In message , Paul
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
Two friends have suffered hardware failures, and in both cases have
started anew, with the same software.
Eudora user: hard drive fail; managed to restore OS etc. from image
[snip]
Thunderbird user: complete computer fail (dead behaviour). I don't
[]
Want to restore old emails from before their failures:
o without losing any new emails (i. e. "merge" old and new)
o with access to files only - can't _run_ anything on them I think): i.
e. it _isn't_ like exporting from a running machine to a new one.
Any pointers for either software?
Thanks.

I don't know a thing about this, whether it'll work or not. I
would suggest backing up all materials before attempting anything fancy.

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US...xporttools-ng/

Thanks; I'll look into it. If it involves "exporting" from the failed
system, no can do as it's dead; all I'll have (I hope!) is whatever
files are on the HD.
*******

For the Eudora, that's probably the old one, not the EudoraOSE which
is Thunderbird in disguise.

Yes, I looked at that a few years ago, thinking it may be a way of
weaning my blind friends onto at least something that was being
maintained. However, (a) though it looked similar to a sighted person,
it didn't to a blind one (he got into a pane he couldn't get out of),
(b) it wasn't in the end maintained (I think it was Thunderbird 4 or
something like that!), and (c) real Eudora works fine* on Windows 7, and
I think even 10!
[* on his machines. On her (7) one, because of some oddity about how we
reinstalled it at some point, it comes up with some message about not
being able to set itself as the default email client, presumably not
having some permission somewhere. Easily dismissed, though if anyone
knows the answer, it'd be good to get rid of the popup.]

I find this discouraging statement.

http://qwerky.50webs.com/eudorarescue/

"Eudora maintains its message database in mailbox (*.mbx)
files which are not quite standard mbox files."

(That tool can be used as part of preparing Eudora datafill
for use in Thunderbird somehow.)

Again, will keep in case she ever wants to change.

So then the question becomes, is there a way to say, set up
a second copy of Eudora (a "portable" one), and then do a COM
import or something ? [Outlook Express used to pull emails
one at a time using COM, and it was one form of email
importation on Windows computers. I suppose discrete .eml
files would be the closest equivalent today.]

Would have to do its pulling from rescued files, rather than a working
machine. However, she's done the merge, see previous post!

Tools which use *******ized file formats for stuff,
aren't going to make merging all that easy.

Indeed.

It would have been better, to stop pulling mail when
things broke, setting up a new setup with the old
files loaded, and *then* pulling new mail. For example,

Of course. But both these ladies (6x and blind for Eudora, and 81 and
scatty for TB) are at the opposite end of the country (300 miles) from
me, and wanted to have email back some while before I visited for
Christmas/New Year! [Doing the restore (of her C: and hidden partitions,
i. e. OS and installed software) from a Macrium image, using Skype on
her iPhone so I could see her screen, was fun! Especially as at one
point I couldn't work out the keyboard presses, and had to guide her in
the use of the mouse, which she'd never used before!]

disconnecting the network cable while commissioning the
replacement setup, would prevent any overly aggressive
mail tools from contacting anyone.

Paul

Thunderbird user to be visited later this week; first job obviously to
determine why her old PC died. (Screen wouldn't come on, but some lights
do and fan does. I'm hoping it's at best just PSU failure, second best
faulty power connector. [I've previously seen both of those get enough
power through to light the odd LED but not run the PC.] Yes, I did try
getting her to remove the battery and it isn't that.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Everyone learns from science. It all depends how you use the knowledge. - "Gil
Grissom" (CSI).