The Thunderbird data profile folder contains your email messages, addresses, and program settings. To move your profile data from Windows to Fedora requires that the data folder be copied to a CD/DVD, memory stick, or other mobile media. If you have set up multiple accounts in Thunderbird, they can be moved as well, one at a time, following these steps:
Find your profile data folder
In Windows 2000 or Windows XP, click Start > My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Documents and Settings > YourUserName > Application Data > Thunderbird > Profiles. The profile data folder looks like xxxxx.default, where xxxxx is a sequence of random numbers and letters.
If you cannot find the Application Data folder
If you cannot find the Application Data folder, go to the top menu and select: Tools > Folder Options > View and check the box Show Hidden Files and Folders.
If you still cannot find the folder, click: Start > Run, type %AppData% and press Enter.
In Windows Vista, click Start > Computer > C: > Users > YourUserName > AppData > Roaming > Thunderbird > Profiles. . The profile data folder looks like xxxxx.default, where xxxxx is a sequence of random numbers and letters.
If you cannot find the Application Data folder
If you cannot find the Application Data folder, click Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Folder Options > View and check the box Show Hidden Files and Folders.
If you still cannot find the folder, click: Start, type %AppData% into the Start Search box and press Enter.
Copy your profile data folder to removable media
Right click on the profile data folder and select: Send To > CD/DVD or memory stick. Then press the Back button until you arrive at My Computer and check to make sure the folder was saved to the media.
Copy your profile data folder to Fedora
Set up your email account or email accounts first
To move the folder to Fedora you need to have your email account, or accounts, set up in Thunderbird on your Fedora installation. When you set up an email account, Thunderbird creates the profile data folder for that account. If this folder does not yet exist, you do not yet have a destination for the copy of the folder on your removable media. Refer to Section 9.2.1, “Configuring Thunderbird”.
Open the Thunderbird profile data folder in Fedora:
In GNOME, click Places > Home Folder > .thunderbird > xxxxxx.default, where xxxxxx is a random sequence of letters and numbers. Note that this sequence will be different from the sequence that you saw in your Thunderbird installation on Windows.
If you cannot find the .thunderbird folder
If your Fedora installation originally had an early version of Thunderbird installed on it, your profile data folder might be under .mozilla-thunderbird instead of .thunderbird.
If you cannot find either a .thunderbird or .mozilla-thunderbird folder within your Home Folder, press Ctrl+H to display Hidden Files.
In KDE, click Kickoff Application Launcher > Computer > Home > .thunderbird > xxxxxx.default, where xxxxxx is a random sequence of letters and numbers. Note that this sequence will be different from the sequence that you saw in your Thunderbird installation on Windows.
If you cannot find the .thunderbird folder
If your Fedora installation originally had an early version of Thunderbird installed on it, your profile data folder might be under .mozilla-thunderbird instead of .thunderbird
If you cannot find either a .thunderbird or .mozilla-thunderbird folder within your Home Folder, press Alt+. to display Hidden Files.
In the xxxxxx.default folder, press Ctrl+A to select all files and folders, then press Delete to move them to the Trash. The folder should now be empty.
Plug in the media containing the folder you copied from Windows.
Open the media and click on the xxxxxx.default folder saved from Windows to open it. Click Edit > Select All > Edit > Copy
Move back to the empty xxxxxx.default window and click Edit > Paste.
Start Thunderbird and verify that you can see the email messages, addresses, and settings from your Thunderbird installation on Windows.
