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What file in my profile stores information about downloaded email?

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 9 views
  • Last reply by bacooper

bacooper
bacooper
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Hi - I transfer my updated email folders from my work computer to my home office computer every day or so, using the xcopy command to transfer all changed files in my local folders email folder and subfolders to a USB memory stick that I use for keeping my data files synced across the two computers. I noticed a couple of months ago that after doing my update for Thunderbird on (say) my home office computer, that when I then retrieve email in Thunderbird from my (main) AT&T/Yahoo account, ALL email over the past few days is downloaded, since the last time I updated on my home computer. In other words, even though I have already retrieved dozens of emails into Thunderbird using it on my work computer, the same files are downloaded from my Yahoo inbox again (those that are still in the online inbox). This is a hassle. I believe that there is some Thunderbird .js or .json file that keeps track of the email that has been downloaded, but it is not getting copied when I do my backup from my (say) work computer to my USB stick that I use for transporting the files to my home computer. If that is correct, what file or files am I missing, that I should be copying to the USB stick so that only new email are downloaded to my home office computer when I next use Thunderbird at home (after, of course, running my update batch file to copy the new files to my home computer)? Thanks! Bruce

Hi - I transfer my updated email folders from my work computer to my home office computer every day or so, using the xcopy command to transfer all changed files in my local folders email folder and subfolders to a USB memory stick that I use for keeping my data files synced across the two computers. I noticed a couple of months ago that after doing my update for Thunderbird on (say) my home office computer, that when I then retrieve email in Thunderbird from my (main) AT&T/Yahoo account, ALL email over the past few days is downloaded, since the last time I updated on my home computer. In other words, even though I have already retrieved dozens of emails into Thunderbird using it on my work computer, the same files are downloaded from my Yahoo inbox again (those that are still in the online inbox). This is a hassle. I believe that there is some Thunderbird .js or .json file that keeps track of the email that has been downloaded, but it is not getting copied when I do my backup from my (say) work computer to my USB stick that I use for transporting the files to my home computer. If that is correct, what file or files am I missing, that I should be copying to the USB stick so that only new email are downloaded to my home office computer when I next use Thunderbird at home (after, of course, running my update batch file to copy the new files to my home computer)? Thanks! Bruce

Chosen solution

Thank you very much, Zenos - that's what I needed to know! The popstate.dat file was not getting copied when I backed Thunderbird files up to my USB drive. I fixed my batch file so it now gets copied, and I've successfully updated my Thunderbird installation on my office computer today from my files on my home office installation from yesterday! Re imap, I don't like long strings of email in the same file. There were some other things I didn't like about it, either. I used to use IMAP when I had CompuServe long ago, and after I switched to using POP and Eudora, I had better control over the program. I love Thunderbird - it appears to be a grandchild of Eudora and I like the way it works. Best, Bruce

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All Replies (2)

Zenos
Zenos
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What you're doing feels fraught with possibilities for errors. Where did you get this idea?

Is IMAP not possible for you? Is there a technical issue such as a slow connection at home, or a restrictive download allowance?

You have chosen a multi-step manual process that needs care and clearly isn't quite working. With IMAP all this would be happening automatically.

Which folders are you copying? In a POP-based account, popstate.dat records downloads. There is one for each POP account. I don't know of any counterpart for thss file in IMAP.

Modified by Zenos

bacooper
bacooper Question owner
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Chosen Solution

Thank you very much, Zenos - that's what I needed to know! The popstate.dat file was not getting copied when I backed Thunderbird files up to my USB drive. I fixed my batch file so it now gets copied, and I've successfully updated my Thunderbird installation on my office computer today from my files on my home office installation from yesterday! Re imap, I don't like long strings of email in the same file. There were some other things I didn't like about it, either. I used to use IMAP when I had CompuServe long ago, and after I switched to using POP and Eudora, I had better control over the program. I love Thunderbird - it appears to be a grandchild of Eudora and I like the way it works. Best, Bruce