I don't understand what's happening here; if Thunderbird discovers an existing profile then it should use that profile.

However, try the profile manager to get it to default to your old profile.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/using-multiple-profiles

Thanks - I'm getting somewhere - at least I learned how to open Profile Manager, & I'm learning a few details as I go along. To save from repeating details, here are the two Profiles I'm dealing with - Saved Profile - etm0tr5b.default New Profile - hs7u7wf3.default Both are stored in - C:\Users\Bob.Bob\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\ --

When I open Profile Manager only one Profile is listed - that is the name of the Saved Profile - BUT when I RT click on it, it shows a Path that ends with the name of the New Profile. So it is no wonder that Thunderbird always opens with the New Profile. I don't want to touch the options in Profile Manager - Create, Rename, Delete Profiles - until I know what I'm doing. So I need to know two things - How to get the Saved Profile, with its correct Path, into Profile Manager. How to get the New Profile into Profile Manager so that I can Delete it.

Yes you do want to touch the setting in profile manger. Unequivocally you need to create a new profile and in the process point it to etm0tr5b.default as the location to create it. New your newly created profile will be listed in the profile manger to select. Ohh and it will have your data in it.

Thanks - I followed your directions, & here is the result - Profile Manager now shows two Profiles - 'Saved Profile' - which still shows a Path that ends with the name of the 'New Profile'. The created Profile - 'Default User' - where the Path ends with the name of the 'Saved Profile'. When Thunderbird opens the Troubleshooting now shows the 'Saved Profile' name - but it does not restore my Mail & Address Book. I think that TB is still referring, in Profile Manager, to the 'Saved Profile' - ending with the name of the 'New Profile'. So it is still opening the empty 'New Profile'. I think that I need in Profile Manager to Delete the bad Profile. Well - I just did that but in TB my 'Saved Profile' has still not been restored. In File Explorer the 'Saved Profile' is still looking good with the Data I need, & in Profile Manager the newly created Profile looks OK too.

I'm going to uninstall TB then re-install it, & see what happens.

I did uninstall\re-install TB, but nothing has changed. I'm still not connecting to my 'Saved Profile' so I can't recover my saved Mail, Mail folders & Address Book. That Profile is getting older day-by-day. There must be a solution, but what is it?

We generally discourage un-installation and re-installation of Thunderbird; the trouble is almost always in the profile.

There are at least two ways to go about profile transfer:

1. Copy the old one and set Thunderbird to use it. This involves editing profiles.ini or using the profile manager.
2. Install Thunderbird and overwrite the new empty profile it creates with the old one
3. Install Thunderbird, use the new profile and import elements from the old profile(s) as needed. This will help with old messages and with the Address Book, but obliges you to set up accounts, folders, filters etc. from scratch.

I can't help thinking you have not put the old profile in the right place, but I don't understand why the profile manager hasn't helped work around this. All it needs, in theory, is to be told where to look.

I think lets see a copy of the profiles.ini file.

you will get to is in the %appdata%\Thunderbird folder. Open it in notepad and paste the contents into a message here.

That will address the "Is Thunderbird looking in the right place?."

Now in the profile you are trying to use. is their a mail folder? or an IMAP mail folder? What about mab files? Is there a prefs.js?

What location was your mail stored on your old computer? Sometime we see this sort of rot when people have changed the local storage folder in account settings to somewhere that just does not exist on the new device.

Thanks - there is PLENTY that I don't understand! Right now - In File Explorer there are 3 Profiles - etm0tr5b.default 14.7 MB 274 files 64 folders nuh9dodq.IET import 13.7 MB 256 files 62 folders pxm15m7o.IET import 13.7 MB 256 files 62 folders The last two were created today - somehow - & the first one was updated today.

In Profile Manager there is only one Profile - 'Default User' - which has the correct Path to etm0tr5b.default

In TB - 'Show Folder' shows etm0tr5b.default . When TB opens, it works OK to get email messages from my Server, but there are still no saved Messages & Inbox folders, & no Address Book.

Going back to FE, I find that all 3 Profiles have folders & sub folders that show that my Mail folders & all saved messages are still there.

I have no interest in getting involved again in 'Copy Profiles' & 'Install TB'. But 'import elements from the old profiles as needed' interests me. Just tell me how to do it. Re Mail - as noted above - I know where to find the appropriate folders, but I need to know how to get them into TB. Re Address Book, I have no idea as to finding the relevant folders, & if you tell me, I'll still need to know how to get them into TB.

This is directed to Matt, Between you & Zenos, & all three of us may live in different time zones, & because of your fast replies, which of course I like, sometimes our replies 'cross in the Post', & get listed out of sequence. So see my Post listed just below yours.

But something I forgot to mention in my previous Post - 'profiles.ini' looks good with the correct Name & Path as also shown in Profile Manager.

Matt - to reply directly to your reply on Tues 3:12 pm - profiles.ini is OK as covered above. All four folders or file types are in my default Profile. There has been no change to the location of local storage folder.

Assuming everything is where it should be......

Go Into the profile and delete.

XULstore.json. Session.json foldertree.json panacea.dat

Please be sure Thunderbird is not running before you do this.

otherwise.you can import folders using the implort export tools add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/

I deleted the 4 files you listed (although after TB restarts they come back - just with a current date). But that did not change anything. I downloaded the import export tools from the link, but found that I already have it. In it I don't see any way to import folders &\or files. Even if there is a way, I wouldn't know which folders\files to import to recover saved Mail & Mail Folders, nor especially Address Book.

Update - I'm done with Thunderbird! I took an in-depth look at my Web Mail Server (Rogers\Yahoo Canada) & found that it has better features than Thunderbird - both in the areas of Mail & Mail Storage folders & Address Book. I've spent far too much time in the last week trying to sort out TB & its Profiles & lost Address Book. After this, I'm going to uninstall TB. Thanks for your efforts to help along the way.

BobVinton said

Update - I'm done with Thunderbird! I took an in-depth look at my Web Mail Server (Rogers\Yahoo Canada) & found that it has better features than Thunderbird - both in the areas of Mail & Mail Storage folders & Address Book. I've spent far too much time in the last week trying to sort out TB & its Profiles & lost Address Book. After this, I'm going to uninstall TB. Thanks for your efforts to help along the way.

Enjoy yourself... but if you think there is a web mail service that comes even close to Thunderbird you are not looking hard at the offering. I am not saying it does not meet your needs, web mail apparently meets the needs of more than half email users.. But it is exceedingly limited in what it can do. But them most internet users have embraced the cloud but have significant issues when asked where the physical storage of their data is and what legal jurisdiction covers it. Personally I like it where I have control. Not some silent government agency that hands commercial in confidence information over to their commercial parftners. Not some private firm that is making money offering a "free" mail service, and most assuredly not my internet service provider. When I have access to one that delivers this one is toast. But I live in a remote part of the outback, so I will probably be with them forever. But that does not mean I want to have to figure out how to get my data away from them at some future time.