TB 68 has a new 'profile per installation' feature that makes accessing old profiles a bit more complex. Try this: copy your old profile folder to the Profiles folder, then start Profile Manager with TB closed. Windowskey+R and type thunderbird.exe -p Click 'Create Profile' and Browse... to the old profile folder. See if TB then launches with that profile.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder_-_Thunderbird#Use_the_Profile_Manager_to_move_your_profile

Thanks but I don't have an old profile so can't try that unless I install to my laptop I mentioned, which may allow me to gain a profile from the older version

As I recall, the file.pcv file used by MozBackup can be renamed to file.zip, and then the extracted folder is the actual profile folder.

sfhowes said

As I recall, the file.pcv file used by MozBackup can be renamed to file.zip, and then the extracted folder is the actual profile folder.

So I take the .pcv file created by MozBackup from an older version of Thunderbird when the PC was on windows 7 and rename to .zip and extract and then use this profile with Profile Manager with TB closed as per your previous reply?

To be clear, how does this overcome the newer Thunderbird reading an older profile issue or is MozBackup the issue here?

You have issues that overlap. Mozbackup falls into the category of unsupported and basically broken software. Mozbackup has not been updated since March 2011, about the only part of it that appears to work reliably is a full profile backup. Did you do that? or did you use one of the mozbackup "features" that have not been working well since about 2012. You can NOT for instance only move your mail. I seriously have doubts it can make a full profile backup and restore these days, and I do not see anyone taking over the product as it is written in Pascal, a language that has few adherents these days, largely due to the cost of the development software.

You can rename the PCV file and use a zip program to actually see what is in there. I have no idea what the application actually does, but I would not recommend it's use at all.

By far the easiest way to "move" a profile these days is to paste the old into the new. The only caveat is that unless you get messages about replacing files, you are almost certainly placing your data in the wrong place.

Thunderbird has had a button in the Troubleshooting information (accessible from the help menu) for a long time now. This allows identification of the correct location on both the old and the new machine as the option is available on both for the profile folder. All that remains is to copy everything from one folder to the other including sub folders.

In the source folder use CTRL+A to select all files and folders and then copy to your USB device.

Reverse the process in the new device. But note that all file copies must be done with Thunderbird closed, otherwise the file integrity is at risk.

I used MozBackup 1.5.1 and used the 'back up a profile' option, which does it all as far as I know.

As I said I am kicking myself I didn't copy the profile manually. MozBackup has never been a problem but it must be about 2011 since I last used it!

Sadly I cannot use the move profile method from old to new, because the old has gone completely. The same PC has gone from windows 7 to a complete install of 10.

So the only recent profile I have is in a .pcv file from MozBackup from an older than 64 version of Thunderbird that was running on windows 7.

Do I have the option of installing an older version of thunderbird on my Windows 7 laptop, using MozBackup to restore the profile an then get a manual copy of the profile from that?

I'm still not clear what is the issue with newer vs older thunderbird needs, long hand copy of profile work in all cases?

Well I have renamed and extracted to .pcv file as a .zip file, over 21,00 files at nearly 1.6GB, there is a lot in there but I don't know exactly what to check for. Many WDSEML files (lost count after 170+) couldn't be extracted because the file bath were too long so had to skip...these were from 2011 to 2019...

Which old version should I use to try on the Windows 7 laptop and if that might work where do I get to old version?

Sadly I have no idea which version I was running on my Windows 7 PC. All I know is 68 on windows 10 is so very different looking!

No need to do anything with the W7 computer. If you have a profile folder you wish to use on the W10 computer, whether the profile was backed up in a pcv file or any other way, follow the instructions given above for Profile Manager. If you already have a different profile in W10 TB that you wish to preserve, but import data from other profiles, that is a separate issue.

sfhowes said

No need to do anything with the W7 computer. If you have a profile folder you wish to use on the W10 computer, whether the profile was backed up in a pcv file or any other way, follow the instructions given above for Profile Manager. If you already have a different profile in W10 TB that you wish to preserve, but import data from other profiles, that is a separate issue.

So it seems that restoring a profile with MozBackup is the issue I am having then...

I'll try what you suggest

Ironically within those instructions (in the link above I assume you mean) says use MozBackup for moving between computers!

Sorry but already confused on step2 of 'Use the Profile Manager to move your profile'

2 'Copy the profile folder to where you want to store it. (You can copy it anywhere, except the program directory.) '

So I copy the .pcv file or the unzipped files in to the normal place the profile goes? (in my case with quite a few missing files as I said above I skipped?

The mozillazine articles are a mix of obsolete and up-to-date information, depending on who is editing a particular section. The current advice on moving data between computers or making and restoring backups is here. This is both easier and more reliable than using the long-abandoned MozBackup.

Copy the folder that is extracted from the pcv file (it will be named something like random8characters.default) and then Browse to that folder when you create, i.e. register, a new profile with Profile Manager. Don't worry about the missing wdseml files, as they are simply used by Windows Search to index mail files.

sfhowes said

The mozillazine articles are a mix of obsolete and up-to-date information, depending on who is editing a particular section. The current advice on moving data between computers or making and restoring backups is here. This is both easier and more reliable than using the long-abandoned MozBackup. Copy the folder that is extracted from the pcv file (it will be named something like random8characters.default) and then Browse to that folder when you create, i.e. register, a new profile with Profile Manager. Don't worry about the missing wdseml files, as they are simply used by Windows Search to index mail files.

I will try those instructions then, thanks.

Once extracted it is called the name that MozBackup gave it 'Thunderbird 24.6.0 (en-GB) - 28.12.2019' which may hint at what version it was too, not that I need it!

Ok, right I managed it;

I created a new profile with profile manager, thunderbird.exe -p naming it what I wanted (that seems to rename the .default, for example I went for 29122019)

Went to the profile location, in this case the normal default place %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\

Deleted the contents and copied my extracted .pcv files in...

Seems to work in regards to what is present within Thunderbird!

Next I will see if all mail works ok but thanks so far!

Thanks to you,

sfhowes and Matt for your guidance!