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.

Avatar for Username

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

This thread was archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

Thunderbird won't open and receive profile missing pop-up message even though followed instructions from https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1123342

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 8 views
  • Last reply by Matt

Vini1
Vini1
more options

Migrating from a Win 7 machine to Win 10, I deleted the new profile in the C:users-username-roaming folder, pasted my existing profile in the folder and received the error message: profile missing or inaccessible. Following the instructions on https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1123342 and the ini file appears correct but still receive the profile missing pop-up when trying to open Thunderbird.

Migrating from a Win 7 machine to Win 10, I deleted the new profile in the C:users-username-roaming folder, pasted my existing profile in the folder and received the error message: profile missing or inaccessible. Following the instructions on https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1123342 and the ini file appears correct but still receive the profile missing pop-up when trying to open Thunderbird.

Chosen solution

Thanks Matt. This has been solved this by following the steps to doublecheck the .ini file from this post: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1123342

There are two drives on the new computer and the incorrect .ini file was on the data drive (I had been only looking on the OS drive), now that it has been updated with the correct profile all is working as it should.

Thanks, again for your willingness to help and your clear answers on the other questions I read in trying to solve this before posting my question.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (5)

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

perhaps you could pot the contents of the profiles.ini file and a screen image of the file manager showing the path to the profile.

Vini1
Vini1 Question owner
more options

Chosen Solution

Thanks Matt. This has been solved this by following the steps to doublecheck the .ini file from this post: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1123342

There are two drives on the new computer and the incorrect .ini file was on the data drive (I had been only looking on the OS drive), now that it has been updated with the correct profile all is working as it should.

Thanks, again for your willingness to help and your clear answers on the other questions I read in trying to solve this before posting my question.

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

just a warning for your own sanity. Never change the local directories in account settings.

They fragment the profile data and make the next move a nightmare with absolute references that usually no longer exist.

Vini1
Vini1 Question owner
more options

Thank you. I will make a note of that. I hope not to migrate for several years, and maybe by then some of these accounts can be retired. But, at the moment I need to access old emails that are in no-longer-hosted email accounts, so this profile is the easiest way to access it (aside from an old slow machine that is painful to use - and not portable). The rest of the active email accounts are IMAP, so are easy to add to a new machine.

In the future, if I still need those old emails, is there an easier way than moving the profile? Could I just copy and paste the specific email folders to a new profile?

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Vini1 said

In the future, if I still need those old emails, is there an easier way than moving the profile? Could I just copy and paste the specific email folders to a new profile?

I think I cover that here http://thunderbirdtweaks.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page.html

Please tell me if I do not. A technical writer I am not.