seaside
Level 2 (380 points)

Q: Importing old Apple.Mail data

Due to various and persisting problems, I had to reinstall 10.8.2.

 

Before this step, I created an image of the old system volume on another external disc.

 

The clean install worked just fine.

 

No I try to import old messages / folders from the old Apple.Mail. As last time, this step doesn't work as expected...

 

I get folders named A368644-7d6ds7s88 and so on. Not even a bit the old folder structure.

 

Could someone provide hints how to do this the right way?

Posted on Mar 9, 2013 2:45 PM

by seaside,Solvedanswer
seaside seaside
Level 2 (380 points)
A:

Due to other reasons, I tried to not use migration assistant to import a user of the old system.

 

Do return to normal-operation mode, I ran migration assistant. While Apple.Mail's import feature failed, migration assistant managed to setup the old user with a fully identical mail configuration.

 

While I still would be happt to learn how to fix the above mentioned Apple.Mail problem, I'm going to use the imported user.

 

PS: Since I created on the new system a case-sensitive HFS+ system volume, certain apps failed to install. Using iPartition, I was able to convert vom case-sensitive to non-case-senstive in 15 minutes.

 

May this conversion be somehow harmful? While the system works right now, may it render problems sometime later?

 

iPartition was even able to create a bootable recovery system on a thumb drive with iPartition included in the list of applications. Nice!

 

PS: One reason, why I tried to not use migration assistant: It created a new ACL Group for an application - which isn't any longer present on the new system.

Posted on Mar 10, 2013 2:47 PM

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seaside

Q: Importing old Apple.Mail data

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  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 3:30 PM in response to seaside
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 3:30 PM in response to seaside

    This is what I did:

     

    - Shut down iMac with internal system disc A.

    - Started 10.8.2 recovery system

    - Copied iMac's system disc A to an external disc B as an image using Disc Util

    - Erased system disc A as HFS / journaled

    - Run a clean install on A

     

    Now, I need to restore the state of Apple.Mail from the image on B to the new Apple.Mail an A.

     


  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 5:28 PM in response to seaside
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 5:28 PM in response to seaside

    To provide more details, here is one of the folder trees, that I now have after the import:

     

    /Import-5

      V2

         POP-something

            Drafts

              0563726277

                  Data

                       9

                         7

                           8

                              Mails

                                <this folder finally contains some emails>

     

    As you can see, this structure is now no longer useful

     

    That's why I ask.

  • by WZZZ,Helpful

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 9, 2013 6:18 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2013 6:18 PM in response to seaside

    I can try to call in the cavalry on this one. Not sure when that might arrive. But have you tried rebuilding the Mailboxes? From the Menu, Mailbox>Rebuild.

     

    Message was edited by: WZZZ

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:18 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:18 PM in response to WZZZ

    ;-)

     

    Yes, I tried rebuilding the mailboxes using menu command.

     

    Furthermore, I forced a rebuild by deleting the Envelopes file in the MailData folder in the Library.

     

    Some years ago, I had the exact same problem. Can't remember what I did. Probably fixed all folders by manually...

     

    I'm even willing to write an application to rearrange the structure of folders. Unfortunately, I don't know much regarding Apple.Mail's internal file system structure.

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 9, 2013 6:16 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2013 6:16 PM in response to seaside

    See my edit?

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:19 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:19 PM in response to WZZZ

    Yes, I tried rebuilding the mailboxes using menu command.

     

    Furthermore, I forced a rebuild by deleting the Envelopes file in the MailData folder in the Library.

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 9, 2013 6:21 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2013 6:21 PM in response to WZZZ

    In that case, circle the wagons and wait for the cavalry to arrive.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:22 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:22 PM in response to WZZZ

    Sure! And a big thank you!

     

    Since it's 3:30 in the morning over here, I'll rejoin tomorrow.

  • by Shootist007,Helpful

    Shootist007 Shootist007 Mar 9, 2013 7:26 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (16,660 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 7:26 PM in response to seaside

    Have you tried creating all the folders in Mail and then copying and overwriting them with the older, original, folders? in the correct File/Folder locations. Not using the Mail Import system.

     

    Sorry what I mean is the Data from the original folder into the new folder you created in Mail.

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 10, 2013 2:34 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 10, 2013 2:34 PM in response to seaside

    Still waiting for the Mail guru to show up.

  • by seaside,Solvedanswer

    seaside seaside Mar 10, 2013 2:47 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 10, 2013 2:47 PM in response to WZZZ

    Due to other reasons, I tried to not use migration assistant to import a user of the old system.

     

    Do return to normal-operation mode, I ran migration assistant. While Apple.Mail's import feature failed, migration assistant managed to setup the old user with a fully identical mail configuration.

     

    While I still would be happt to learn how to fix the above mentioned Apple.Mail problem, I'm going to use the imported user.

     

    PS: Since I created on the new system a case-sensitive HFS+ system volume, certain apps failed to install. Using iPartition, I was able to convert vom case-sensitive to non-case-senstive in 15 minutes.

     

    May this conversion be somehow harmful? While the system works right now, may it render problems sometime later?

     

    iPartition was even able to create a bootable recovery system on a thumb drive with iPartition included in the list of applications. Nice!

     

    PS: One reason, why I tried to not use migration assistant: It created a new ACL Group for an application - which isn't any longer present on the new system.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 10, 2013 2:45 PM in response to Shootist007
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 10, 2013 2:45 PM in response to Shootist007

    No, I did not.

     

    But quite likely, I did that a few years ago and this approach rendered other problem.

  • by Ernie Stamper,

    Ernie Stamper Ernie Stamper Mar 10, 2013 3:25 PM in response to seaside
    Level 8 (37,588 points)
    Video
    Mar 10, 2013 3:25 PM in response to seaside

    My attention was just now directed at this thread, and not fully caught up.  But I know from 10.7 forward, there is some kind of problem with simply copying a Mail Folder to another user on the same computer, or from another Mac.  When I mentioned this at the Apple store when I bought my rMBP, they seemed to know about it, and recommended that I connect to my existing Mac via Target Disk Mode, and move the Mail assets, rather than copying via the Finder to other disc drives (that worked, btw). This probably explains the success with Migration Assistant.

     

    I will have to review some things I wrote back then, but there is some permissioning, or something complicating a simply copy transfer in the latest OSX/Mail.

     

    I will review what you encountered, and see if I have any specific suggestions.

     

    Ernie

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 10, 2013 3:34 PM in response to Ernie Stamper
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 10, 2013 3:34 PM in response to Ernie Stamper

    Thx! I'd assume, that at least rights of the copied Mail folder needs a bot of fix-up.

     

    I'd be too happy, if Migration Assistant would be able to e.g. only migrate Mail-related stuff from an old user to another new user.

     

    While Migration Assistant is quite simple to use, configureability has flaws.

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