Backed up Tbird, (it may have been running). Reloaded Windows7, restored profile (roaming), ran Tbird. Global-messages db is intact but old mail is missing
My wife's Windows 7 had gotten so slow that I decided to do a complete re-install. First, I backed up the entire computer to an external hard drive. Perhaps TBird was running at this time, but I am not sure. Completed the re-installation, downloaded a new TBird installation file and installed it. Then copied the user/app data/roaming/thunderbird/profiles back into the user/app data/roaming/thunderbird folder. Ran TBird, and it immediately downloaded the new e-mail, but the old stuff is not there. The global-messages-db-sqlite file is there, and appears to be intact with nearly 200 Mb of data.
So, the files are there,, but I can't seem to get to them.
I've done this before on a different computer with no problem, so I am pretty sure I have done the right steps.
Chosen solution
Matt,
Many years ago, when I set up my wife's e-mail, I apparently set the storage location to C:/users/ username/Mail/My Mail. This had been saved in the backup and has been restored.
To my surprise, this is still the location, even though I presumably deleted T'bird completely. Something must have remained to tell it to save in the other location, which I discovered in the backup. I might have floundered about for much longer without your help. All has been resolved. Thank you,
Bill
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that file is an index, it is not mail. For the purpose of moving mail from device to device or as a backup you would be better off deleting it.
That answer can't be correct. It is the only file in the profile large enough to contain 10 years of e-mail history. Somewhere in the profile MUST be the history - if that file is not the correct one, which one is? The global messages file is 190 Mb. The next largest file is 1.4 Mb, which I doubt is sufficient to contain 10 years of data.
Also, I just downloaded some mail. There are only 13 files in the profile which changed, and the global messages file is one of them. The next largest file which changed is less than a megabyte.
Modified by NCBill
NCBill said
That answer can't be correct. It is the only file in the profile large enough to contain 10 years of e-mail history. Somewhere in the profile MUST be the history - if that file is not the correct one, which one is? The global messages file is 190 Mb. The next largest file is 1.4 Mb, which I doubt is sufficient to contain 10 years of data. Also, I just downloaded some mail. There are only 13 files in the profile which changed, and the global messages file is one of them. The next largest file which changed is less than a megabyte.
I can not help your disbelief. It is the global search index and nothing more.
Where the actual mail is stored depends on the type of account. Po[p mail in the pop folder and IMAP mail is in the imapmail folder, but mail for IMAP is only stored there is the account settings call for a copy to be stored on this machine. Otherwise there is only an MSF file and all mail is fetched from the server as required. IMAP mail and Mail have sub folders named after the server (mail.comcast.net). Each folder in Thunderbird is a single file in that folder. Inbox Trash sent etc. They are accompanied by an MSF file that is an index into the actual mail store which has no file extension. The MSF file is the file used to actually populate the lists of mail in Thunderbird. But like the global messages database they will be regenerated if deleted.
I tried to explain the storage here http://thunderbirdtweaks.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page.html
Matt,
I owe you an apology. Indeed, when I look at the Mail folder in MY computer, I find all the things you have described. It was at least a year ago that I last backed up and restored my Thunderbird files, so when I looked at the Mail folder in my wife's computer, I noted that it had only a few hundred kilobytes of data, whereas the global file was, as noted, quite large.
Today, I actually looked in the Mail folder and found only inbox and trash references - none of the many other folders that should have been there. I also checked two earlier backups and discovered that neither of them contained more than the inbox and trash. So, it appears that Thunderbird was either storing the data elsewhere in the computer or online - which seems improbable.
Can you suggest where else or how else I might look. Perhaps hers was set up with a different location for the files - which I can search for.
Thanks
Chosen Solution
Matt,
Many years ago, when I set up my wife's e-mail, I apparently set the storage location to C:/users/ username/Mail/My Mail. This had been saved in the backup and has been restored.
To my surprise, this is still the location, even though I presumably deleted T'bird completely. Something must have remained to tell it to save in the other location, which I discovered in the backup. I might have floundered about for much longer without your help. All has been resolved. Thank you,
Bill
Deletion removes the program, not the data or the files. BTW that is an exceedingly poor location for a mail store. When in the default appdata location most anti virus programs leave it alone. Placing it in a general location like that exposes the mail to continual anti virus scans and indexing by windows indexing service.
The two things result in slowness, errors accessing folders and occasionally errors about folders no being accessible. Given that the mail is not accessible other than by Thunderbird there is no reason at all for it to be stored in the user structure outside appdata. The users structure is so problematic that you simply can no longer select my documents or any of the other "my" library's as a storage location. Thunderbird will refuse.