transfer TB data (emails, addresses, etc.) from SSD from defunct Mac Pro to new iMac ; instructions in TB help don't work (4) go up 3 levels?).
Old Mac Pro (first Intel model, 10 years old) won't start (or boot), so purchased new iMac. Bought an HD/SSD docking station and transferred contents of SSD from Mac Pro to iMac. Apparently can't boot from SSD (old OS), but all files seem to be present in the new "Mac Pro files (MPf)" folder on the iMac.
Opened ThunderBird (52.9.1) from MPf; got connected to server (Verizon) and have email communication. But no address books and no collection of (important) emails dating back years.
Procedure for doing the transfer in the TB Help files––"Moving TB data to a new computer"––doesn't make sense to me; I can't get it to work. Steps 1-3 are fine (ending up with a folder which when opened gives a list of files), step four––"from your TB profile folder, go up three levels"––doesn't seem to mean anything in the context of MacOS and what I see on my screen. Windows PC language, maybe?
So, I could use some help here.
I might add, that I will have to do the same thing with Firefox (62.0) next, to retrieve a huge (and important) bookmark collection.
Also, is there a way to back up these files (addresses/emails/bookmarks) in some external source (like an SSD or CD Rom) and re-import them in case of disaster?
All Replies (6)
I presume you're referring to this article:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/moving-thunderbird-data-to-a-new-computer
'Go up three levels' means to (1) navigate your file manager to the folder that contains the profile folder, i.e. Profiles, then (2) navigate to the folder that contains Profiles, i.e. the Thunderbird folder, then (3) navigate to the folder that contains the Thunderbird folder, i.e. Roaming (Windows) or Library (OSX).
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Thunderbird#Mac_OS_X
It's the Thunderbird folder that should be transferred from the old hard drive to the new computer. With Firefox, the layout is Library/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/profilefolder on OSX.
You can also export address books as LDIF files or .mab files for backup, and mail folders using ImportExportTools.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Thunderbird
Helpful, but either I am too stupid to do it right (always possible) or I have a slightly different problem. What I have is an iMac with a HD ("Macintosh HD") which now contains (along with what came with it) a very large folder which is the SSD from my old Mac Pro ("Mac Pro Files").
Older (slightly) versions of Firefox and Thunderbird reside in "Mac Pro Files" (applications folder). Opening either of these does not bring up the old bookmark files and address and email files that went with them.
Newly downloaded versions of Firefox and Thunderbird reside in the applications folder on "Macintosh HD" and are controlled from the Dock.
What I need to do is move the old bookmark/address/email info from "Mac Pro Files" to "Macintosh HD." However, "Mac Pro Files" is a folder inside "Macintosh HD," and somehow (probably my ignorance) I can't seem to get the transfer process to work.
I don't know what is the structure or content of the 'Mac Pro Files' folder, so I suggest you search for a file that is in every TB profile folder, e.g. abook.mab (Personal Address Book), and see if you can locate the rest of the profile. If you can't locate an entire Thunderbird folder, you may be able to at least find the old address books and mail folders, both of which can be transferred to the new TB setup (2nd link in my first reply). Don't bother with the old applications folder, as it is separate from the profile folder, which contains all the user data.
For Firefox bookmarks, look for a folder named bookmarkbackups in the Firefox profile folder.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them
Hi btlbcc, Where it says "go up three levels", go to Go > Enclosing Folder, and repeat that two more times.
Modified by Chris Ilias
Re: all the above (and thank you all very much!!!) I think I have the Thunderbird profile folder from the old compter (Mac Pro) transferred over to the new iMac (Macintosh HD. In fact I managed to get three copies of it in there (I trashed the two older ones). The Profile folder(s) were where one might expect them to be: Macintosh HD > Users > Brooks Lyman > Library >Thunderbird > Profile > qb5amqpj.default. Interestingly, while using the "show Profile" command in the Thunderbird Troubleshooting page brings me to that location, when I try to maneuver through the iMac finder, I cannot find "Library" under "Macintosh HD > Users > Brooks Lyman"— it's just not there. Hidden files? Do you know how I can make them visible?
However, when I open Thunderbird, it presumably should use that profile, which I believe is the one from the old Mac Pro, but my old address and email files are not present in the Thunderbird "Inbox" window.
So something is wrong here—probably my fault somewhere along the line. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Brooks
If you need to show hidden files and folders, instructions are given here. If TB is not reading the copied profile, it's probably because profiles.ini (which is in the Thunderbird folder) is not pointing to it. A profiles.ini file (edit it with a text editor) with reference to a single profile looks like:
[General] StartWithLastProfile=1
[Profile0] Name=default IsRelative=1 Path=Profiles/mpftajqe.default Default=1
If you transfer the Thunderbird folder instead of the profile folder, this kind of problem is usually avoided.