Migration Assistant Mail Tiger to Leopard

[milenkod]

Need some help with Leopard Mail...

I did a fresh Leopard install onto a new HDD. I use the migration assistant to transfer my Tiger profile to a new account on the Leopard install.

My default Leopard user account Mail app works for but the profile/user I migrated just will not work (mail). When I start Mail on the migrated profile I get nothing; no window except the File Menu Bar changes to "Mail". New Mail Window does nothing and I can't Quit the application...only Force Quit.
What gives?

 

[allan.nyholm]

Did you use POP3 for your accounts? Because then I think you need to start Mail with a fresh preference file. I think the file got corrupted somehow. Start by backing up your POP3 accounts by looking for a Mail folder in ~/Library/ it should contain some folders for each of your POP3 account.

Then I suggest after backing up the whole Mail folder safely(but not deleting it just yet) to drag out the com.apple.mail.plist from ~/Library/Preferences/ to your Desktop and relaunch Mail. If that works then you should be able to import your POP3 mboxes into Mail by using the Import menu. There might be some conflict if your Mail directory is already occupied by the old POP3 account folders. So if you may have to delete the Mail folder in ~/Library/ after you have it safely copied to an USB key or the Desktop.

You have to set up Mail once again with your settings because Mail created a fresh preference file for you. Delete the old preference file from the Desktop when everything is working like you want it to.

It may sound a little daunting but see if it works. It's been a while since I last tampered with Mail and POP3 accounts(if that is what you are using) If you are using IMAP then your emails should be just fetched from the server and nothing is lost.

 

[milenkod]

Did you use POP3 for your accounts? Because then I think you need to start Mail with a fresh preference file. I think the file got corrupted somehow. Start by backing up your POP3 accounts by looking for a Mail folder in ~/Library/ it should contain some folders for each of your POP3 account.

Then I suggest after backing up the whole Mail folder safely(but not deleting it just yet) to drag out the com.apple.mail.plist from ~/Library/Preferences/ to your Desktop and relaunch Mail. If that works then you should be able to import your POP3 mboxes into Mail by using the Import menu. There might be some conflict if your Mail directory is already occupied by the old POP3 account folders. So if you may have to delete the Mail folder in ~/Library/ after you have it safely copied to an USB key or the Desktop.

You have to set up Mail once again with your settings because Mail created a fresh preference file for you. Delete the old preference file from the Desktop when everything is working like you want it to.

It may sound a little daunting but see if it works. It's been a while since I last tampered with Mail and POP3 accounts(if that is what you are using) If you are using IMAP then your emails should be just fetched from the server and nothing is lost.

Yup...it's a pop3 account. Let me try your suggestion and I'll post an update....Since my mail is set-up on the "default" installed account, I can use that one as the back-up.
Thanks.

 

[milenkod]

Then I suggest after backing up the whole Mail folder safely(but not deleting it just yet) to drag out the com.apple.mail.plist from ~/Library/Preferences/ to your Desktop and relaunch Mail. If that works then you should be able to import your POP3 mboxes into Mail by using the Import menu. There might be some conflict if your Mail directory is already occupied by the old POP3 account folders. So if you may have to delete the Mail folder in ~/Library/ after you have it safely copied to an USB key or the Desktop.
.

OK...that worked. Except moving the com.apple.mail.plist to the desktop didn't work from the get go. I had to actually delete it. Then It started all over with asking me for my sever/account information. After that, all my old mail and folders were right there and Mail works just as it should.

Thanks for all your help. I find these forums more helpful and accurate about troubleshooting information than Apple themselves. Thanks again.

 

[Dorian Gray]

There is a much more convenient way to solve this problem, without having to delete the prefs file and then restore manually all the prefs and account details.

I just added it to another forum thread, but I repeat it below:

1. Make sure Mail is not running. Force Quit if you have to.
2. Go into your <home>/Library folder.
3. Rename the "Mail" folder to something else (I used "Mail.old")
4. Start Mail.app. This time Mail will ask to import mail from your mail server(s). Click on cancel, and Mail will quit immediately, without importing anything.
5. Go into your <home>/Library folder again.
6. Delete the new "Mail" folder (do not delete the one you renamed earlier).
7. Rename the folder you renamed in step 3 ("Mail.old") back to "Mail".
8. Re-start Mail.app. Your old messages should be in your inbox and you should be able to send/receive mail.

That's it.

 

[videoflyer]

Just found this thread via Google as I experienced this very problem transferring all of her files to a new laptop via Migration Manager. Just wanted to let you know that your solution worked perfectly and quickly!

Thanks!

There is a much more convenient way to solve this problem, without having to delete the prefs file and then restore manually all the prefs and account details.

I just added it to another forum thread, but I repeat it below:

1. Make sure Mail is not running. Force Quit if you have to.
2. Go into your <home>/Library folder.
3. Rename the "Mail" folder to something else (I used "Mail.old")
4. Start Mail.app. This time Mail will ask to import mail from your mail server(s). Click on cancel, and Mail will quit immediately, without importing anything.
5. Go into your <home>/Library folder again.
6. Delete the new "Mail" folder (do not delete the one you renamed earlier).
7. Rename the folder you renamed in step 3 ("Mail.old") back to "Mail".
8. Re-start Mail.app. Your old messages should be in your inbox and you should be able to send/receive mail.

That's it.