Lost connection to my profile in Messenger 4.x -- help!!

[Essie]

I was having monitor problems. When I finally got it to respond again and launched Communicator (which I prefer for email, even though I have Netscape 7.x), it told me it could not find my profile. I browsed to the system folder preferences on my Mac and found the correct profile under Netscape Users, checked the inbox and saw it was the right one.

My problem is I don't know which folder to open. None of the folders seems to trigger anything.

Please help as I really need access to my email. Webmail is a good stopgap, but I need my Messenger back!

Thanks in advance for your timely assistance.
Essie

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020823 Netscape/7.0

[leonidasjones]

Okay, I hope we can help.

First of all, can you confirm some things that your userageint string does not make clesr.

The UA is saying Mac PPC, but is not indicating Mac OS 9 or OS X.

Are you using Communicator on Mac Classic under OSX, or on OS9? I'll take a look on the appropriate system when I hear back from you.

Whatever OS, have you tried restarting the machine?

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 SeaMonkey/2.0a3

[Essie]

Thank you for your quick response, Lee.

I'm using OS 9.2. I've been on Macs since they were first introduced in the 80s, so you might wonder why not OS X. I'm a graphic designer and have very expensive software, all of which would have to be repurchased if I upgraded. Since $$ is tight and "it ain't broke" I didn't fix it! Further, I'm almost impervious to the viruses that inevitably impacted OS X.

I'm all eyes for your next email.
Essie

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020823 Netscape/7.0

[leonidasjones]

Viruses on OS X? When did that happen?

Anyhow, I'll have to wait until tonight to access a machine running 9.2.

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 SeaMonkey/2.0a3

[Essie]

I subscribe to ZD Net and I believe it was in one of their emailed tech updates that was discussed. In any event, here is the link they provided to the antivirus software, in case you are interested:

http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/?s=5 ... DQodK0Th0Q

Tonight sounds good to me also, as my Mac is in my home studio and I'm now at my store, which has a PC-based network.

Look forward to your next email, Lee.
Essie

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)

[leonidasjones]

Actually, I'm not interested, though I appreciate the link. There are no viruses written to infect Mac OS X. There are all of about 40 that can infect Mac OS 9.

I run an antivirus program, and I think we all should. However, its more so I don't pass viruses along to my Windows using friends, at at least at this point.

ClamX, a free product, or more properly donationware, has worked well for me.

Anyhow, to the problem at hand. Could you tell me the version of Communicator you are running? It probably won't matter as loing as it is up in the 4.7 range.

You have found your profile folder in the default location, and verified that your mail is there, but NC 4 does not find the profile.

Before doing anything else, make a backup copy of the profile folder, and store it somewhere outside the System Folder.

Next open NC 4's Profile Manager. You will find it in the Netscape Communicator Folder in Applications (Mac OS 9). Create a new profile, with the exact name of the old profile. Hopefully Communicator will find the old profile folder and use it. That would be the easiest fix, if it works.

If that doesn't work, we create a new profile and migrate the data from the old to the new.

One thing that may be instructive would be to open Netscape 7.02's Profile Manager. It can be found in the Netscape Folder, in Applications.

When it opens, does it list the Communicator profile on its list?

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 SeaMonkey/2.0a3

[Essie]

I just copied the profile to my Firewire external. For the record, I have anti-virus software on every computer. The version of Communicator I'm using is 4.75 so we're all set there. On the other things you've suggested, however, I struck out.

When I try to open Communicator's Profile Manager, I hear a click as if it's trying to open, but then I'm taken back to the Finder level. When I open Netscape 7's Profile Manager, there is no list at all. Since Communicator refuses to open without a profile, I suspect none of its internal apps will work either until it finds the profile it is looking for.

When Netscape 7 first emerged, I imported everything from Netscape Messenger into Netscape 7 with the full intention of using it for email. The reasons I quickly changed my mind are (1) the cursor doesn't function properly. Instead of remaining to the left of the next letter I'm typing, it's halfway over the prior letter I've typed and eventually moves to the left and blanks out letters I've already typed; and (2) I can receive email just fine, but when I reply I get an error message and it won't send the reply. It was driving me mad, so I reverted to 4.75. I don't want you to think I'm anti-upgrade!

For now, it seems, I'm stuck using webmail. If you can think of anything else, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your help, Lee.
Essie

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020823 Netscape/7.0

[leonidasjones]

Okay, this is officially peculiar.

My cursor in NS 7.02 Mail is fine. But I cannot send mail, tested on two machines. I know it used to work. Then again, I don't regularly send email from OS 9. When I do, I've been using the WamCom port of Mozilla 1.3.1, which works fine.

http://wamcom.org/latest-131/

Here is a thought. Try downloading it, go to the above page and look for the link that says:

wamcom-131-macos9-20030723.sit

Install it, and run it, allowing it to use your NS 7.02 profile. See if you can send email. It works just fine from here. If so, that should be your answer.

Actually, on OS 9 as a browser, I find I need both NS 7.02 and WamCom. Some sites will work on one but not the other. Between the two, I can get most sites to work at least serviceably. Give it a try and report back.

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 SeaMonkey/2.0a3

[Essie]

I will try this when I get home tonight, Lee. I'm short of time right now.

Earlier this morning, I did finally get the Profile Manager to work in 4.x. It shows the correct profile, but when I select it the message I get is:

"Cannot find the directory for the profile you selected." It then offers me the opportunity to browse. I've used Sherlock with 'directory' as a search word and came up with 52 hits -- nothing related to my problem however. Looked in the Communicator folder in my OS9 apps and opened all the folders within. Cannot find a directory.

Do you have a clue where this might be?

Thanks!

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC; en-US; rv:1.0.1) Gecko/20020823 Netscape/7.0

[stoperror]

"Directories" are basically another word for folder. I belive (though am not certain) that there should be a folder titled "Profiles" with folders inside, which are the profiles. Search for a folder called "Profiles".

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 5.2; WOW64; Trident/4.0)

[leonidasjones]

You browse to the location of your profile, which is in the System Folder:Preferences:Netscape Users folder which you found earlier.

That may allow you to get in touch with your Communicator profile, but I begin to think that will not solve your problem.

As I posted last night, I found that NS 7.02 could not send mail, either on Mac OS 9, or Windows. I found the same problem with Communicator 4.77. This morning I solved the problem by switching SMTP servers, from an ssl enabled server to a non ssl enabled one.

What is your smtp server, and is it ssl enabled?

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 SeaMonkey/2.0a3

[Essie]

Hi again,

System / Preferences / Netscape Users is the first place I went, then accessed my profile folder and opened everything within. Nothing triggered the application.

I dragged a copy of my profile to the Firewire and removed it from the Netscape Users folder and hid it in another folder on my desktop. When I opened Profile Manager, it showed the correct profile but now I had nothing to browse to. So I put the profile back in place and browsed to it. That's when I got the message that Netscape couldn't find the directory associated with the profile.

I have Cox Communications for my ISP. The smtp server is smtp.east.cox.net and it is not SSL enabled.

This "directory" thing is really bugging me.

Maybe I can try installing the most recent version of Netscape again, then importing the address book and the mail from the older one. I have a community of more than 500 Pet Lovers from my customer base to whom I circulate pet-related emails that are sent to me by other Pet Lovers. That list is in 4.x.

The big trick will be to observe the cursor behavior in the new installation and to determine whether the later version of Netscape will actually send mail once it is reinstalled!

This is such a headache.

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)

[leonidasjones]

Okay, I am a cox subscriber, and changing to smtp.east.cox.net solved my sending problems in both NC 4.77 and NS 7.02. So that's not it, as long as your settings are correct.

It still might be worth trying WaMCom. Its the most recent (relative term) browser available for OS 9, and it is working fine for mail.

As the other responder said, directory and folder are synonymous. NC 4 is just asking you to point it to the profile folder. When Profile Manager gives you the option to Browse, use it to browse to:

System Folder:Preferences:Netscape Users:(profilename)

(profilename) will be the name associated with your profile. Select that folder/directory.

When you do that, do you get the error message?

I get the feeling that you are being a little selective in following the steps I suggest. If you don't follow steps I suggest, its a little hard for me to continue helping.

So:

1) Open the NC 4 Profile Manager, and try to browse to the profile again, and select the folder/directory with your profile name. Are you getting the error message still?

2) Open the NS 7.02 Profile Manager. Is the NC 4.7 profile listed there as available for conversion? Don't do anything with it, just tell me.

3) Download the WaMCom port of Mozilla 1.3.1, to which I linked in an earlier message. Install it, and allow it to open in the Netscape 7.02 profile which you converted from NC 4. Test Mail/News for your cursor bug, and the send function. Report back here with the results.

4) Reinstalling Netscape 7.02 is very unlikely to solve anything. Don't do that at this point.

Lee

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X 10.5; en-US; rv:1.9.1b3pre) Gecko/20090223 Mnenhy/0.7.6.0 SeaMonkey/2.0a3