Thunderbird profile mail folder corrupted(?), data is there but can't access via email folder view.
Yesterday mid-morning I returned to Thunderbird and "Drafts" folder had disappeared. Created a profile backup. Have made no folder or email changes for a long time. Created a new draft email and saved it and "Drafts" folder reappeared with the new draft with body text and a listing of the other drafts. However, listing shows date, subject, size, etc. but blank in the body area, and attempting to open an apparently okay (according to folder list) draft results in a totally blank email, no date or subject or anything. Shut down TB and went to profile and can see long list of draft files with dates and various sizes. Deleted "Drafts" and "Drafts.msf" files and restarted TB to rebuild, but worse off as then I don't even see a list of the draft emails. Deleted and reinstalled TB. Reloaded profile from backup, and still same problem. Checked Settings/Copies & Folders/ and selections still as they should be. To test whether software/operating system (Win10) or profile is the problem, put backup profile on a different computer using a different operating system, downloaded and created a whole new TB that worked a-ok, then used "thunderbird.exe -p" to switch to the problem profile and problem is the same, so has to be a corrupt profile. Went back to original computer and tried "Folder Properties/Repair folder" and ended up with blank list again, worse off. Reloaded backup profile. Created a new folder "Recovered Drafts" and copied Drafts folder entries to it, but that didn't work. Used "thunderbird.exe -p" and switched to an older profile and drafts folder there and works fine, so older profile good, current profile not so. I have some fairly important drafts I need, so would appreciate being advised how I can get the list of raw drafts files in the profile to be usable again.
Chosen solution
re :However, listing shows date, subject, size, etc. but blank in the body area, and attempting to open an apparently okay (according to folder list) draft results in a totally blank email, no date or subject or anything.
The 'Drafts' no extension mbox file has only 1kb, so this is very low and maybe one email. The 'Drafts.msf' file is just an index file, but it has some size, so this explains why you see a load of headers - list of emails, but as nothing is actually in the 'Drafts' no extension mbox file, then the emails do not exist, hence thay are blank.
re :Deleted "Drafts" and "Drafts.msf" files and restarted TB to rebuild, but worse off as then I don't even see a list of the draft emails.
You manually deleted all Draft emails in the mbox file and also manually deleted all the remaining but useless headers in the index file. It is only logical that you would not see anything.
re : Deleted and reinstalled TB. Reinstalling the program rarely fixes issues as usually the problem lies in the profile folders and not with the program.
re :Yesterday mid-morning I returned to Thunderbird and "Drafts" folder had disappeared. Created a profile backup. .......Reloaded profile from backup, and still same problem.
You created and then used a backup which did not have the 'Drafts' mbox file containing emails, so it will not display before or after. This is to be be expected.
re : Tried "Folder Properties/Repair folder" When an index file becomes out of synch with the mbox file, using the above method will force the index file to show what is really in the mbox file. In your case the backup Drafts.msf file was showing headers for non existant emails, so doing a repair would delete those headers and only show what really is in the mbox file.
How to get back emails from the mozmsg folder into Drafts mbox file.
You have a folder:
WmBrink.WMBRINKLT-HP > Appdata > Roaming > Thunderbird > Profiles > qdkvq0wk.default > Mail > mail.comcase.net > 'Drafts.mozmsgs'
- Exit Thunderbird
- Create a new folder on desktop called 'TB emails'
- Locate 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder in profile.
- Make a copy of 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder and put it in 'TB emails' folder.
- Open the copy of 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder and you will see a list of emails. Emails have an extension *.wdseml
- Change all extensions from .wdseml to .eml
- Start Thunderbird.
Theses .eml emails can now be imported back into 'Drafts' folder. To do this you will need to use ImportExportTools addon extension.
How to install:
Once installed:
- Right click on 'Drafts' folder in Folder Pane.
- Select: 'ImportExporttools' > Import Messages'
- Locate the desktop > 'TB emails' > 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder
- Highlight the .eml emails and click on 'Open'
Emails should get imported.
What went wrong? It is possible and quite often the most common result - the 'Drafts' mbox file was 'fixed' by your Anti-Virus product, this would explain why the mbox file was non existant and why the Drafts.msf file was still intact.
If you have AV scanning Thunderbird files, stronly suggest you get AV to ask what to do, so you can stop it. You do not want AV to 'fix' any Thunderbird mbox file.
There is also another possibility, but less certain as not all files are visible in the image. I can a 'nstmp.mozmsgs' folder. nstmp folders are created when folders are being compacted as a temporary storage, if compacting was in process and thunderbird exited or crashed or computer crashed or went to sleep etc, this would interrupt the compacting process. That would leave the nstmp file still in the profile. When you did a windows search, that would have created the nstmp.mozmsg folder. So it is possible the 'Drafts' folder was being compacted and that would explain the disapperance as well.
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BTW: Using text editor I can see body of Draft messages' text, so body info/data is there for sure. It just doesn't show up with TB open and attempting to view draft emails.
Chosen Solution
re :However, listing shows date, subject, size, etc. but blank in the body area, and attempting to open an apparently okay (according to folder list) draft results in a totally blank email, no date or subject or anything.
The 'Drafts' no extension mbox file has only 1kb, so this is very low and maybe one email. The 'Drafts.msf' file is just an index file, but it has some size, so this explains why you see a load of headers - list of emails, but as nothing is actually in the 'Drafts' no extension mbox file, then the emails do not exist, hence thay are blank.
re :Deleted "Drafts" and "Drafts.msf" files and restarted TB to rebuild, but worse off as then I don't even see a list of the draft emails.
You manually deleted all Draft emails in the mbox file and also manually deleted all the remaining but useless headers in the index file. It is only logical that you would not see anything.
re : Deleted and reinstalled TB. Reinstalling the program rarely fixes issues as usually the problem lies in the profile folders and not with the program.
re :Yesterday mid-morning I returned to Thunderbird and "Drafts" folder had disappeared. Created a profile backup. .......Reloaded profile from backup, and still same problem.
You created and then used a backup which did not have the 'Drafts' mbox file containing emails, so it will not display before or after. This is to be be expected.
re : Tried "Folder Properties/Repair folder" When an index file becomes out of synch with the mbox file, using the above method will force the index file to show what is really in the mbox file. In your case the backup Drafts.msf file was showing headers for non existant emails, so doing a repair would delete those headers and only show what really is in the mbox file.
How to get back emails from the mozmsg folder into Drafts mbox file.
You have a folder:
WmBrink.WMBRINKLT-HP > Appdata > Roaming > Thunderbird > Profiles > qdkvq0wk.default > Mail > mail.comcase.net > 'Drafts.mozmsgs'
- Exit Thunderbird
- Create a new folder on desktop called 'TB emails'
- Locate 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder in profile.
- Make a copy of 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder and put it in 'TB emails' folder.
- Open the copy of 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder and you will see a list of emails. Emails have an extension *.wdseml
- Change all extensions from .wdseml to .eml
- Start Thunderbird.
Theses .eml emails can now be imported back into 'Drafts' folder. To do this you will need to use ImportExportTools addon extension.
How to install:
Once installed:
- Right click on 'Drafts' folder in Folder Pane.
- Select: 'ImportExporttools' > Import Messages'
- Locate the desktop > 'TB emails' > 'Drafts.mozmsgs' folder
- Highlight the .eml emails and click on 'Open'
Emails should get imported.
What went wrong? It is possible and quite often the most common result - the 'Drafts' mbox file was 'fixed' by your Anti-Virus product, this would explain why the mbox file was non existant and why the Drafts.msf file was still intact.
If you have AV scanning Thunderbird files, stronly suggest you get AV to ask what to do, so you can stop it. You do not want AV to 'fix' any Thunderbird mbox file.
There is also another possibility, but less certain as not all files are visible in the image. I can a 'nstmp.mozmsgs' folder. nstmp folders are created when folders are being compacted as a temporary storage, if compacting was in process and thunderbird exited or crashed or computer crashed or went to sleep etc, this would interrupt the compacting process. That would leave the nstmp file still in the profile. When you did a windows search, that would have created the nstmp.mozmsg folder. So it is possible the 'Drafts' folder was being compacted and that would explain the disapperance as well.
re :switched to an older profile and drafts folder there and works fine I think you will find that in that profile the 'Drafts' no extension folder actually contains emails. As there is no way the 'Drafts' file showing 1 kb in size will show a load of emails.
Alternative to .eml import. The ImportExportTools' can also import mbox files.
- Right click on 'Drafts' folder in Folder Pane.
- Select: 'ImportExporttools' > Import mbox file
- Select top option to import directly mbox file and click on OK
- Locate Drafts mbox file from the old profile and click on Open
You could also do the same using copy paste of files.
- Exit Thunderbird
- Copy the good size 'Drafts' and 'Drafts.msf' files from the good old profile and paste them into the new profile with useless drafts files, overwriting them.
- Start Thunderbird.