thunderbird update

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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).

Hello ega,

I have just checked my Thunderbird programme details. This is a new laptop (I have a new desktop to setup Arrrgh!) and only a few weeks ago downloaded TB again. Used it for some years now. It appears that there is only a 32-bit version available. It is suffixed (86X) which of course is 32 bit.

Runs fine on all our 64 bit equipment. Our problem is BT who deliberately slow down e-mail clients like TB accessing their servers we discovered.

Edited By Ian B. on 15/12/2020 09:39:01

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?

No problem ega. The BT issue came to light a fair while ago. Roughly about the time BT allegedly split from YAHOO! They changed their own sofware contractor to that outfit that had never operated outside The City. Their own system was so bad that complaint flooded in via their customer forum. Us included. Instead of dealing with the problems, whilst everyone was scrambling around changing to e-mail clients like TB, they clamped on third party material using their servers by their customers.

Such was the uproar in our area at the time we all complained it was their network and in our own case had a full crew out replacing all our wiring both in the house and right back to the green box two streets away. That was one Christmas Eve and they had to work till late evening as they had run their downtime out and compensation loomed large contractually. The little guy can strike back. I have no doubt they are still at it but as regards any other service I cant comment.

Regards.