thunderbird update

This topic has 9 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 15 December 2020 at 10:17 by ega.

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1 December 2020 at 20:45 #511120
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
It said it needed to restart to do an update. Nothing new there, it does it from time to time, but this time it has lost all my address books. Don'y you just hate computers!
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1 December 2020 at 20:45 #36180
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
1 December 2020 at 20:55 #511123
Grindstone Cowboy
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@grindstonecowboy
May not help if they've actually been deleted, but try searching for any files with the extension .mab – these are Thunderbird address book files. See here for more info.

Rob
2 December 2020 at 17:29 #511248
ega
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@ega
duncan webster:

Commiserations!

Could you post the version number of the offending update, please?

I suppose the lesson is to back up one's profile before pressing the update button.

On the subject of searching, I have recently become aware of a utility called Everything from voidtools.com which seems to work very quickly and can be run from a USB drive.
2 December 2020 at 18:31 #511260
Grindstone Cowboy
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@grindstonecowboy
For searching, I use FileLocator Pro from Mythicsoft. The Lite version is free to use and seems to do everything most people could want.

Rob
2 December 2020 at 22:12 #511299
Macolm
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@macolm
Check the Thunderbird website. I think sometimes the program creates a new profile, but the files are still there and there is a procedure to reinstate things. Hope for the best, but even then still very annoying.
14 December 2020 at 21:01 #513507
duncan webster 1
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@duncanwebster1
I've found where the .mab files should be, but there are none. There are some *.mab.bak files. However as it has started creating new address books from stuff I've sent out recently, I think they must have changed how addresses are stored. There is only one user profile, so I'm lost. I've tried copying abook1.mab.bak as abook-4.mab and that didn't work, but the really odd thing is that it still knows the headings of the various address books I've created, just lost the contents

However if I stop using TBird and use my ISP version I can find all addresses, so all is not lost. Just that TBird is what I'm used to

I've checked that I'm showing hidden folders

Version is 78.5.1

Edited By duncan webster on 14/12/2020 21:06:15
14 December 2020 at 22:16 #513522
Macolm
Participant
@macolm
My version also 78.5.1. I have just checked file location of my address book (which I changed long ago on to a second drive that is reguarly backed up to an off line store). There is indeed abook.mab.bak file, not very recently accessed. The active address book is in a file abook.sqlite, and I checked it is indeed the active file.

So indeed, the format may have changed, but if so this has been transparent to me. Perhaps it was done in the background, and the process failed on your computer. Thunderbird and such like are very prone to make a new (empty) file if unable to access the "right" one.
14 December 2020 at 22:37 #513532
ega
Participant
@ega
duncan webster:

Thanks for the information. Like Macolm, my current address book files seem to be sqlite files.

My version number is the same as yours but despite my machine being 64 bit I am running the 32 bit version of TB I assume there is a 64 bit version but shall leave well alone).
15 December 2020 at 10:17 #513592
ega
Participant
@ega
Ian B.

Thank you.

My assumption was based on the way TB describes itself in Help/About but reading your post reminds me that the TB download page "knows" what machine you have and offers the appropriate version.

Do BT discriminate against any other programs such as cloud servers?
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