more comfortable. So yes, that is what I want to use going forward (as quickly as I can because I have other apps to load onto it beside Bird) And my desk has been downsized, so having both computers, plus the peripherals of the older one with wires on it has been really difficult. I took laptop to BestBuy and found a nice man there when I first got it. That was March 8, and because of allergies I'm just getting back to it. He loaded TBird and other things for me. and by remote they helped me thru some settings I couldn't remember how to do in Bird.. I wonder if there's a way to change the profile in the laptop without losing anything else that's been done? Did it initially load with a profile? Would it still be there to retrieve? If that would work, I could put the data from old machine on external drive in case I need it. I'm so-o close. What do you suggest?

Hello there

Yes that’s possible. You can get to that old profile map or data on or from your old device(s).

Close Thunderbird and go to >

Help then more troubleshooting information then click on the open folder button next to that profile folder then closing thunderbird is that best advice to do , then locate that parent folder that lies above all other folder then go to that roaming folder(C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming) in the file explorer then copy that entire thunderbird folder/ map to that external hdd drive or usb stick. copy that completely thunderbird folder/map from that roaming folder where inside is that folder/map thunderbird is what contains the profile map. Transfer it to that external device that is there.

If you like to use a tool or add on we do have that for you. https://services.addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools-ng/?src=ss

Greetings googlethunderbird

Thank you GBird! That's future plan (I don't have the ext drive yet), and I'm going to save you post for when the time is right. I still need to get into the new laptop before I try to crowd anything else on my plate (or desk). I'm glad to know it can be done tho. I'm going to try to take a day or 2 away from this to let my brains settle. But I'll listen to any suggestions from any of you. I'm grateful for all your support and time. Stacy

Stacy, when you are ready, let us proceed carefully one step at a time through a course of action that makes the most sense for you.

How kind you are to me Rick. Thank you so much, I shall.

Refreshing msf.files in the profile map can be useful before deleting the complete program . Close Thunderbird and go to your profile map. Delete or rename all these msf.files and also that json.files in that profile map there and restart the program again then to see there if the problem is gone and retained now.

This could only possibly help with mail folders and is not in the user's problem description. - it has nothing to do with the user's issue and gives a lot of unnecessary, distracting work to the user. Please let's stay on task.

Thanks. The older installation was just fine until this update. Perhaps that may be why I'm having such trouble with the profile in the brand new installation on the other computer.

First, apologies for jumping in mid-stream of previous advice but I will offer a some new observations. Also, thanks Stacy for hanging in there.

Second, unanswered and previously unasked questions: 1. How many mail accounts? All imap? 2. Any other account types (RSS feeds, news, chat)? (Or, just post the account section of Help > Troubleshooting Information) 3. Any significant number of filters? 4. More than one address book? 5. It was mentioned that your problem with account preferences did not start until after an update, but details are lacking. On what date, old version number and new version number? (See Help > Troubleshooting Information > Show Update History

Third, besides McAfee: a) Is Windows Defender still active? b) Any other OS or file "protection" programs like ccleaner? In other words anything listed in Windows Installed Programs that are not user applications?

Fourth, note there is no "save" button for any settings - settings changes happen immediately, and permanently in prefs.js under normal circumstances. I see safe mode and troubleshoot mode mentioned before, but it's not clear to me the best process was followed. The full test of those modes against prefs.js is:

1. Check that we have just one prefs.js in the profile
2. Start Windows in safe mode with networking enabled - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode
3. Still In Windows safe mode, start Thunderbird in Troubleshoot Mode - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-mode-thunderbird - i.e. Hold down the Shift key while starting Thunderbird.
4. Change something in account settings
5. Shutdown Thunderbird
6. Still In Windows safe mode, start Thunderbird in Troubleshoot Mode - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-mode-thunderbird - i.e. Hold down the Shift key while starting Thunderbird.
7. Is the change still there?
8. Change something in settings (not accounts)
9. Shutdown Thunderbird
10. Still In Windows safe mode, start Thunderbird in Troubleshoot Mode - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-mode-thunderbird - i.e. Hold down the Shift key while starting Thunderbird.
11. Is the change still there?

I would expect both to have the same result. If we have failure then we dig deeper.

p.s. always state the version number you are using.

p.p.s. post screen shots of any warnings or anomalies.

p.p.s. post screen shots of any warnings or anomalies.

Also important, please confirm that Thunderbird fully shuts down with no delay or warnings.

Hello there

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-to-make-screenshots

Greetings googleThunderbird.

Did you verify if prefs.js is read only or you have the privilege to modify it  ? . How to : Exit Thunderbird. Open it with notepad and then save it.

Hello there I know you still have to answer the questions for the Moderator and answer them for him.

I grave some deeper there for you. writing permissions did not do the trick there for me to you. It ain’t going to be copied at or to new profiles other way none of that or to that other new laptop all these settings you must configure again as that normal user of a pc or the user of Thunderbird software that is installed on it. I did see that using the prefs.js files there is just oké till there but if you use the near other files that can be included there like the user.js files it automatically erase all settings by starting up with Thunderbird automatically. It might be the clue of this behaviour , pointing at these file working there with the same subject now. We both know that the use of these files it wasn’t enough for you guys to use. So you choose to use the pref.js files and these other files like user.js togheter . It might be normal to say , that could be the solution there? Work on that and fix and solve the problem. Interrupting anti virus could do that same trick if you turn that software off to see if it is that or can be that . I hope it might be that.

Greetings googlethunderbird

Stacy, this thread may explain your problem, caused by McAfee, and give you a solution: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1471402

Wayne, do you think that this is the same problem?

Stacy, this thread may explain your problem, caused by McAfee, and give you a solution: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1471402 Wayne, do you think that this is the same problem?

Quite possible. However, in that question it's unclear to me whether the user concluded the problem was caused by prefs.js being hidden or caused by McAfee.

We also have some info collected at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1884720

I'm still keen on responses to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1535186?page=3#answer-1764160 and https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1535186?page=3#answer-1764161

I'm sorry, I'm just not able to continue at this time. Perhaps when I feel better.

Stacy, I was afraid that we would overwhelm you, and we have. I'm sorry. When you want to start again, we'll try harder to go one gentle step at a time.

I appreciate that so much Rick. Not everyone is like you tho. Thank you.

I am going to take the laptop to someone as soon as I'm able. Can he use this site to contact you if he needs to? Stacy

I am going to take the laptop to someone as soon as I'm able. Can he use this site to contact you if he needs to?

Yes. Please ask him to start a new thread and say that it is on behalf of Annette/Stacy. Describe your situation and state what you want to accomplish. If your friend knows much about Thunderbird, great. If not, I suggest that you two not do much on your own without guidance from the forum because sometimes that just complicates things. If I do not respond in a day or two, please ask your friend to send me a private message (click on my name to get started). Other people can help too, some of them much better than I can.