so where exactly is this empty folder on your computer?

C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default\Mail\mail.comcast.net\Jan's Saved Messages.sbd\

Thanks for replying, Matt.

I did a search within Thunderbird for a specific email that was contained in one of the missing folders. I was able to find it but not able to determine where it is stored. It only shows Location as the name I gave the folder.

I looked in "File" but Properties was not an option. I did see Subscribe but didn't check it.

ok, that is the place holder that tells Thunderbird the folder has sub folders and contains the files that constitute the sub folders.

The folder "Jan's Saved Messages" will appear in the folder C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default\Mail\mail.comcast.net as a file with the name "Jan's Saved Messages" and no file extension. it should also have a companion file with the same name and the extension MSF.

The folder C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default\Mail\mail.comcast.net\Jan's Saved Messages.sbd\ahould contain files wit the names of the folders you would normally see as sub folders of "Jan's Saved Messages".

Do you see any of these files in the folder?

Having said all of that, I just a little concerned. you mention seeing a subscribe option. That should only appear on an IMAP mail account. The path you provided is for a POP mail account. So I am just a little concerned

Thanks, Matt. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I think you've done it!

Looking under C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default\Mail\mail.comcast.net\ for Jan's Saved Messages, I see two folders: One with mozmsgs ext. and one with sbd ext.

The mozmsgs folder contains email files only - no folder. This is probably where I stored emails that didn't fit into other folder categories.

The sbd folder contains the missing folder and appears to contain the missing sub folders and emails. How can I restore these folders and files?

PS: The only time I saw Subscribe option was when I had one of the "missing" emails open. I went to File menu and saw Subscribe. That menu did not include Properties. If I go to Tools/Account Settings/Server Settings there is no option for Subscribe.

To clarify, everything contained in a mozmsgs is a text representation of your emails, minus attachments and images provided for windows dumb search. In my case it was many many Megabytes of information and over 100,000 files. I turned off the windows search, as I never use it to search fr emails anyway and deleted those folders. Makes the backup much Much smaller.

But I digress.

C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default is your profile folder.

Close Thunderbird Go there and delete foldertree.json, Panacea.dat and Xulstore.Json

OK. Deleted those files. Can you help me get the folders back into Jan's Saved Messages? Thanks again, Matt.

did they not "just appear" when you restarted Thunderbird?

Nope.

Would System Restore do anything that might help?

Weird.... Do the actual files contain emails? Open them in notepad if you have any doubt. check the content of the first thing that opens. What is the X-mozila-status? If it is 8 we have a problem.

If there is mail in there Make a folder under local folders to hold whatever is in your missing folders Install the import export tools add-on. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/

right click the folder you created, select import an mbox file, including it's sub directories on the second panel import whatever mails are in the folder.

C:\Users\Jan and Dennis\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\9yi5lfny.default\Mail\mail.comcast.net\Jan's Saved Messages.sbd\

That did it.

A few emails are missing but 90% are back - and in the correct sub-folders.

Thank you so much for hanging in there with me, Matt. You rock!