It seems no one has an answer, neither do I, so am installing Outlook instead.

Sorry this is rather an old question, but i've only just spotted it due to your recent comment. Just in case you needed to know......

re :I copied the profile folder to both Roaming and local,

The correct process would be to do either of the following depending upon what you actually backed up. This is where the default profile name folder was located on old computer and also on new computer.

• C:\Users\<Windows user name>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\

Method 1: If you backed up the roaming 'Thunderbird' folder:

• Copy backup Roaming 'Thunderbird' folder.

On new computer.

• Exit Thunderbird

Access:

• C:\Users\<Windows user name>\AppData\Roaming\
• Paste into 'Roaming' folder and over write the original Thunderbird folder.

OR Method 2: If you only copied the <'Profile name'> folder which by default is called 'xxxxxxxx.default' where the x's are letters and numbers.

• open the backup 'xxxxxxxx.default' profile name folder to see contents.
• Copy all of the files and folders - all the Contents of the profile name folder.

On new computer:

• Exit Thunderbird

Access:

• C:\Users\<Windows user name>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\
• Open the new <Profile name> folder
• Paste all the copied backup profile name files and folders into the new 'profile name' folder overwriting all the default new ones.

Start Thunderbird.

This is very helpful information, that I need to keep for future reference. I cannot do anything with it at the moment, as the Thunderbird I was using has died, there are just a few emails showing, no headings to the folder such as file, edit, etc, nor formatting like write, address, delete, absolutely nothing, I cant even shut the programme down, it has to be forced by Windows when I close the computer. I can open the emails I can see with a double click. I simply have no idea why this happened, but when I looked in the App-Thunderbird stuff there is only one Profile which presumably is what I am using now as its dated today. The emails showing are just a few that came in and now nothing is coming into there at all,

I was advised to make a new account on my computer and install a fresh Thunderbird and begin afresh which I have done, so I have a new ghost friend on my computer and the Thunderbird works fine. But I am desperate to get my old profiles folder back if this is possible, as I have no email addresses, nor old mail that I kept because it was important.

I downloaded a free recovery programme and ran a scan, literally Millions of old folders are listed there that will take me a long time to go through but I am very unsure of some of the things I am looking at! Even so I will have a go. I would like to uninstall the dead Thunderbird but when I looked in Control Panel there is only one Thunderbird listed there when I look through my "friend's" account, but two of them when I look through my own account.

I am running Linux so this thread is not helpful.

I have copied my profile p7sgquu9.default and its associated profile.ini but every time I start Thunderbird it ignores them and insists upon prompting me to redefine all of my e-mail addresses. This is unacceptable. I have many e-mail accounts and FIFTEEN YEARS OF ACCUMULATED E-MAILS! How do I get Thunderbird to open the profile?

This happened to me when I copied my profile into Thunderbird, it is ignored so I am still unable to access my previous emails which were all separated into various folders within Thunderbird, and the system worked very well up until it froze. No one seems to know how I can merge the two profiles, or if or how I can transfer the mail folders into the current profile. I am at my wits end, and feel like giving up altogether. I thought the answer was multiple profiles until I was advised this is very difficult and not a good idea. I have enough difficulties without adding to them so gave that idea up!!

re :No one seems to know how I can merge the two profiles, or if or how I can transfer the mail folders into the current profile. That is not entirely true. You have been given help in another question. Your case was entirely different. You had stopped thunderbird from opening it's own files by telling your computer that only WordPerfect could open and run dat files and then you deleted your entire profile folder, after which you started creating multiple profiles. Then you discovered you had downloaded different software which may have had malware.

jamescobban There is little point posting a problem you have with an entirely differnt OS and expecting the original postee to be able to offer assistance. You have already created your own question, so all reponses to you will be done through that separate question.