OSX Mail not importing old inbox

[Frank Reid]

Acquired new MacBook; attempts to import old OSX Mail from ailing G4 PowerBook only partially successful.

First attempt: took copy of "Mail" folder from "Library" folder, and copied it into MacBook's "Library" folder. Opened Mail, and my minor folders (4-5 mail folders with no more than 100 messages each) appeared OK; no sign of my inbox mail (1,300 messages), or sent mail (2,500 messages).

Second attempt: discarded "Mail" folder from above. Ran Apple Backup to restore Mail files. Selected over-write everything option. Same results as above.

Third attempt: tried to import the mail boxes using File: Import Mailboxes function. Each time I select the folders with the emails I want (my old Inbox and Sent mail), the import wizard says" No valid Mail messages found". However, if I just manually open those folders, and double-click on any of the mail files (all with .emix extensions), I can open each email.

Am currently pulling out hair trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Old PowerBook files were encrypted using File Vault. New MacBook was encrypted using FileVault after attempt 3 failed above, and then de-encrypted when that didn't work, and the above steps were repeated, to no avail.

[Flying Meat]

When did you get your MacBook and why didn't you use the Migration Assistant?


Anyway, quit Mail.
There is another file you need besides the Mail folder.
Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist

So, copy that mail folder and plist file over, then launch mail and see if those files are accessible.

Just a thought.

[Frank Reid]

Hi there,

Thanks for the help. The key appears to be the missing plist. Copied that over, and it worked fine.

Didn't use Migration assistant because a) didn't know it existed, and b) it won't work under FileVault.

Again, thanks a million. The Apple dealer had no ideas how to get this resolved.

Cheers!

[Box]

By the way, just a little thing: when you import messages from Mail (let's say to Entourage) it doesn't get the Inbox, Sent and Deleted, the easiest way is to create some folders and put those messages in there just before migrating, it will be done as the other folders.

cheers

[Doctor X]

Figured I would add to a thread rather than start a new one.

Due to my typical incompetence--fixing a problem with Mail I dealt with--I "deleted" a lot of e-mails from my Inbox in the Mail program. Since I back everything up, I went to my back up--found all of the old e-mails . . . transferred them over.

My problem is the Mail program does not show them. So to find them I have to keep going to User ➔ Library ➔ Mail ➔ the respective e-mail account.

I wonder if there is a way to "re-add" them to the main Mail program. I imagine this may involve altering the Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist?

--J.D.