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Unintentioanlly deleted files

  • 5 replies
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  • 2 views
  • Last reply by karmasingh1

karmasingh1
karmasingh1
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Because Thunderbird wouldn't accept new passwordfor SMTP server, only POP3, I tried to resolve it by deleting the account from tools - account settings and then re-entering the account with the new useername and password. It works but then all my downloaded emails are gone! How do I get them back - they must be somewhere on my computer as I've not actually deleted the emails just the account.

Because Thunderbird wouldn't accept new passwordfor SMTP server, only POP3, I tried to resolve it by deleting the account from tools - account settings and then re-entering the account with the new useername and password. It works but then all my downloaded emails are gone! How do I get them back - they must be somewhere on my computer as I've not actually deleted the emails just the account.

Chosen solution

I just had a genius idea:

Go to user/appdate/roaming/thunderbird/profile/xxxxxx.default/mail

Copy all of the files in the "dead" mail account into the new one and, hey presto, they're all there.

Now, all I need to do is to work out how to get the "new" email account from the bottom to the top of the list where the "dead" one used to be.

Any ideas anyone?

Blessed be

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All Replies (5)

Zenos
Zenos
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They are still in your profile.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb

I suggest you use the ImportExportTools add-on to reimport the mbox files from the old account.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/

But why delete a POP account to sort a problem with SMTP?

karmasingh1
karmasingh1 Question owner
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Would it not be much more reasonable to ask why Thunderbird will update the POP3 account settings but not the SMTP???

I hope that I have managed to get your suggestion working but the programme instructions are, may I say, about as clear as mud and I had to work mostly by guesswork.

Well, having waited for the backup to complete, I can now report that the mail folder has been imported into the appropriate email account as a folder which cannot be opened.

Anybody got a suggestion that will work?

Blessed be

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karmasingh1
karmasingh1 Question owner
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Chosen Solution

I just had a genius idea:

Go to user/appdate/roaming/thunderbird/profile/xxxxxx.default/mail

Copy all of the files in the "dead" mail account into the new one and, hey presto, they're all there.

Now, all I need to do is to work out how to get the "new" email account from the bottom to the top of the list where the "dead" one used to be.

Any ideas anyone?

Blessed be

Karma

Modified by karmasingh1

Wayne Mery
Wayne Mery
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You're both lucky and resourceful. Because if you or thunderbird had deleted the directory for the account you'd be in bad shape. Deleting a pop account can have terrible effects if you don't have the emails on the server - which of course would be normal for a pop account because the whole idea is to not have email kept on the server

karmasingh1
karmasingh1 Question owner
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Wayne Mery said

You're both lucky and resourceful. Because if you or thunderbird had deleted the directory for the account you'd be in bad shape. Deleting a pop account can have terrible effects if you don't have the emails on the server - which of course would be normal for a pop account because the whole idea is to not have email kept on the server

No Wayne, that's not true. The email were and are on my computer in the location I stated above. Merely the link to the email account had been deleted.