forums.xandros.com

[BarryGarsson]

Sheng-Chieh and Ben,
The file sizes are different. For Inbox, in V3 it's:
30,176,033
and in V4 it's:
30,156,913
For Sent, in V3, it's:
24,622,861
and in V4 it's:
24,621,967
Trash was emptied before I did this so it's 0 bytes in both.

I also noticed that in V4's file manager, I am able to open "Sent" in text editor and actually see all of the messages stored there, so they are there (they also seem to be in "sent.msf") and same with "Inbox" and "Inbox.msf". But not in Thunderbird 2.

So now what? A direct copy and the files are different sizes?

I tried recopying them using V4's file manager (the only place I can browse into V3's Mail folder) and found I do not have the option (in V4) of copying these files at all (at least not from their folder - I could probably copy them into a flash drive, or into my FAT32 partition, but haven't I already done that and the file sizes are different?).

Unless you come up with a solution after this information, I think my only choice will be to foward my mail to myself and pick it up as new messages in V4. I don't like doing that since the return addresses will be my own - and just leave the very old stuff in V3 as an archive, and essentially start from scratch.

If I am going to do that, by the way, do I really need Thunderbird at all? I like Firefox with all of its features, but does Thunderbird offer anything special?

My V4 is the professional version, and includes Evolution which the manual says is the default e-mail program. I tried (and failed) importing from Evolution but the same invisibility of my V3 ".mozilla-thunderbird" folder as was the situation in trying to use Thunderbird's account settings browse button is unchanged, so I would also have to forward V3's mail and pick it up in Evolution.

I'll wait to hear from you on all of these questions. To summarize:

1) if you can solve my immediate problem one last time, that would be preferable

2) please let me know how Evolution compares to Thunderbird, I assume it links to Firefox same as Thunderbird (as with mail from this forum).

I am rapidly running out of steam here guys, I think I've had quite enough. I also feel very strongly that the people at Xandros who program these OS's have probably not thought out all of the ramifications of their updates. I mean, why shouldn't this all work seamlessly? My wife would have thrown out the computer itself by this time and returned to snail mail.

Barry

[shengchieh]

Sorry about the delay - DSL went down most of the workday !@#$%^.

File sizes should be exactly the same.
You should be doing nothing to change
their sizes. What is the sizes on the floppy?

Start again where the file sizes differ.
I suspect you'll need to delete your TB profile
folder in v4 and start TB/v4 again. But first check that
file sizes in the floppy disk are the same as in
TB/v3.

Concerning evolution ...

I know nothing as I never used it.

Even another angle: I believe the Inbox/Sent/Trash files are
mbox format. You should be able to append them (but I'm
not exactly sure).

Another angle: ask the TB geeks in

http://forums.mozillazine.org/
-> Thunderbird Support

[Warning: do your homework before asking - they geek-speak.]

Sheng-Chieh
_________________

[BarryGarsson]

I did in fact send queries to the guys at Mozillzine forum Thunderbird Support and was directed to the following link:

http://nic-nac-project.de/~kaosmos/mboximport-en.html

where I began to learn about "mboxes."

To make a long story short, here is the procedure if anyone is still interested (don't know about you all, I'm worn out):

1) Download the mbox import file into Thunderbird in both V3 and V4 (note: to do this you open up the extensions window under "Tools" in T-bird and drag the download file into the window. Might take several tries to get it to "stick").

2) copy a file or files (suggest one at a time) like "Inbox" (not "Inbox.msd" - wonder what that's there for anyway) or "Sent" using the Xandros file manager - important to note that the add-on will not "see" the profile folder like ".mozilla-thuinderbird" but file manager does easily.

3) paste the file into a common-ground area (I call it the DMZ), preferably another partition like my FAT32 partition that can be easily seen and read and written to by either V3 or V4. In my computer, in Linux, that partition looks like: /disks/D - so now "Inbox" and "Sent" copies will be sitting in an open for business location.

4) Reboot in V4. Open Thunderbird there (Thunderbird 2) and click on "Tools -> mbox import/export" (that will have been created there by the mbox download after it's installed and T-bird is closed and reopened a few times. Click on import a single file (was next window after import/export).

5) Browse to the free partition (for me, again, "/disks/D") and the mbox import will see "Inbox" or " or "Sent" or whatever sitting there. Select it in the mbox window and click on "open."

6) Close T-bird, and re-open it. This time under the "Inbox" that was created by the installation of T-bird will appear, as a sub-folder under the first Inbox, the transferred Inbox, Sent, whatever.

I haven't reorganized these moved folders yet - my copied "Inbox" is obviously now a local folder much as my custom folders are, but that's OK - at least it's all in one place.

There is an export function in mbox, but I don't think it's needed here, probably not necessary to install mbox into the V3 T-Bird. Copy and paste gets the files out of there and into a place where mbox import from V4 can get them.

This doesn't appear to have had anything to do with permissions, or file sizes - perhaps the mbox import software takes care of that. Thankfully, another process that keeps me out of the dreaded console window.

Hey, everyone, it's close to midnight here in Florida, rained a little today, we're in the middle of a serious drought, probably something to do with global warming nobody seems to be concerned about - so I am going to bed - I'm really tired.

Barry

[BarryGarsson]

Guess I'm not entirely out of the woods yet: the e-mails that arrive, and the ones I imported are very, very light - that is, the typeface is not a dark black but almost a light gray - looks like the mail is almost washed out.

Any thoughts?

Barry

[papabearak]

[BarryGarsson]

Ben, you are a genius. I'm sure it must be genetic.

That did it. I changed the fonts (the color selection did nothing, by the way) and made them larger and used Times New Roman (it was already set to Western (ISO-etc.). I did have to check the "Apply the default...." which is what I think did it. I'm surprised those weren't set already as defaults.

BTY, I also asked Mozillezine forum, the reply was "not familiar with Linux" and enclosed a link, but they did solve my "mbox" problem.

I'm now a happy camper.

Barry

[papabearak]

[BarryGarsson]

FTIW: mbox will not import a folder if it contains subfolders. To get the import to work, have to move (inV3) all of the subfolders into the "Local Folders" parent folder first, then import each one separately, then, in V4, put the subs back into proper placement again. And thank you too, Sheng-Chieh.
Barry

[HealingMindOS]

[BarryGarsson]

Sorry, I am long since gone with Microsoft Windows XP Thunderbird.

In Mac that is now my current situation (for the last 3+ years) I still use Thunderbird but installed into Mac (my current Thunderbird is Version 2.0.0.23 last installation was 2009. It use inside the Mac is otherwise identically as when in Microsoft. By the way, Firefox I no longer use since the Mac comes with their own use called "Safari" that works very well.

And since the Mac I just do not have the issues that used to be of Microsoft.

Barry Garsson