I am attempting to move my Thunderbird profile to another computer. My plan is to archive a copy of the profile_1.default-release from computer 1 and extract it into the empty directory profile_2.default release.
Extracting the tar.gz file is not a problem but the default extract creates a directory profile_1.default-release inside the empty directory. What I want is to extract the contents only of the archive into the empty directory and not have the old directory included. Hope this is clear.
How do I extract just the contents of the archive? Is this possible please?
It looks that you created the tar file on the “wrong” place. When you want only the contents of a directory, to be put later inside a new target directory, you start from inside the the directory (by making it your working directory) and create the tar (e.g. by using * as the files to be put inside). Then later you again go inside the new directory and unpack the tar.
When I last looked for this all the guides were out of date but will use your link and check. Also I am working with 11GB+ of data and I suspect export tool will complain at this. Will read your link.
Many thanks.
The procedure how to export profiles larger than 2GB is also explained on this site. And it is the same procedure as hcvv described: You need to copy the content of the old profile directory and place it into the empty new profile directory.
I enter the archive with MC using the ENTER key, select whatever I wish to copy with various select keys, such as INS, + or *, and copy wherever I please with F5. It works with most archive types, but for the last few years not correctly with those containing Mozilla.org’s Firefox .bz2s.
Many thanks for arvidjaar and mrmazda. As you will be aware from my earlier request, what I wanted is not as simple as at first assumed. When I was searching for options the posts were full of caveats when trying to archive from within the directory about removing unwanted items which appeared in the archive, problems with hidden files etc. I am working with 11.8GB of data and it is easy to make a mistake when doing this manually using cli, hence my original question. Thunderbird has also made life much more complicated as it has developed over time.
In the end I took an expedient way out which so far seems OK. I retained my original archive, created with the line using a more sure way to capture the whole subdirectory:-
tar -czvf profile_ibm.tar.gz 3rcuvgwo.default-release/
Moved it using USB, faster than using cloud account, and opened it in a temporary directory, then moved all the contents to the prepared empty profile2.default.release, closed and rebooted and then started T’bird and so far so good.
Thank again,
Budge.