I used to run Mozilla Thunderbird Portable from a U3 launchpad preinstalled on my Sandisk cruzer 16GB. Unfortunately I broke the cruzer but, luckily, I was able to recover all the data as they were phisically stored on it (now safely on a folder of my laptop). Question is: how can I transfer all back on another USB memory card (which doesn't have U3 installed) and run Thunderbird Portable as before with the same old data in it? Ideally I might take this opportunity to go safer: is there a way to run Thunderbird Portable from the USB memory card protecting the content of Thunderbird (my emails) so that nobody else can simply pick-up my memory card and read my correspondance? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Bruno
New: Kanri (Oct 9, '24), Platform 29.5.3 (Jun 27, '24)
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Thunderbird U3 is long-dead, I dropped support for it years ago. And I don't have a U3 drive any longer (uninstalled it) and U3 is now dead as well. But let me try and pseudo-construct how to do it for you.
In one of the U3 folders you'll see a folder called FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15, that is TB for U3. In there is a Data folder and a profile folder within that. The contents of that profile folder should be transferred to a fresh install of Thunderbird Portable to the ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile folder. That should do it.
The number FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15 may be wrong. That was the number of 1.5.0.4, the last legitimate version of TB for U3. You may have been running an unofficial/illegal version of a later package in which case that UUID may be different.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Many many thanks for your support. I downloaded and installed Thunderbird Portable on my new USB memory card. I found the folder FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15 as you indicated. It contains the file thunderbird_u3_2.0.0.4_en-us.u3p and three folders: Data, Exec and profile. I trasferred the content of the profile folder into the USB memory card under E:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile then I run the Portable Suite application and Thunderbird from there. As a result it started downloading all the pending messages in the Inbox folder. Unfortunately I still miss one thing: what about all the folders full of old emails I had on the previous version? Should I have to copy as well the FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15\Data\Profile content into the E:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile or should I create a new folder for data in the destination?
What is inside the FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15\Data and FEFECB84-0E05-42d8-B044-F2D0FCFF8C15\Profile folders?
I think the contents of the \Data folder should be copied to E:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\.
Your old emails should be inside \Data\profile\Mail. They should be back if you copy them to X:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable\Data\profile\Mail.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
Hi guys, your help is fantastic! I recovered my old emails and the new Thunderbird works fine. One little open issue and two extra questions for you:
Second question is: is there a way to secure the content of my USB memory card containing Thunderbird? Many thanks in advance!
Open issue is: I have nothing in the address book. Do you know the name of the file I should search for? The questions are: can you recommend a backup program for the Thunderbird (or the PortableApps suite)? After this experience I feel the need of daily backups!
look for abook.mab or other *.mab files. In the new TB you can then import address book data, you will find unctions for it in the TB address book it self.
Backup: the portable suite has such backup included. Otherwise google for mozbackup, this is kind of building site still, but might work. Make backup of whole TBP folder and then try if you can store and restore data with it, it is sometimes little tricky.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Hi Otto. Unfortunately I see no such file (or extension) among my saved data...
is in fact the file whee addresses are stored in, if you have no such file, then you can try to recover it with some file recovery software, but there might be not big hope any more if you have done some more writing on the crashed stick.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Although its outdated too, I wrote a Howto for the same problem but with Firefox. Its a little different but basically the same. But its actually the same as what John said.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate