Migrated to a new computer, but one account wipes out its profile folder data if I don't enter an account password
I just set up a new computer and migrated my old Thunderbird profile over with no problems except for the fact that I cannot seem to link one of the accounts to its offline folder, so that account's inbox is empty. The folder for the account exists in the profile and the emails are in it (it is almost 1GB on the drive). Or they were...
This is an account that is no longer active (my offline files act as an archive) so although I still get prompted for a password I simply click "cancel" every time. I have noticed that when I do this, all the data in the account's IMAP profile folder gets wiped out. The inbox.msf file goes from about 300MB to almost zero. SO I copy the folder contents back again from a backup, cancel out the password prompt, and once again the data gets wiped out.
How can I force this account to basically act as an offline-only account and not keep wiping out the data? This did not happen on the old computer -- the same machine that I downloaded the folder to when the account was active.
One thing to note -- this is an account that is no longer active so my offline files act as an archive, but I still get prompted for a password every time I click on the (empty) inbox. I just cancel that prompt. Could this be one reason that account is not displaying properly?
Modified by wordfool
Chosen solution
Would the account be an IMAP account. They are synchronized you know. So when contact with the server is lost all mail is deleted.
Install the import export tools add-on.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/
Create a folder in "local folders" in Thunderbird to hold the mail data. Select the folder Right click the folder and select the import export tools menu entry and select import mbox files from the menu. (the last option that includes sub directories) Point it to the folder that has the relevant mail. Let it import the mail.
IMAP stored on the local computer is little more than a cache. People keep expecting it to be some sort of off line archive. It is anything but that. As you are now finding.
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Chosen Solution
Would the account be an IMAP account. They are synchronized you know. So when contact with the server is lost all mail is deleted.
Install the import export tools add-on.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/
Create a folder in "local folders" in Thunderbird to hold the mail data. Select the folder Right click the folder and select the import export tools menu entry and select import mbox files from the menu. (the last option that includes sub directories) Point it to the folder that has the relevant mail. Let it import the mail.
IMAP stored on the local computer is little more than a cache. People keep expecting it to be some sort of off line archive. It is anything but that. As you are now finding.
Awesome, thanks for the suggestion. I imported the account data to Local and deleted to existing IMAP account and associated profile folder.
Based on the sheer size of the IMAP folder (over 1GB) I always assumed it was the actual content, not just a cache. Good to know.
I presume once I've done all this I can deactivate the import/export addon and don't need to worry about the new local folder going awol, correct?.
Modified by wordfool
As you got all your mail, it is all the content. It is the status of the data that is questionable. There are moves afoot to stop the deletion when the server can not be connected. But when we will see the fruits of that labour I do not know. Probably a year.
Once stuff is in local folders, it is yours. Your job now is to back it up because there is no cloud backup anymore. (The IMAP account)
Note, It is only because I felt I would reply to your cache comment in the email I received that I even saw your final paragraph.
Modified by Matt