I would have a look through her profile to see if any files have become orphaned.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data?redirectlocale=en-US&redirectslug=profiles-tb

I appreciate that this isn't super helpful because I don't know what I'd be looking for, so can't give you any specific directions. A file listing of the Mail part of the profile might be useful. Email it to me at xenos at gmx dot co dot uk if you're uneasy about posting to the forum.

I'm worried because you're not the only one reporting a sudden loss of stored messages.

Would uninstalling and then reinstalling Thunderbird affect the chances of retrieving her emails?

re :Would uninstalling and then reinstalling Thunderbird affect the chances of retrieving her emails? No.

I'm wondering if the original pop mail account could not be accessed for some unknown reason and instead Thunderbird created a new one.

Please follow instructions and report back on results. Make hidden files and folders visible:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Show_hidden_files_and_folders

In Thunderbird Help > TRoubleshooting Information click on 'show Folder' button a new window opens showing the contents of your profile name folder.

click on 'Mail' folder. You should see 'Local Folders' mail account folder. You will also see the pop mail account folder. Do you see any mention of another pop mail account of same name but maybe with a number. Please report back telling us exactly what you see? Post an image showing what you see.

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling Thunderbird tonight, with no change. The address book is still intact, and a search gives a hint that the emails are still there, but we can't read them.

I've uploaded a copy of her mail folder as an attachment. And I hope what I've posted below makes sense.

Thank you for your help so far.

 Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 45.5.0
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:45.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/45.5.0
   Profile Folder: Show Folder

             (Local drive)
   Application Build ID: 20161117035322
   Enabled Plugins: about:plugins
   Build Configuration: about:buildconfig
   Memory Use: about:memory

 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (pop3) pop3.xtra.co.nz:995, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , send.xtra.co.nz:465, SSL, passwordCleartext, true

   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

 Crash Reports
   http://crash-stats.mozilla.com/report/index/bp-e9dd018b-6d13-44c9-9bbf-18e922141023 (23-Oct-14)

 Extensions
   Lightning, 4.7.5, true, {e2fda1a4-762b-4020-b5ad-a41df1933103}

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 Library Versions

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     Version in use

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     NSS
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     3.21.3 Basic ECC

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The -1 names do suggest, as Toad has commented, that Thunderbird lost sight of the working folders and so created new ones.

I'd try copying the contents of the original Local Folders and pop3.xtra.co.nz into their -1 counterparts, and see what appears in Thunderbird.

I believe the current pop mail account is using: pop3.xtra.co-1.nz All your old emails were in pop3.xtra.co.nz Another method would be to try and point the local directory to the pop3.xtra.co.nz instead of pop3.xtra.co-1.nz

In Thunderbird right click on pop mail account name in Folder Pane and select: 'Settings' select 'Server Settings' for the pop mail account bottom right...'Local directory:' click in the text box that shows the local directory and then use keyboard right arrow to navigate to the end. I believe the last part will say...\Mail\pop3.xtra.co-1.nz Either: edit the end removing the -1, so it says pop3.xtra.co.nz OR click on 'browse' button and navigate to that folder.

When finished click on all OK's.

Restart Thunderbird.

I tried both those options and it's still not working. Any other steps I should be taking?

Should I try installing another email client and see if it can read the emails?

Thank you.

Lets see what you have got and where.

In Thunderbird

• Help > TRoubleshooting Information
• click on 'show Folder' button

a new window opens showing the contents of your profile name folder.

• click on 'Mail' folder.
• click on 'pop3.xtra.co.nz' mail account.

Make sure the 'Size' column displays. Post image of what you see in pop3.xtra.co.nz account.

• click on 'pop3.xtra.co-1.nz' mail account.

Make sure the 'Size' column displays. Post image of what you see in pop3.xtra.co-1.nz account.

close windows - top right X

In Thunderbird right click on pop mail account name in Folder Pane and select: 'Settings'

• select 'Server Settings' for the pop mail account
• bottom right...'Local directory:'
• click in the text box that shows the local directory.
• highlight everything in that directory,
• right click on hightlighted details and select 'copy'.
• Paste info into this forum question.

C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\2d79a77b.default\Mail\pop3.xtra.co-1.nz

Thank you.

re :pop3.xtra.co-1.nz mail account. As the Local directory is pointing to that account, leave as it is.

In supplied profile image of that account, I notice you have 'F&B.sbd' and 'Friends.sbd' folders. However, there should also be repective mbox and .msf files of identical name in that location; they are missing, so will need to be created in order to reveal anything in those folders.

RE: 'F&B.sbd' and 'Friends.sbd' folders. These folders are created when you have subfolders in that folder. Hopefully, they contain more mbox files containing emails and their indexing .msf files.

In Thunderbird, please create two new folders and call them:

• F&B
• Friends

use identical spelling as used in 'F&B.sbd' and 'Friends.sbd' folders stored in profile.

restart Thunderbird.

Report back on results. What do you see in the Folder Pane ? Post an image.

When I added the folders into Thunderbird, no emails appeared in them, even after I restarted Thunderbird. However, when I went into those folders in in the pop3.xtra.co-1.nz window, two new folders had appeared. One in each "new" folder.

She had tens of folders in Thunderbird.

I've also posted a screen shot of all the information that came up when I did a search on my name (which is one of the folders that's appeared in Windows, but not Thunderbird).

-) Thank you.

This is the sub-folder (my name) that appeared in the Friends folder. Windows thinks it's empty.

re :in the pop3.xtra.co-1.nz window, two new folders had appeared. That is correct. The newly added 'folders' in Thunderbird would appear as those files. They would get you access to any subfolders which would have been stored in the 'F&B.sbd' or 'Friends.sbd' folders and they would appear in the Folder Pane.

RE: First image below: In this view it does not show the size of the 'F&B.sbd' or 'Friends.sbd' folders. It is normal to only see size for files, not folders. If you click to open 'F&B.sbd' or 'Friends.sbd' folders what do you see.

I believe there will be another set of *.sbd folders, but can only confirm by seeing an image. I think you may have the same issue, that you have .sbd folders with no mbox nor .msf files which would create the access.

Make a note of the names of the *.sbd folders in the 'F&B.sbd' and 'Friends.sbd' folders, or keep the window open and handy.

For each *.sbd folder you see in the eg: 'Friends.sbd' folder, you need to create a subfolder of same name in the 'Friends' folder in Folder Pane. Then repeat the same action creating new subfolders in the 'F&B folder for any *sbd folders you see in the 'F&B.sbd' folder.

In Thunderbird.

• Right click on 'Friends' folder in Folder Pane and select: 'New Subfolder'.
• Give it a name which is identical to your name/*sbd folder as described here....This is the sub-folder (my name) that appeared in the Friends.sbd folder.
• Continue creating new subfolders in the 'Friends' folder to match the *sbd folders you found in the 'Friends.sbd' folder,

• Right click on 'F&B' folder in Folder Pane and select: 'New Subfolder'.
• create new subfolders in the 'F&B' folder to match the *sbd folders located in the 'F&B.sbd' folder.

Please report back on results.

It's been the silly season, and I've only just been able to get back to this.

I'd add in the "new" folders into Thunderbird as directed when they'd appear in the profile folder, but no new ones have appeared since last year and there are no emails within the folders.

Not many of the original folders have appeared.

Now what should I try.

Thanks.