Obsolete mail files?

I was rummaging through my mail directories trying to find which files had the SOBOR.P worm in them (there were a bunch, a lot of PC folks were infected). Many of them were in various mbox files. Eventually, it occured to me that this file is not used anymore. All the mbox files were dated no later than 2005. After digging around, I found lots of files that hadn't been modified since as early at 2001. Tiger apparently uses a different file structure than the older versions of OS X but it doesn't clean up the old stuff.
I have a second computer with an nearly identical mail folder (it had been copied from the same source some time ago) so I considered that mail folder expendable. I deleted everything dated earlier than 2006 and saw no difference in the performance of mail nor the numbers of messages in various mailboxes.
I think that these files in the mbox folders are obsolete
content_index
Incoming_mail
IncomingTable_ofContents
mbox
mbox.SKindex
mbox.SKindex.isValid
tableofcontents
Further, in the Mail folder, these may be obsolete
DefaultCounts
MessageSorting.plist
MessageSorting.plist.backup
SmartMailboxes.plist
SmartMailboxes.plist.backup
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301315
lists some but not all of these as some of them may predate Panther.
- gws

GWS,
The leftover files you have observed, can be problematic in a number of ways, and I have contributed to numerous topics about issues surrounding conversion of mailboxes to Tiger and Mail 2.0, from earlier versions. One of them -- the lengthy topic at the link below -- may be of interest:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=413196
Some of the files you have listed will date back to when you were using Jaguar.
The files:
DefaultCounts
MessageSorting.plist
MessageSorting.plist.backup
SmartMailboxes.plist
SmartMailboxes.plist.backup
are related to Mail 2.x, and are NOT obsolete, from a version aspect.
Let me know any questions you have.
Ernie

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i've read somewhere online that after importing mail messages tiger leaves behind some obsolete legacy folders.
i can't find any specific information however and would like to delete whatever is not necessary and taking up disc space.
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thanks.

dbh,
The only files really needed for Tiger Mail are the individual *.emlx files inside the Messages folder of the *.mbox - the mbox files as well as the tableofcontents (for POP and local folders) as well as the chached message files not inside the Messages folder (not being called *.emlx - since I did delete them I don't recall their exact name) for IMAP mailboxes are Panther files and can safely be deleted. You also might want to keep the Info.plist files in the *.mbox folders since they contain sorting and message list display information.
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Having deleted some Mail messages by mistake, I have had to recover them from TM. I can tell you that the recovery of mail messages will be done at the mailbox level. In my case it was half of the messages in a mailbox. So I recovered the complete mailbox from TM. Then I copied the messages from the recovered mailbox back into the mailbox I use in Mail. I hope that helps.
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Where are Thunderbird e-mail files stored on my computer?

I have read the suggested articles and followed the instructions as best I can, but I still cannot figure out how to get to profile (the path revealed in "Troubleshooting Information," by clicking "show folder," was not what I found on my computer---one element in the supposed path, "AppData," simply was not there in the tree) unless I somehow missed a hidden clue. Furthermore, even if I manage to get to profile, I still don't comprehend how to move my e-mail files from there to a location on my computer that is easy to get to and to back up along with all my other data files.
Perhaps my level of knowledge is too modest here because the assumption is that I know more than I actually do know. If that is the case, I apologize, but that does not resolve the issue. I wonder why the folders containing e-mails are not placed in an obvious and handy location to begin with, but that of course is a different matter.
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''re: A folder-copy isn't easy to read,''
Only if you need to read a specific email as emails are not stored in separate .eml files. They are stored in mbox files which look like a long text document containing emails written one after the other in the order downloaded. But for backing up and reinstalling a Profle which contains all your data, it is stored exactly as required for reinstalling. It also stores all your preferences and account details and so on - eg: address books.
''re: if its not compressed it also includes all deleted files.''
What gnospen actually means is 'compacted' not compressed. They are two entirely different things which should not be confused. You can easily empty the Deleted and Junk folders and then compact all your folders before backing up. This resolves this if it is of a concern to you.
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You can choose to use to store emails as separate .eml files or HTML or plain text format or as a single text file or pdf format or export the entire folder in mbox format with or with subfolders.
If you want to use ImportExportTools, Thunderbird needs to running, I would advise you go into Offline mode whilst backing up as you do not want your folders synchronising whilst performing this task.
Here is a link to ImportExporttools addon:
* https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/importexporttools/
I suppose what you need to determine is what do you want to backup.
I would advise, if you want all your prefernces, account settings, address books and emails saved in one go, then copy the Profile to create a backup or use MozBackup tool.
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If not backing up your entire profile, but you do want to keep a backup of address books then you can go to Address Book and select the address book, then Tools > Export as either LDIF or comma separated .csv file.
Note: comma separated .csv files can be opened by other programs such as Excel and can also be easily imported into any email client or back into Thunderbird.

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How to restore mail files from Time Capsule onto a different machine?

My Macbook Pro hard drive crashed, and I want to restore my backed-up mail files from Time Capsule onto my Desktop Mac (iMac 27"). When I try to restore by opening Time Capsule with Mail already open, I can only see the current mail files on the iMac (not the backed up files on the MacBook Pro), even when I point to the MacBook Pro backup file.

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Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.
Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.
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Here's the story; it's sad but true: After a failed iSync spirited away all of my emails, the Apple Care techie I spoke to a month ago wasn't able to fully resolve the problem. So, currently in my Home Library folder I have 2 Mail files: #1 is labeled "Mail" and #2 is "Mail Copy."
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The easiest way to combine the old folders with the new is to use the "Import" option in Mail's File menu. Consult the Mail Help topic "Importing email into Mail" for comprehensive instructions for doing that. In your case, the "archived" messages will be the ones in "Mail Copy."
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Obsolete mail files?

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