Trouble Migrating Thunderbird from superceded Laptop (old versions)to new Laptop which runs current version
I set up a new Dell 5510 Inspiron with the latest version of Thunderbird which runs well in Windows 11 environment. Previously when I set up a new PC I followed instructions which created a backup from the superceded Windows 10 Laptop on to a USB file Mozilla Thunderbird. I installed Thunderbird and compared the files and discovered 1 file which had no data in it and copied that data directly into that file and it worked perfectly - bringing across everything contacts, folders etc.
On the new DELL I followed the setup prompts and had no success - I activated the top box to store data, not on cloud but to retain on server. I uninstalled and tried again this time activating the box under the top one to store most historic data on Laptop - again no success. - comparing data was fruitless as there was no file with 0 data
It has been suggested that (with Thunderbird closed, I just copy the Back-up USB Folder "Mozilla Thunderbird" from the Window 10 Laptop over the "Mozilla Thunderbird" in Apps under Settings in Windows 11 and magically all (Contacts and email history in folders ) is supposed to happen. Reason is that the new Thunderbird App does all the conversion and set-up.
reluctant to do this as it's taken 2 weeks to reach this point and I don't wish to over-write those Thunderbird that have been received in that time.
Your advice would be appreciated. I the process as it has been suggested above OR is there another process to be followed ?
Thanking you in anticpation of your time to digest the above and respond accordingly.
Chosen solution
What exactly did you backup from the Lenovo to the USB drive? Is it a folder named Thunderbird, that was copied from C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming on the Lenovo?
Skaityti atsakymą kartu su kontekstu 👍 1All Replies (5)
ianwhitbread1 said
It has been suggested that (with Thunderbird closed, I just copy the Back-up USB Folder "Mozilla Thunderbird" from the Window 10 Laptop over the "Mozilla Thunderbird" in Apps under Settings in Windows 11 and magically all (Contacts and email history in folders ) is supposed to happen. Reason is that the new Thunderbird App does all the conversion and set-up.
I would love to know where you got that suggestion from.
I don't wish to over-write those Thunderbird that have been received in that time.
You can access messages from the old pc by placing their storage files (mbox files) and folders (.sbd folders) in Local Folders. The process is similar to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1374061. If you need help finding your profile folder, see Profiles - Where Thunderbird stores your messages and other user data
Once you have access via Local Folders, you can move them from there to the new folders (Inbox, etc) if you wish, so that they are all in one place, basically merging new with old.
If you copied the folder at c:\users\(yourID)\appdata\roaming\Thunderbird\profiles, then you have everything. Assuming that you do, the simplest way to move to new PC is to copy that folder to the same location on the new PC, adjusting for the possible difference in userID. That should be done after Thunderbird is installed and when THunderbird is not running.
Next, start thunderbird and when it prompts for a new email id, click the 'home' tab in upper left. Then, right-click near top of screen and activate 'menu bar'. Then, click help>more troubleshooting information, and scroll down to Profiles in left sidebar and click 'about:profiles' and yours should be visible to select.
Chosen Solution
What exactly did you backup from the Lenovo to the USB drive? Is it a folder named Thunderbird, that was copied from C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming on the Lenovo?
Thanks Stan, Yes, that is what I did
So, if I understand correctly:
- You had only one POP3 account in your Thunderbird profile, on the Lenovo, currently backed up on a USB drive.
- On your new Dell, you installed Thunderbird, but instead of restoring the old profile, you set up your POP3 account afresh and it has since downloaded some messages from the server, and you've configured it so that it leaves copies on the server.
- The messages in the old profile no longer exist on the server, so you'd like to restore them and everything else and not just the messages, without overwriting those that have already been downloaded by your new Dell.
It's the part about overwriting that I don't understand. If you configured Thunderbird to leave messages on the server, then you should not be worried about overwriting those that Thunderbird downloaded on your new Dell, because they will simply be downloaded again from the server when you restore the old profile. Overwriting the new profile with the old one should be avoided if the messages it contains no longer exist on the server. Please clarify what the exact situation is right now. Post a screenshot of Thunderbird's current server settings if you must, or use the exact label/description when referring to Thunderbird settings instead of terms like "the top box". I'd prefer screenshots because a picture speaks volumes.