Removing 'bad'chrs from a file

[rikona]

Hello Basil,

Friday, October 8, 2010, 1:53:40 AM, Basil wrote:

BC> On 08/10/2010 18:13, rikona wrote:
>> I just installed UB for a friend, and tried to move a previous
>> Thunderbird email file to a new TB in her new UB. TB indexed it, but
>> many emails are missing after a certain date. I thought I'd look at
>> the file with Kate, but Kate says there are 'bad chrs' in the file.
>> Perhaps that is the problem with TB indexing.
>>
>> It's a big file, about 1 gig. I also found out that trying to work
>> with that size file in Kate is essentially impossible. What may be
>> swaps take many minutes every time I try to do anything to the file.
>>
>> Tail shows me that all the emails are there, and I know the last one
>> indexed by TB. One possibility might be to split the file into 3
>> chunks - one including up to the one before the last 'good' email,
>> another containing perhaps the next 500 lines or so where the problem
>> might be, and the third with the rest of the file. That mid-section
>> might be small enough to be reasonable to view/fix with an editor.
>>
>> Or, is there a way to just fix/remove the 'bad chrs' from a file? All
>> [reasonable] {gotta watch out on this list :-) } ideas welcome.
>>
>> She'd like to get all her emails back... :-))
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> rikona
>>    

BC> Whenever I am about to install a new version of UB (and by this I
BC> assume that you meant Ubuntu?),

Yes, but I'm a slow typist and thought all would understand... :-)

BC> I always copy the /.thunderbird (and /.mozilla) sub-dir. in
BC> /home/<user> to something like an USB flash disc formatted with
BC> ext3/4 (which will retain any symlinks).

I have that.

BC> After the new version of Ubuntu has been install, I copy the
BC> /.thunderbird from the flash disc to the (new) home directory. I
BC> then install Thunderbird using Synaptic Package Manager - and run
BC> TB. TB has always picked up all the contents of what I had copied
BC> into /home/<name>/.thunderbird from the flash disc - and here I am
BC> talking about this being so for many years.

I copied only the TB folders she wanted, not all [such as trash, which
was huge :-) ].

BC> You don't mention which version of TB you are using to do this

3.0.8 - the latest in UB 10.04.1. I don't know the old TB version, but
it was perhaps 4 yrs old.

BC> nor which version of "UB"

10.04..

BC> - but it doesn't really matter because what I stated above has
BC> been so for me for years for all versions of not only another
BC> distro but also now for Ubuntu.

I thought it would work too - it almost does - about 450 emails were
indexed successfully.

BC> BTW, I have always used mc (Midnight Commander) for all my work with
BC> files. Have you tried mc re the above 1GB file?

I didn't try that since cream worked so well.

BC> If you have a copy of the /.thunderbird sub-dir from her previous
BC> installation then hold on to it as nothing is lost and can be
BC> restored...

True . I made an extra copy. :-)

BC> Went to a discount massage parlour the other day. Wasn't 'til I
BC> paid me money that I found out that it was self-service.

I like your sigs... :-)      

-- 

 rikona