Importing multiple user accounts from Eudora to Thunderbird has proven to be extremely difficult. This may also be a problem for multiple email accounts under a single user. It depends on how the users and accounts were originally set up in Eudora. The problem is that when there are multiple Eudora users on a single computer, Thunderbird's import feature cannot tell which mailboxes and address books belong to which account. In light of this problem, there are a few alternatives that you would do well to consider.
1. Pay for the yearly Eudora license. This way you will keep Eudora current on the computer and will not need to change the way the multiple users are set up. This is the simplest choice. The only down side is the cost of the license, although you will only need one license for the computer (rather than one for each user).
2. Start "fresh" with Thunderbird. Create multiple profiles, but treat it as a new install rather than a transfer. In other words, you will not import address books, mailboxes, or settings from Eudora. The advantage to this approach is that you can move off of Eudora to the free Thunderbird and still have multiple email accounts on the same computer. The disadvantage is that you will have to re-enter account settings and re-create address books, and Thunderbird will not have access to the email in your old mailboxes. However, Eudora will still be on the computer and the settings, addresses, and mailboxes will still be intact and accessible through Eudora.
How to set up multiple users in Thunderbird
In Thunderbird, each separate user email account is called a "profile." Multiple profiles can easily be set up and run on a single machine. This feature is useful for a computer that hosts multiple users who use it to check their email. For a single user with multiple email accounts (e.g., a personal account and a county account), please see the "Multiple email accounts under one user" section below.
To set up profiles on Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, Mozilla Thunderbird, Profile Manager.
(On Mac OS, open the Mozilla folder and then double-click the Profile Manager icon.)
Be sure to uncheck the box that says Don't ask at startup.
Click the button that says Create Profile.
Follow the instructions and name the profile.
When this is done you will be back at the Profile Manager screen.
Highlight the profile that you want to use and click the Start Thunderbird button.
You will need your account information when you set up your profile. This includes your login/username, your incoming mail (POP) server, your outgoing mail (SMTP) server, and your email address.
Once you have created at least two profiles, Thunderbird will prompt you to choose which profile to use every time you start the program. You will not be able to access any email or account information except from within the profile that the email and account information are tied to. For example, when you start Thunderbird and choose your own email account profile, you will not be able to read email from another user's email account profile. To switch profiles, simply quit Thunderbird and then restart it. The Profile Manager will appear and ask which profile you want to use.
Multiple email accounts under one user
If a computer has two or more email accounts that are checked by the same person (e.g., a county account and a personal UC account), the best course is to create multiple email accounts that are tied together because they all belong to a single user. Then you can check them all without having to create another profile. In Eudora these were known as "personalities," but in Thunderbird they are simply called "accounts."
The way to create additional accounts is to open up Thunderbird, then go to Tools --> Account Settings.
Click Add account.
Check Email account and then click Next.
Enter name and email address; click Next.
Select POP and enter incoming mail server.
Uncheck Use Global Inbox; click Next.
Enter incoming and outgoing username (login id); click Next.
Enter a name for the account (e.g., "county email" or "my email"); click Next.
Double-check the information and click Finish.
Click OK to close the Account Setup window.
The new account is now listed by the name you chose for it. Any email that you receive to it or send from it will be in the folders associated with that account. If you choose to use the Global Inbox (the instructions above have you NOT using the Global Inbox), Thunderbird will create the account but will not create separate folders for it. In other words, all email will show up in the inbox for your main account regardless of what account receives it. When you click on Get Mail, Thunderbird will retrieve mail for both accounts.
If you have any questions or difficulties, please feel free to call Damon, Claudia, or Blaine. We'll do our best to answer your question or resolve your issue.