HELP!!!  my home folder is all messed up

i inadvertantly renamed or changed the home folder. how do i fix it so that i get my settings back? currently, when i am logged in, the computer doesn't act like i've ever been here before. all of the keychains and prior history are not accessed, as though they don't exist.
for example, the desktop looks nothing like before, the application tray doesn't look like it was, and mail won't access our settings or mailboxes.

i think i must have screwed something up pretty significantly. for instance, i moved the Mail folders from one library to another, but Mail doesn't know that they are there. so something still isn't right (or how you expected it to be).
Also, i can't even modify or place things on the desktop. it's as though the person that had the computer set correctly (a couple hours ago) is gone and i can't figure out how to tell the computer to go back to that configuration.
it seems like the best option might be to start fresh.
how can i make sure i don't torpedo my mail files. everything else is pretty easy to find (movies, music, photos, documents). where are the e-mail files so that i can make sure i move them before doing a system reinstall?

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