Importing e-mail from Eudora into Thunderbird
on Ubuntu Linux


  1. Importing e-mail from Eudora into Thunderbird
    1. The procedure
    2. Cleanup
    3. Complaint

This article explains a method to convert e-mail folders from the classic version of Eudora (*) for use by Thunderbird.  This is no more than using Eudora Rescue, but it has been done on Linux Ubuntu and that should work on other Linux distributions too.
(*) Or whatever you call version 6.* and before. They call it old, why not shabby?

The procedure

Open a window: Applications/Accessories/Terminal.
Even though we use a command line, install the package wine.
It is probably available in your Linux distribution, or here otherwise.
Install it:
Other DOS emulators could be suitable, but wine is the simplest and most useful.

Create a new folder, say ~/eudora
Download Eudora Rescue (eudresXX.zip) to ~/eudora
Click and open that ZIP file and drag EUDRESCU.EXE onto ~/eudora
Right click on EUDRESCU.EXE, open the Properties/Permissions and turn on the Allow executing option
Copy your Eudora folder as ~/eudora/EUDORA
Create the folder ~/eudora/TB
Open a Terminal window and type (well, copy&paste) the following:
Now you might in principle use Thunderbird's Import but you must complain about this at Mozilla.

Download ImportExportTools and install it in Thunderbird.

Now, create a folder within Thunderbird, say, Eudora in which to import folders from TB.
Beware: Import/Export Tool will not create in Thunderbird the same folder tree as in TB.

Create a subfolder of Eudora, say, Internet. Click the Import/Export Tool:



Select the folders and subfolders you want to be copied into Internet.



And repeat this procedure for all folders.

Cleanup

If you hate what starts with W, uninstall wine with Synaptic or type
and remove the folder ~/.wine

Otherwise, you can use wine  in order to run a large number of Windows programs.

Complaint

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Importing_from_Eudora_(Thunderbird)  states:
Thunderbird [Import] must be able to find the Eudora data. So either Eudora must be installed, or you must create a registry entry that points to the Eudora data.
and the link for create a registry entry is missing.

What a strange idea !!!   Why not ask for the location of the data directory of Eudora with a file open dialog?
Moreover, how can we install Eudora or create a registry entry with Linux?
OK, Linux is very resourceful and it must be possible
But, by Jove, a file open dialog is MUCH more simpler, isn't it?

Similarly, the most astonishing feature of Import is that Thunderbird is unable to import e-mail from Thunderbird. One would think is the simplest thing to do.

Yes, some users use several several e-mail servers, several e-mail programs, several languages, etc...

BTW, it seems that locating the data should precede choosing which data to import.
Why ask which data and then find an empty source list?

Enjoy,

André.