Problems transferring mail folders from eMac to Mac Mini

T

Thudpucker

Registered
Okay, so here’s the problem.

I just upgraded my boss - well, her computer, anyway - from an eMac running 10.2.8 to a Mini running 10.4.6. I am now having problems transferring mailboxes from the old computer to the new one. She is one of those people who have a couple of thousand messages in fifteen different mailboxes she’s created, so I really need to get them across to the new machine.

Here’s what happens when I try (both machines are ethernetted together)(if that’s a word). I open Mail (2.0.8) on the Mini, and go to ‘File’, then ‘Import Mailboxes’ (Mail on the old machine, if it matters, is 1.2.3). If I select ‘Mail for Mac OS X’, then ‘Continue’, I get the box asking for location. Select the eMac, go to ‘Users’, select the User’s folder, then ‘Library’, ‘Mail’, ‘Mailboxes’.

If I click on ‘Choose’ then, I get all of the mailboxes under ‘Items to Import’ as (for example) ‘inbox.mbox’. Click on ‘Continue’, and get a progress bar stating it is importing. It then tells me I can find them in the folder named ‘Import’ in the main Mail window. However, when I go to the ‘Import’ folder there are only three of the mailboxes, and they are all empty. No, I can’t figure out why just those three, since all of the boxes have mail in them. If I choose an individual mailbox folder I get the ‘No Valid Mail for Mac OS X files were found’ message. It will not allow me to choose the individual *.mbox files.

Okay, so if I follow the above path to the ‘Import Mailboxes’ dialog box, then select ‘Other’, and in the import box select ‘Mailboxes’ at the same location as above, I get one item to import, named ‘mbox’. Click on ‘Continue’, I get the progress bar, then the same message about the ‘Import’ folder.

But, once again, if I click on the ‘mbox’ folder under Imports it’s empty.

So I’m currently stuck. I could forward the old messages back to the same address, but frankly I consider that to be a silly enough idea that it might have been suggested by Microsoft. Does anyone have any ideas where I can go from here?

I apologize for the long windedness, but I’ve done tech support via email, and I personally always hated info-light messages like “My email keeps crashing. Why?” Please let me know if any of you need to know anything else. Thanks!


Mac Mini, 1.5, Intel Core Solo, running OS X 10.2.6; 512 meg ram.
 
I would try the same thing again, but this time boot the eMac into Firewire mode - by holding down the APPLE + T keys. This makes the eMac display and be an external drive to the Mac Mini - then try the import.

The issue might be a network time out or a security setting. Firewire mode lets you get around both.

Just my two cents - double the ram on the solo. It will be painfully slow as it is, but 512Ram isn't enough
 
If that doesn't work, you could just try moving the mail preferences file to the Mini, this worked for creating an identical copy of my Mail.app on my laptop.

(<yourusername>/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist)

If that doesn't work, try copying the Mail folder as well.

As always, backup.
 
I would try the same thing again, but this time boot the eMac into Firewire mode - by holding down the APPLE + T keys. This makes the eMac display and be an external drive to the Mac Mini - then try the import.

I will try this just as soon as I run out and get a firewire cable. Sorry - all the peripherals are USB, so I haven't made getting one a priority.


The issue might be a network time out or a security setting. Firewire mode lets you get around both.

I am assuming that - once I get a firewire cable - the eMac will show on the Mini desktop as a hard drive?


Just my two cents - double the ram on the solo. It will be painfully slow as it is, but 512Ram isn't enough

I was kinda wondering about that. I remember how horrible impressed I was that the PowerBook 100 could handle eight whole meg of RAM. And I guess in about ten years we're going to be looking back and saying "How in God's name did we ever survive on less than 512 gig?!?"


In the end - dirt wins.

Go, team Dirt!


If that doesn't work, you could just try moving the mail preferences file to the Mini, this worked for creating an identical copy of my Mail.app on my laptop.

(<yourusername>/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist)

If that doesn't work, try copying the Mail folder as well.

Trying these now. Whether it works or not, though, thanks for your input.


As always, backup.


I can't. It's a small office, and I'l fall right out of the window if I tried.

Insert rimshot here.

Seriously, I've been backing all - plus the newness of the Mini means there's not a lot on there yet that's not standard.
 
Target Disk Mode is the best way to transfer settings from an old computer to another. (BTW, you can boot into Target Disk Mode (TDM) just by holding "T", no apple key necessary, and yes, the eMac's drive will appear as an external drive on the mini's desktop). The reason is that when a Mac is booted in TDM, it overrides the permissions on that computer, so you have full access to all files on that volume (incl. System files, so be careful!)

If your boss would like to keep of of their documents from the eMac, you can use Migration Assistant, found in your Applications/Utilities folder (requires the old computer to be booted in TDM)

If you want to Manually Migrate the old Mail account, but don't want to use Firewire, copy the
Users/Old User Name/Library/Mail & Mail Downloads folders, along with
Users/Old User Name/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist to their respective loactions on the Mac Mini.

This may not work, however, because the ownership on the old files is still intact when accessed via ethernet. You may need to select those files and change their permissions by Using GET INFO from the File menu, then changing "Ownership and Permissions" at the bottom to "Read & Write" (Make sure you hit "Apply to Enclosed Items" to make sure everything inside gets updated as well)
 
Isn't it a funny old world? Just when I thought I might get things taken care of, the eMac died. The screen started fluctuating wildly, random lockage occurred, and now it won't startup at all. I think it's the power supply (it's not that video cable, because I've already replaced it).

Still, I managed to get the mailboxes transferred to the other office machine - the iMac, which is running 10.2.8. I did get the mailboxes imported into its Mail, so they're at least still available, with one exception. The sent box is full of mail that was sent over two years ago. I would assume that the program has somehow got hold of an earlier version; the question is why would it bring in all of the other mail and not the sent stuff? Wouldn't they store them in the same mailboxes?

I have to admit, this one's kinda weird. I guess that's what I get for complaining about the other problem :)
 
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