omg help. please.

[mickeym]

Computer help.

At some point today, about 3p, my computer froze; when I rebooted (I had to unplug the damned thing), the internet (wireless connection) disappeared. As it turned out, I just needed to reboot the router, but that ended up being the least of the issues.

I've been downstairs using my laptop all evening, so I'm just now coming up. Internet is restored up here, so I double-click on my Thunderbird icon to load up my mail...and I get the fucking "Mail Wizard" thing. My mail has disappeared. O_O Cue panic.

Okay, self, I say. You can deal with this. I reboot the computer and nope, still no mail. And Firefox is giving me the Firefox homepage, the start-up, "welcome to Firefox", and just. No.

So I open up the "reset computer to an earlier time" thingy... and try it. Three times. And three times it FAILS. I have no idea why. I let it do its thing, I don't interrupt, and it can't tell me WHY, just 'failed for non-specified error'. WTF? So I bite the bullet and think "maybe if I run the mail wizard, everything will be there, hunky-dory". Except, no. It's not. The only thing(s) showing up are the new mail messages that were being held in webmail.

Except...when I go into AppData, or whatever that folder is, and into Thunderbird profiles... the original files, the ones I set up last fall, they're there. So my question to anyone who's followed me this far... how do I get Thunderbird to recognize those are there? The files look like this:

Mail_folder 11/01/2007
Mail_folder_1 03/23/2008

Every folder I have has a second one, with the _1 after it. So. Help?

I'm never buying a Dell computer again, I'll tell you that. I've had nothing but problems with Matthew's, and this one freezes up all the time, and just. ARGH.

Note: I'm going to bed in like, five minutes because meep, it's now 11pm. But any assistance y'all can offer will be much appreciated tomorrow, when I get home from work and can play around with this. Thanks!

Comments

[maygra.livejournal.com]

Can you copy (not move) the contents of the older folder into the new one?

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

I tried that, after seeing your suggestion. And my folders appeared, in the mail program, but sans content. *headdesk*

I guess I'll have to fiddle some more with it when I get home.

Thanks!

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

i'm so sorry you are having computer fuckwittage. I cannot help at all because I have no idea what you are talking about, all my email is on gmail, but I will send you *HUGS* anyway.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

I've contemplated moving all my email to gmail, but. I like Thunderbird, I like having the ability to do separate folders, etc. Ugh.

*curls up against you*

[rivers-bend.livejournal.com]

edited because I've now googled thunderbird.

ok, that's too complicated looking for me to compare to gmail.

I do love gmail though *g*

[munibunny.livejournal.com]

Oh man! I'm a mac user so I'm pretty clueless. Sorry, hun!

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think it's a Windows thing, but I dunno. *sighs* Thanks, though :)

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

You realize it's because it's Vista and not Dell, right? ;-)

*runs*

Can you import your profile back into Thunderbird and Firefox?

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think it's Vista, alone. (That may be part of the problem, but I don't think it's the whole problem.) I've tons of problems with Matthew's computer, which is, it turns out, still running WindowsXP. But is also a Dell.

I tried that--unless you mean something different from what Maygra suggested, above? And it got me the folders, but no data. I'll try some more again when I get home.

Firefox is fine, actually, aside from the momentary heart attack I had when it first booted up. I just reset my home page; all my bookmarks are still there, and my history, cookies, etc. NOTHING ELSE was affected, either: AIM and YM are both there, with passwords intact. Everything else is fine. I just don't get it.

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

That's weird. Does Thunderbird have its own profile?

[titti]

I hate Dell with a passion. Their computers tend to overheat and that's why they shut down.

Anyway the most likely problem is the profiles. They set themselves up as new installation and you have to put the old profiles back.

Firefox - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Profiles
Thunderbird - http://www.mozilla.org/support/thunderbird/edit

I did it once and when you read it, it looks a lot more complicated than it really is.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Oh! I didn't know that, about the overheating. Hmm. I don't know how to fix that, but at least now it makes sense. Sort of.

Thanks for the link. I did it (sort of) when I transfered computers, so I can probably do it again. *crosses fingers* I'm just afraid of losing everything, y'know? Guess I'll have to make a copy first. Just in case.

[titti]

Is it a PC or laptop? For a laptop, you can get an USB cooler. For a PC, there is nothing. I even spoke to one of their technicians one and they know but do shit about it, which is why I returned it even after the time and demanded a refund.

You're welcome.

[thehighwaywoman.livejournal.com]

Eeeek. I'm sorry that I have no idea how to fix this, but I'll gladly spork the computer for you. *holds up sharp-tined spork* Evil technology.