How can I backup e-mail messages and folders in Mozilla in Windows XP?
 How do I restore this information after an XP re-install?

Hi there jadynsdad!

The best way to backup your Mozilla email is to create a full backup
of your Mozilla profile, and then copy it to the same place once
you've reinstalled XP.

Here's how to do that! Firstly, take a note of two things:

* The version of Mozilla you are using right now.
* Your Windows XP username.

Now, make a full backup of all the files contained at this location:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOURUSERNAME\Application Data\Mozilla

How you do this depends on what backup solution you're using, but
simply burning this folder and all files and folders within it to a CD
would work just fine. Please note that you should replace YOURUSERNAME
with your actual Windows username on the system (for example, John).
I'd also recommend making a couple of duplicate backups, for safety's
sake.

Once you've made this backup, you can then proceed to reinstall
Windows XP. Make sure to recreate a user with the same name as before.

Once this is complete, you must reinstall the same version of Mozilla
that you were using before (get it from: http://mozilla.org/releases/
)

Then, simply copy the files from your backup to where they were
originally (if it prompts you to overwrite any files, that's fine to
do so). Running Mozilla should then present you with exactly the same
email as before (as well as retaining all your old settings!).

I hope this helps. If anything's unclear, or needs further detail,
then please don't hesitate to request clarification before rating this
answer.

Good luck,

--seizer

Search strategy:

Searched for "mozilla backup" on Google. I also have a good working
knowledge of Mozilla from personal experience. You can see how Mozilla
profiles work here:

http://www.vorstrasse91.com/moztips/mozillaprofiles.html

---

Clarification of Answer by seizer-ga on 11 Mar 2003 13:58 PST

It just occurred to me that it may be necessary on some computers to
enable hidden folder viewing in order to see the folders I specified.
To do this, run Windows Explorer from Start --> Programs -->
Accessories. Then click on the Tools Menu, choose Folder Options, and
select the View tab. Make sure that "Show hidden files and folders" IS
selected.

Regards,

--seizer-ga

Worked like a charm!  Sorry for the delay in my rating.