the various inboxes are all mostly the same, with differing numbers of unread messages. Snapshots of when I did the Imports I guess

Yep everytime you imported it just did a repeat. The differing numbers could be you stopping the import early by either selecting again or rebooting.

Enable this so you can see size: 'View' > 'Layout' > select 'Folder Pane Columns' Then enable the 'Size' column in Folder pane. See image below as guide.

Do any of the 'Inbox' folders say they have a size of 34 or 35 MB ? If yes, then that is the Inbox with all the emails.

You do not need to keep rebooting. Remember the Inbox is nearly 35 MB, the 'Sent folder may also be large. so allow time for the import to fully import.

Tell me when you have got the 'Inbox', 'Sent', 'Drafts' and 'Trash ' imported.

Then post image of Folder pane so I see the sizes.

well, I explored & this E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net file folder seems apropos. Inbox = 1.2GB

Hmmm imported 1.2GB Inbox file from last clip - nada. Did not get back my pretty extensive file system of saved emails

I went through & deleted all the duplicate Inboxes in my email that I generated before.

Folder pane in TBird looks just like before.. well maybe a few more emails in my inbox since last screen shot

AHA I may have something...

I was transferring this whole Q&A string to a MSWord doc, & I came on your 2/14/18, 9:25 AM post, saying... Local Directory: You say it is currently pointing to : E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\ 4lmjatm5.default\Mail

It needs to have the \Local Folders on the end after \Mail click on 'Browse' Point to this location: E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders click on OK

Then in Folder pane. Right click on 'Local Folders' mail account and select 'New Folder'

   Name it 'Inbox'     create as a subfolder of: 'Local Folders'     click on 'Create Folder' 

I don't think I ever did that, so I just tried it. I was unable to create a directory called Inbox, Windows kept saying there was already a file called that there. So I renamed all the directories with Inbox in their name to ~Inbox...

Still cannot do it.. I stopped at this point might this be a direction to follow?

You pointed Local Folders, Local directory to : E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders

Then you must have created the 'Inbox' as directed because it exists in your Local Folders Folder Pane view.

Please do not start changing the names of folders in the profile as this completely messes up everything. It is very clear that you do not understand where anything should be nor the function of specific folders.

Those folders had specific names that were subdirectories to top level folders with .sbd extensions. In the current state they have been rendered useless.

Exit Thunderbird. In Profile folders, at this location:

• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders.

you change a folder so it currently says ~Inbox.sbd. Please change that back to say Inbox.sbd as it would be the folder linked to 'Inbox' mbox file and would hold any Inbox subfolders as mbox files.

you are right, I don't understand the file system! Anyway, I changed all back to the original (I had renamed & saved) - here are the current contents. 3 folders in Inbox.sbd - pic encl Biking has 2 sub-folders, IEEE has 1 subfolders. A couple have another subfolder nested in it. None have any files in them. The structure mirrors some of my old saved email directory structure.

I have run Import on the Inbox file in E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default, but this results in no additional saved mail subdirectories. I see that the date in that file is 2/15/2018, so I assume we have been overwriting it.

I have an older copy of E:\Data\TBird Backup\~844wiobk.default\Mail dated 2/10/18. Maybe we could copy this in place of the one we are using & recover ???

re : E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net file It contains a massive Inbox file of 1513077KB or 1513.077 MB or 1.513077GB.

Currently your pop mail account has an email address using server settings 'secure.emailsrvr.com'. This info was provided in your 'Troubleshooting Information. So it tells us exactly what mail account server settings you are using and number of mail accounts. You have one mail account for one email address using using server settings 'secure.emailsrvr.com'

Please tell me more about the mail account which used server settings: 'mail.cerrillos.net'.

Is this an old server setting, perhaps the original one used for your current pop email address before it was updated to use different server settings 'secure.emailsrvr.com' ?

Or is this a completely different email address to the one currently shown in your Folder Pane?

Or is this a completely different email address which is no longer used and you stored the old emails in 'Local Folders'

Are these the missing emails which you had stored under 'Local Folders' mail account?

Basically, before trying to move them, I need to understand more about this mail account.

E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd folder

The image supplied contains three .sbd folders suggesting you had subfolders in Inbox. Those .sbd folders should contain mbox files.

1. Biking.sbd
2. Government.sbd
3. IEEE & TAPPI.sbd

At the moment there are no mbox files to link to them so do the following.

In Thunderbird (not profile folders) In the left Folder Pane, under 'Local Folders' mail account.

Right click on 'Inbox' folder and select 'New Folder' Give it a name: Biking Create as a subfolder of: 'Inbox on Local Folders' click on 'Create Folder'

Right click on 'Inbox' folder and select 'New Folder' Give it a name: Government Create as a subfolder of: 'Inbox on Local Folders' click on 'Create Folder'

Right click on 'Inbox' folder and select 'New Folder' Give it a name: IEEE & TAPPI Create as a subfolder of: 'Inbox on Local Folders' click on 'Create Folder'

the old mail account was my old account

On 2/10 I hired an 'expert' from JustAnswers because I couldn't get TBird to work. I gave him control of my Desktop on 2/12. He then worked with TBird & it briefly worked, then failed into the current state when I tried to move the file on E to the NAS. And here we sit.

The 2/10 file is from before he worked on the PC & is the whole directory from that date.

In a day or so I will be able to recover the NAS subdirectory files from the NAS itself. I have not logged on since the rebuild.. instructions are in my lost email!

It has always just been the one account, split somehow years ago into the 2 profiles we are currently dealing with, 844wiobk.default & 4lmjatm5.default. I would like to have just one – this is way too confusing….

ok, did that. I also created their subfolders as in the directory. See clip

re :ok, did that. I also created their subfolders as in the directory. See clip

No you have not followed my instructions. You have put them into the wrong account. You have put all those folders under your pop mail account. I instructed you to put them under 'Local Folders' because according to the info you supplied, that is where all the .sbd fold were located.

• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd folder

So please delete all the ones you created.

Then start again, but this time do it in 'Local Folders' mail account. In the left Folder Pane, under 'Local Folders' mail account. Right click on 'Inbox' folder and select 'New Folder' Enter folders as previously mentioned. Please not enter anything other than the three I asked you to enter.

Then post an images showing contents of the following:

• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\Biking.sbd folder
• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\Government.sbd folder
• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\IEEE & TAPPI.sbd folder

ok. Do I have it right now?

re :the old mail account was my old account

So they were for the same email address set up as a pop mail account.

It would seem you originally used the server settings : 'mail.cerrillos.net'. But then created another profile and set up the same identical email address but this time used different server settings: 'secure.emailsrvr.com'

RE: E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net folder With huge Inbox = 1.2GB

Thunderbird needs to be closed.

Access: E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net folder Please rename 'Inbox' no extension mbox file to say 'OldInbox'. Also rename 'Inbox.msf' to say 'OldInbox.msf'

Start Thunderbird. Right click on pop mail account/email address name in Folder Pane. select 'ImportExportTools' > 'Import mbox file' Select 'Import directly one or more mbox files' click on 'OK'

Go to: E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net folder select: 'OldInbox' click on 'Open'

Be patient this is a very large file. With any luck this should get imported.

re :ok. Do I have it right now? View of Folder pane looks good.

When you created 'Biking' folder: did the 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines' folder appear or did you create it?

I did not want you to create it because I needed to see what was in the following first. Then post an images showing contents of the following:

• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\Biking.sbd folder
• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\Government.sbd folder
• E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\IEEE & TAPPI.sbd folder

ok, working on it.

BTW, I laughably just got

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when I was asking, not answering!!

getting confusing...

I renamed 'Inbox' no extension mbox file to say 'OldInbox' & 'Inbox.msf' to say 'OldInbox.msf' Restarted TBird.

Now I see your latest: When you created 'Biking' folder: did the 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines' folder appear or did you create it?

I created it & the other subfolders

I did not want you to create it because I needed to see what was in the following first. Then post an images showing contents of the following:

Shall I delete the subfolders?

Here is everything as it is now:

Awaiting your answer on whether I should delete the subfolders before I Import

In E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net folder renamed 'Inbox' no extension mbox file to say 'OldInbox' & renamed 'Inbox.msf' to say 'OldInbox.msf'.

Right-clicked on my account name & did Import from E:\Data\Thunderbird\844wiobk.default\Mail\mail.cerrillos.net folder: 'OldInbox'

no file structure imported.

I think we have overwritten this file...

I will save the enntire directory & substitute the 2/10 844wiobk.default file and see if that yields a better result...

re :should delete the subfolders before I Import It would seem that you used to have eg: Biking folder with subfolders. This was known because you had a Biking.sbd' folder in the profile folders. Creating a new 'Biking' folder would create the 'Biking' mbox file in profile and so allow you to see what was in the 'Biking.sbd' folder. What was not known was did the 'Biking.sbd' folder contain any mbox files or more *.sbd folders.

The image provided shows the 'Biking.sbd' folder contained a 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines.sbd' folder. When you created the folder called 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines', this created the mbox file so allowing access to the 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines.sbd' folder.

In Folder Pane, if you click on 'Clubs, Groups, and Magazines' folder, does it contain anything.

RE: 'GEARs' folder. You have created this folder as a subfolder of 'Inbox'. Unfortunately, you have not created it in the correct place. The image you supplied shows the 'Biking.sbd' folder in profile contains a 'GEARs.sbd' folder. This means you should have created a new folder called 'GEARs' as a subfolder of 'Biking' folder, not 'Inbox'.

As I said, please only create the three specific folders because until we know what is in each *.sbd folder, we do not know where to recreate the neccessary subfolders.

Please delete the current 'GEARs' folder and it's subfolder 'Rides'. Create 'GEARs' as a subfolder of 'Biking' folder.

Please post an image showing contents of : E:\Data\NAS Echo\Thunderbird\4lmjatm5.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox.sbd\Biking.sbd\GEARS.sbd folder.