Big Challenges in Moving Thunderbird from Win 8 to Win 7 Computer

I just got rid of a badly performing (technically and otherwise) computer running Win 8.1 and bought a new Toshiba laptop with Win 7. Everything's been fine EXCEPT for big problems trying to get Thunderbird moved.

First, I copied ALL the Thunderbird files on to a USB drive for safety. Just copying them over to the new machine did not work. I read through the various how-to's on the Mozilla site, but rankly, found them confusing. I don't think I can use the highly-touted moving program the way I have copied my files.

Next, let me mention that I decided it might be smart to download Thunderbird Portable, which picked up all my emails and setting very well, and have been using it while trying to figure out how to get the info from there, if that's the solution, over to the new PC.

I am NOT a super tech, so the simpler the better, if anyone has some ideas.

Thanks for your time and help.

Move to a new PC - MozillaZine Knowledge Base

Ooops--I should have mentioned that I had already gone to MozillaZine Knowledge Base, but found that information to be either worthless (in that it doesn't work; must be differences due to age of posting) or is simply too confusing...and I can usually follow directions pretty well.

Any other ideas?

Ugh, it should be as easy - as moving the TB profile? :-0

Code:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb

(not tested, haven't used it in a while :))

Gkaywood said:

Ooops--I should have mentioned that I had already gone to MozillaZine Knowledge Base, but found that information to be either worthless (in that it doesn't work; must be differences due to age of posting) or is simply too confusing...and I can usually follow directions pretty well.

Any other ideas?

Why did it not work? I have no problem with the instructions. What did you do, what did you find confusing?

Put another way, please state succinctly what you did, what happened, or else what you did not do because you did not understand. Without that information, no, I don't have any other ideas; with it, I might have some (and a few of those ideas might even be useful.)

This might help: Files and folders in the profile - Thunderbird - MozillaZine Knowledge Base

OK, let's review it all.... Not Myself, regarding the Knowledge Base stuff, first, I can't use the mozillaZine info using Mozbackup because I did not backup using that program. I simply copied the Mozilla Thunderbird folder from my old computer and made up a separate folder with the Crash Reports and Profiles folder plus the file profiles.ini, which I believe were all in a separate folder (something like %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles).

Looking through the rest of the page, since I don't have the old PC any longer, I can't use the "copy and paste just a few files instead" instructions. The other sections do not apply.

Now, what I DO have is a fully working copy of Thunderbird Portable, with all my stored emails, addresses, etc, that is working just fine from a USB drive. My ideal solution is to get that data into a full-blown copy of Thunderbird on the new computer, as I do not want to always use the USB drive just for my email.

Does that help point towards a solution (I hope, I hope)?

Nostromov: thanks for your suggestion. I will consider it if I can't get this done maybe a little easier. The "Moving a profile" instructions have a lot of "ifs" and unfamiliar things in them that sound dicey.

Easy solution: Wave the USB key over the desktop computer while reciting the proper incantation.

More difficult solution: Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition Support | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives . There is a section on moving from full to portable; a quick scan of mozillaZine gave that link and said to reverse the process.

The previous paragraph was easy for me to write, given that I know nothing about Tb portable, and,therefore, am extending my standard guarantee, which has as much value as I have knowledge about Tb Portable.