Starting over

[ohjrson]

OK Here is whats happening. I had a 32 bit dual processor system that just crashed on me, I think. I have done everything I can think of to try to get it back on but it just won't come back. So I have the Hard drive from that computer on this computer connected by a Sata to USB converter. I can access all the files I need to. I have already baked up or copied my Home folder. What I am looking for now is the files for Thunderbird so that I can get all the e-mails transferred over to the new system, there are certain e-mails and drafts I want to keep. WHere or how do I retrieve them?

Oh yeah and after I do this since it is the bigger HDD I am going to do a complete new install using LL 1.08

Thanks.
Ohjrson

[gold_finger]

I'm making your username on the computer as "ohjrson" in example below.  Change that to whatever your actual username is.

If you copied the "/home/ohjrson" file in its entirety (along with everything under it), then your Thunderbird data should also be on your backup copy.  Enable viewing of hidden files and look for ".thunderbird" directory -- that should contain everything you need.  (Note:  the filename begins with a period before the word "thunderbird".  Full path is /home/ohjrson/.thunderbird on your old installed drive.)

Since it sounds like you are going to do a fresh install to a completely different drive than original, don't nuke the original until after you have the new system up and running and have tested to see that your Thunderbird program indeed has everything you are looking to keep.

*  Go ahead and install same version number of Linux Lite you were using before.  (Switching from 1.0.6 to 1.0.8 may not matter since they are both based on same Ubuntu LTS.)  Make sure to use the same username on the new install that you had on the old one.  (If you switch from 32-bit to 64-bit, I think that will be okay, but not 100% sure copy back of ".thunderbird" (or other program configs) will work.  I think it will, but don't KNOW.  I've never done that, so not sure whether program config files under /home will work normally in that scenario.)

*  Perform initial updates

*  Install any additional programs that you may have added on your own before to the old install.

*  Replace everything under your new /home/ohjrson with the backed-up /home/ohjrson files (including the hidden files).

1. Delete new Documents, Downloads, Music, etc. directories and the hidden files under /home/ohjrson.
   
2. Copy old Documents, Downloads, Music, etc. directories and the hidden files to /home/ohjrson.

*  When you open Thunderbird (and other programs) they should use those copied old config files and everything will appear just as you left it.


If you switched from 32-bit to 64-bit Linux Lite and discover that the copies don't work, then will be a bit more work -- but as long as you have backup copy and (better yet) original drive in tact you should be able to get your emails back.  Someone else may have to guide you through that process because I'm not that familiar with Thunderbird.

[ohjrson]

Thanks that was helpful. I will say this, it was simpler than I thought. Once I found the .thunderbird file you spoke of it was a simple matter of putting the mail folder in the right user folder to see what I needed. Worked like a charm.

Then I discovered that I needed 1 email and I easily transferred that over by renaming the inbox by adding a 1 to it then pasting the copied inbox information from other user folder thunderbird used to identify with, forwarded that to myself, closed Thunderbird and then changed everything back and bang it was there in the sent folder and I just had to move it to the inbox. Easy peasy... Hope that made sense to you. Cause it worked....

Nite
ohjrson