Have I lost my Thunderbird e-mails on change of PC?

[PMU]

I recently screwed up my PC (http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=87353) and have since replaced it. When I tried to access my e-mails (on eircom.net) with Thunderbird (v.1.0.7) on my new PC I can only retrieve e-mails sent in the past few days and not my previous e-mails, which I thought were stored on the eircom server. Also when I accessed my e-mail accounts using webmail only the unread e-mails and none of the old ones were in the account. Eircom tell me that Thunderbird downloads e-mails when they are read and deletes them from their server. I presume this is true?
I’ve a back-up of the HDD of my defunct PC (straight copy of the disk using LaCie back-up software). From what I can figure out, I need to retrieve mbox or .eml files but I can’t find them anywhere on the back-up disk. Any suggestions on where these files might be located? Also, is eircom actually correct in saying Thunderbird deletes e-mails from the server?

 

[ClubMan]

I’ve a back-up of the HDD of my defunct PC (straight copy of the disk using LaCie back-up software). From what I can figure out, I need to retrieve mbox or .eml files but I can’t find them anywhere on the back-up disk. Any suggestions on where these files might be located?

\Documents and Settings\<name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Thunderbird or something like that? Have you Googled for info on where Thunderbird stores its local files?

Eircom tell me that Thunderbird downloads e-mails when they are read and deletes them from their server. I presume this is true?

...

Also, is eircom actually correct in saying Thunderbird deletes e-mails from the server?

It could be an option (the default one?) for it to download locally and delete from the server. I seem to recall Thunderbird with the webmail plugin operating this way by default (or always?) when I tried it out with Hotmail.

 

[hansov]

Is this of any use: http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=70796 ? If you have taken a backup of your old hard drive - it's there somewhere! Look at the path that Thunderbird uses now and search that path on the back-up.

There is a default on Thunderbird that allows you to download from the eircom server (or any server) and not leave a copy on the server. This was pretty handy when the size of the eircom.net account was limited; now that they have done an upgrade you have oodles of room. The default must have been used when you were using your old computer and that's why your emails are deleted - you did it (by default) not eircom.
Edit: I have been a while getting this reply out and seem to confirm everything Clubman said!