Thunderbird profile on other HDD. How to access it after Win10 crash and new setup?
Recently, I accidently upgraded my Win10 Home to Win11 Home. It didn't work at all, so I tried to recover my original C:\ drive with Acronis True Image 2021. That did NOT work, so I was forced to Install everything anew. Since years hence, I have my Thunderbird profile, and all my emails (some 9 GB in size), stored on a separate HDD. In my experience, MS will always just screw up the C:\ drive, and not affect other HDD's. Learned that the hard way. The profile is still safe and undisturbed on that other HDD, but I can't seem to be able to access it. It holds some important info there, like my addressbook, and licensenumbers. I am including some pics: The 'Appdata' and the 2 '.inifiles' are from the C:\ drive; the 'marked entry' is from the other HDD. It seems I have been here before: I just found a 'memo to self' pointing out that the dates of the file(s) are important.... Must have been years ago (and I'm not getting younger). Thanks on beforehand.
Chosen solution
Should be fixable. Let’s take a look together. Here’s how we're going to try to to reattach your old Thunderbird profile:
Step 1. Find the old profile
You’ve already done this, just do it agian and double-check that it contains the following:
* A Mail or ImapMail folder
* Files like prefs.js, key4.db, logins.json, abook.sqlite, etc.
(If that’s all there: Terrific. That’s your profile)
Step 2. Launch Thunderbird Profile Manager
Make sure Thunderbird is fully closed (no background processes).
Then Press Windows + R. type: thunderbird.exe -p.
(and then press. Enter - this will open the profile manager)
Click Create Profile On the next screen, click “Choose Folder…” and browse to the exact folder on your other HDD that holds your old profile (this should be the folder that contains prefs.js, not one above it) Finish the setup
In the list, select your new profile and check the box that should say something like “Use the selected profile without asking at startup”
Then Click Start Thunderbird
If everything is in the right place, Thunderbird should launch with all your old emails, settings, address book, etc. back.
🤞
Let me know if the worked!
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (2)
Chosen Solution
Should be fixable. Let’s take a look together. Here’s how we're going to try to to reattach your old Thunderbird profile:
Step 1. Find the old profile
You’ve already done this, just do it agian and double-check that it contains the following:
* A Mail or ImapMail folder
* Files like prefs.js, key4.db, logins.json, abook.sqlite, etc.
(If that’s all there: Terrific. That’s your profile)
Step 2. Launch Thunderbird Profile Manager
Make sure Thunderbird is fully closed (no background processes).
Then Press Windows + R. type: thunderbird.exe -p.
(and then press. Enter - this will open the profile manager)
Click Create Profile On the next screen, click “Choose Folder…” and browse to the exact folder on your other HDD that holds your old profile (this should be the folder that contains prefs.js, not one above it) Finish the setup
In the list, select your new profile and check the box that should say something like “Use the selected profile without asking at startup”
Then Click Start Thunderbird
If everything is in the right place, Thunderbird should launch with all your old emails, settings, address book, etc. back.
🤞
Let me know if the worked!
Hi, Mike, Thanks for responding so fast. I'm very happy to inform you that it worked like a charm! I would have your solution cast in bronze, if I had any bronze. I will, instead, copy it to an e(x)ternal HDD, for future reference, if needed. Everything is back, even my old layout!
Lex
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