Never used thunderbird, always outlook + exchange. Clients computer has failed. Going to do a format but they want their emails. So, ive taken out their hard drive, and pluged it into a 2nd pc in via usb caddy. I see theres a thunderbird folder in local settings\app data & app data.

But how can you bring it into thunderbird? Import only has options from applications like outlook express.

You need to install outlook and re-create the mailbox (installing the .pst files, address book etc). Thunderbird can then convert them over.

try going into tools --> account settings --> local folders and looking at the dir it's using. close thunderbird, copy the contents of the existing install into that dir of the new install

either that or use mozbackup if you don't mind installing a little third party app before and after

Mooby's trying to import outlook into thunderbird.

I didn't get that from his post cos he said he plugged what I assumed was their hard drive into his pc via a caddy, and saw a thunderbird folder in the application data dir

Mooby's trying to import outlook into thunderbird.

sorry if i wasnt clear. nah, trying to do thunderbird to thunderbird. got a copy of the guys hard drive. now about to format and bring all his messages back in

I can't remember what I did to get it to work but it was similar to this:

1. Install a fresh copy of Thunderbird. I recommend Thunderbird Portable because it keeps all the program and mail data together, making a backup a simple matter of copying the one Thunderbird directory.

2. Run it once so it makes a profiles directory

3. Copy the Mail directories over (under Profile,Mail)

4. Copy over prefs.js (also from the profiles directory) and edit it so the mailbox directories it points to are correct. The entries should be something like mail.identity.id1.fcc_folder and the values are unfortunately absolute paths to the mailbox directories, so you just change it to point to where your mailbox data is now.

That should do it. If you installed Thunderbird Portable like I said, you will never need to do this again :)

last edited by parabol at 22:04:13 26/Aug/08

after using ooutlook + exchange for so many years to me Thunderbird is s***, the files are just all over the place instead of just one convenient *.pst file. thunderbird files are not binary though and may be easier to recover. parabol pretty much explained the best way too

cool. seemed to have worked.