The link information is confusing and I would not say it is not the correct method as it mixes up two processes into one and if you had copied over the 'Thunderbird' folder then you would not need to create any profiles because you are using one you have previously created. Creating profiles and pointing to original would only be required if you only has the 'profile name' folder backed up - but that is a different set of instructions.

The 'Thunderbird' folder which you copied from old computer is not a zipped folder and therefore does not need to extracted. That information could confuse people.

Start Again Exit Thunderbird if it is running.

Check: The Thunderbird program should be installed here:

• C://Program Files (x86)/Mozilla Thunderbird

If it is not installed in that location then uninstall it - or locate the 'Mozilla Thunderbird' folder and delete it. Then empty the recycle bin before installing again.

The only thing in C://ProgramData would be a 'Mozilla' folder containing an 'updates' folder. There should not be any 'Thunderbird' or 'Mozilla Thunderbird' folder in 'ProgramData'. If there is then delete it.

You say "I then copied 'Thunderbird' directory from the old drive" I presume you mean on old drive you accessed this:

• C://Users/user name/Appdata/Roaming/Thunderbird

and copied that 'Thunderbird' folder

Then on new Win 10 Pro laptop: Install Thunderbird program and run the first time to create a default profile. Now Exit Thunderbird without creating any mail accounts. This is important.

Access this location on new computer:

• C://Users/user name/Appdata/Roaming folder

In the 'Roaming folder you would now see the default 'Thunderbird' folder - delete that 'Thunderbird' folder. Then paste the 'copied' 'Thunderbird' folder from old drive into the 'Roaming' folder. Thus replacing the new empty default 'Thunderbird' folder with the original 'Thunderbird' folder off the old computer. Start Thunderbird.

If nothing is damaged then it will start up showing all mail accounts etc.

Many thanks for the clear reply - I followed the steps fully, so far as I can tell. Since this is a brand-new laptop, I did a reset, so there should be nothing to confuse things. It removed applications not there originally, although it didn't clear the Recycle Bin, which I did this time.

I also had tried to clear the registry with RegEdit - to clear it of any reference to Thunderbird and most references to Mozilla. This was before the reset.

There was nothing in C:\ProgramData, nor in %APPDATA%\Roaming.

So I installed the latest Thunderbird - the one on the other laptop was 78.7.0, this is 78.11.0. It got installed into C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird - this is a 64-bit machine, so I hope that is correct, even though it is not the (x86) location.

I took the recommended standard installation - nothing custom - and started TB at the end of installation. I canceled out of adding an account and closed TB.

Then I deleted the Thunderbird directory out of %APPDATA%\Roaming, as instructed - this, BTW, seems different from other instructions, that say to replace everything if prompted.

Then I started TB plain, no Profile Manager - it started downloading emails from my account that is in the copied profile. It did not pull in anything, though, other than that account - I have content, in that profile, from other, no-longer-active accounts.

But now it is using C:\ProgramData - in the server settings for the main account, Message Storage-Local Directory is C:\ProgramData\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default\Mail\pop.centurylink.net - incidentally, perhaps, Local Folders-Message Storage-Local Directory is C:\ProgramData\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default\Mail\Local Folders.

I went to Troubleshooting Information and see that Update Folder is where you said - C:\ProgramData\Mozilla\updates\D78BF5DD33499EC2.

Profile Folder there, when I open it, though, is %APPDATA% - C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\z4922dk3.default-release

There was nothing about Thunderbird in C:\ProgramData before I had replaced the Thunderbird directory in %APPDATA%\Roaming with the one on the drive I pulled out of the other laptop and then opened TB.

So I don't know what to do - BTW, the global-messages-db.sqlite file size is 276 MB - again, don't know if that matters - I have a lot of stuff there, at least, to my eye.

Just a bit more info - my address book is there, but no message filters. My programmer brain can see that filters might not be brought in if the folder structure is not there, but I obviously don't know enough for that to be more than a WAG.

Thanks

Regarding the Thunderbird program, did you get a download from the official website: https://www.thunderbird.net which would auto detect computer language etc Or https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/all/ where you would select language and Windows 64bit download ?

Where did you get the download from ?

I got it at thunderbird.net/en-US - I used the download button there, which has this URL - https://download.mozilla.org/?product=thunderbird-78.11.0-SSL&os=win64&lang=en-US

Exit Thunderbird. Locate the 'profile name' folder called 'kz94vxzd.default'. This is the profile you seem to be using at the moment. It is in that ProgramData place which is wrong. C:\ProgramData\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default Copy profile name folder itself.

Access the correct Profiles folder to see contents: C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles folder Paste the kz94vxzd.default profile name folder into the 'Profiles' folder.

This would now create:

• C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default\Mail\pop.centurylink.net

But Thunderbird would not know it exists at this point.

Now you have a copy...go back to the 'ProgramData' location and delete the 'Thunderbird' folder. So removing everything from 'ProgramData' on C drive.

Now fix 'profiles.ini'

• Access : C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird folder

That 'Thunderbird' folder will contain a 'profiles.ini' file.

• Make a copy of the 'profiles.ini' file and save on desktop as a backup.
• Open 'profiles.ini' using 'Notepad'.

If you are unsure of what to do at this point - then do not go any further and do not startup Thunderbird - post an image showing the contents of that 'profiles.ini' file.

It may mention the 'kz94vxzd.default' profile, but it will be pointing to the wrong place. The typical info looks like what you see below. You are looking for the specific section of data that has 'Name=default' Edit so that 'IsRelative=1' and 'Path=Profiles/kz94vxzd.default' and 'Default=1' The [Profile0] may be [Profile1] etc - it does not matter.

• [Profile0]
• Name=default
• IsRelative=1
• Path=Profiles/kz94vxzd.default
• Default=1

SAve file.

Now fix 'Prefs.js' Access kz94vxzd.default folder to see contents:

• C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default folder
• Locate the 'prefs.js' file - make a copy and put on desktop to act as a backup.
• open 'prefs.js' file using Notepad.

You need to scan down through this file looking for the wrong data and correcting it. You are looking for anything that is point to 'ProgramData'. See below - check for these 'user_prefs' - edit to point to correct location.

• user_pref("mail.root.imap", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\ImapMail");

• user_pref("mail.root.none", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail");

• user_pref("mail.root.pop3","C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail");

Please check all these types which mention the server number directory. It may be pointing to the ProgramData location and this needs changing. I've shown two but if there are more then edit accordingly. Note, one of them will be for the 'Local Folders mail account. Examples below:

• user_pref("mail.server.server1.directory", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail\\pop.centurylink.net");

• user_pref("mail.server.server2.directory", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail\\Local Folders");

When all is correct - pointing to the appdata location. Save the 'prefs.js' file.

Now start up Thunderbird.

Thanks again for the guidance. It has led to better understanding.

The 'profiles.ini' in the C:\Users\Vern\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird folder doesn't mention the kz94vxzd.default profile at all.

So I went on to the prefs.js - there is none in kz94vxzd.default folder.

So I got curious and went into the roaming TB folder from the old machine - 'profiles.ini' is the same as the new - image attached.

I then looked at the profile from the old machine - z4922dk3.default-release - it's 347MB - it does have a prefs.js there, so I opened and found references to the kz94vxzd.default profile in ProgramData.

So I looked at ProgramData from the old drive - the Thunderbird folder there is 7.5GB or so - I did not copy that over to the new box, as no instructions said to do it.

I've had Thunderbird since Eudora days - is it possible this goes back to early organization of things?

I'm thinking I could copy that over - probably need to, to recover all my old stuff - and then fix things up - or leave it? 'Twould be better to fix it up, eventually.

Thoughts?

This is what has happened at some point in the past. You had (and still do) a default profile called kz94vxzd.default

You moved it into 'ProgramData' and then created a new profile called 'z4922dk3.default-release' to point to that old profile you had moved to 'ProgramData' location.

So when you copied over that 'Thunderbird' folder into 'Roaming' folder - it set up everything as before, hence why you also see profile under 'ProgramData'.

The following is a way to sort things out so everything is in default location, but it just means restarting everything again. This will ensure you do not end up with loads of 'profile name' folders.

• Exit Thunderbird.
• access : C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird
• and delete the 'Thunderbird' folder

• access: C:\ProgramData\Thunderbird
• and delete the 'Thunderbird' folder

• Start Thunderbird

A default new profile will get created and it will ask for new mail account, but do not do this.

• Exit Thunderbird now.

• Access copy/backup of : C:\ProgramData\Thunderbird\Profiles\kz94vxzd.default
• Open the 'kz94vxzd.default' folder
• Copy all the files and folders in that profile name folder.

On new computer:

• Access 'Profiles' folder here: C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles folder

It will contain a new default profile name folder. I do not know what this will be, but it will be in similar format to 'kz94vxzd.default' or 'kz94vxzd.default-release' just different set of letters and numbers.

• Open that new 'profile name' folder to see contents.
• Delete all the those new default files and folders.
• Paste all the copied files and folders from the 'kz94vxzd.default' folder into that new 'profile name' folder.

This means you do not need to edit the 'profiles.ini' file because you are using the auto default profile - you have just altered what it contains, so Thunderbird already knows about it.

But the 'prefs.js' file is still wrong and holds wrong data.

• Look for the 'prefs.js' file which you have just pasted into that new profile name folder.
• Open 'prefs.js' file using Notepad.

You need to scan down through this file looking for the wrong data and correcting it. You are looking for anything that is pointing to 'ProgramData'. See below - check for these 'user_prefs' - carefully edit to point to correct location. As an example, it is likely to say something like this which is pointing to wrong place:

• user_pref("mail.root.pop3", "C:\\ProgramData\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail");

As I do not know the new 'profile name ' folder - I've indicated where to type it. It should say:

• user_pref("mail.root.imap", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\type new profile name here\\ImapMail");

• user_pref("mail.root.none", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\type new profile name here\\Mail");

• user_pref("mail.root.pop3","C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\type new profile name here\\Mail");

Then Please check all these types which mention the server number directory. It may be pointing to the ProgramData location and this needs changing. I've shown two but if there are more then edit accordingly. Note, one of them will be for the 'Local Folders mail account.

It is likely to say something like this which is pointing to wrong place:

• user_pref("mail.server.server1.directory", "C:\\ProgramData\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\kz94vxzd.default\\Mail\\pop.centurylink.net");

Examples below showing the correct info: It is important that you get all the quotes, commas etc correct.

• user_pref("mail.server.server1.directory", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\type new profile name here\\Mail\\pop.centurylink.net");

• user_pref("mail.server.server2.directory", "C:\\Users\\Vern\\AppData\\Roaming\\Thunderbird\\Profiles\\type new profile name heret\\Mail\\Local Folders");

When all is correct - pointing to the appdata location.

• Save the 'prefs.js' file.

Start Thunderbird.

Thanks for all the advice - it has led to solving my problem.

The whole ProgramData thing comes, I believe, from Eudora days - I googled Eudora and ProgramData and found that Eudora probably used ProgramData 20 years ago. When I went to Thunderbird, I have a feeling TB kept the old Eudora setup - I know I didn't do a manual change of locations that I know of.

On the off chance it would be the simplest approach for the moment, I copied over the ProgramData profile - now I see everything. I'd also saved all incoming and sent emails since the changeover, since they were not part of the old stuff.

I will further bring things over completely to %APPDATA%, but for now all is good.

Again, I really appreciate your knowledgeable help with this very alarming issue.

It might be good to have instructions for people who started out with Eudora - at least to ask if that's the case - they would likely run into the same situation I've been in.

Vern