Join the Mozilla’s Test Days event from Dec 2–8 to test the new Firefox address bar on Firefox Beta 134 and get a chance to win Mozilla swag vouchers! 🎁

This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Why can't Thunderbird recognise that I am an administrator?

  • 4
  • 1 nwere nsogbu anwere nsogbu a
  • 10 views
  • Nzaghachi ikpeazụ nke Matt

more options

I have followed instructions to clear a suspected corrupted trash folder. Tbird will let me delete 'Trashmsf' but not 'Trash' because it says I need administrators permission - even though I am working in the account for which I have administrator status. It could be that my Win8.1 user name is Forename/surname but my Tbird Profile is just my forename. Windows won't let me change my name. How do I get administrators permission to delete this trash file?

I have followed instructions to clear a suspected corrupted trash folder. Tbird will let me delete 'Trashmsf' but not 'Trash' because it says I need administrators permission - even though I am working in the account for which I have administrator status. It could be that my Win8.1 user name is Forename/surname but my Tbird Profile is just my forename. Windows won't let me change my name. How do I get administrators permission to delete this trash file?

All Replies (4)

more options

Do you have Thunderbird closed when your do this? Sounds to me like the file is locked by some program, thus requiring an administrator privilege to over ride.

more options

Hi Matt. Yes I have Tbird closed. I can only think it is a clash between profile names. My single name profile was transorted into Win8.1 from XP which allowed single names, so that was the name brought into AppData. Now, Windows insists on surnames.

more options

But it sounds as if your OS, and not Thunderbird, is what is objecting to your attempts to delete this file.

Can you open the offending file named Trash in a text editor, and clean it out there?

Edeziri site na Zenos

more options

GusMacbeth said

Hi Matt. Yes I have Tbird closed. I can only think it is a clash between profile names. My single name profile was transorted into Win8.1 from XP which allowed single names, so that was the name brought into AppData. Now, Windows insists on surnames.

As far a Windows is concerned your Thunderbird profile is just a collection of files. It has no idea what they are or what they mean in any way other than they are data. So your chasing the wrong line blaming profile names. I is almost certainly to be something about Windows 8. Right click the file and in properties look at the security information. Compare it to a file you can delete. But I really have no idea as I have treated it like the Virus it is. It resides on a DVD on my desk, not on my computer. My next big issue will be Windows 10 or Linux. Linux is looking pretty good.