Martin,

Please forgive my entering water over my head.  You are already receiving support from one of my technical support heroes.  And maybe I digress from your question ...  but for what it is worth ....

There was a time when I rigorously deployed data on distinct drives to facilitate data backup, migration, etc. independent of program and system files.  Perhaps we have similar thoughts in this regard.  With most applications,  I still promote this theory.

With ever-faithful Pegasus (for which I am always grateful to David Harris, et al.), my damaged brain is insufficient to remember the myriad technical details and motely administrative tasks of sustaining pmail data apart from pmail program files. Rather then forsake Pegasus for a come-lately email client, I allowed the remarkably compact, brilliantly crafted Pegasus code onto my data disk.  My data disk does not mind the minimal intrusion.  My diminished brain is no longer over whelmed.  I can get on with my dotage.

If the details of porting an existent Pegasus installation from C: to X: interest you, better minds then mine can advise you.  I think I copied the Pegasus directory branch from C: to X:, then edited some files, possibly pmail.cfg and pmail.ini to change every instance of "C:\program files\pmail\admin" to "X:\xxx\pmail\admin", and so forth.  Maybe pconfig.exe will accomplish thise modifications, without need for manual edits.  For convenience in Windows, I also added an appropriate shortcut into my quick launch bar.  In any event, you can tweak a new, test installation without compromising your ongoing application.   Be prudent in whom you trust for technical advice.

My suggestion is analogous to maintaining Pegasus on a portable, self-contained drive.  This forum may contain suggestions for installing/maintaining Pegasus on thumb-drives, and such.

I admire your initiative, persistence and diligence in the programmer's eternal quest to bend machine to mind.  I wish you the best.

BTW, as you probably know, transferring files via CD may yield read-only files.  Pegasus requires write rights.

I wish to separate the mailbox folder from the program folder.  I have tried to use the Pegasus commands (Tools>Options>Mailbox Location) without success.  I have tried to copy the mailbox folder from the original location to the new location, and then use pconfig.exe to redirect Pegasus.  In this case opening Pegasus causes the first screen to flash on and off and Pegasus seems to die.

Pegasus is installed on C:\program files\pmail\ etc with the mailbox in the same location.  It is a single user installation.  The OS is Windows XP Pro, and I am logged in as an administrator.  The new location of the mailbox should be D:\mdsdocs\gmail\ etc

I have also tried to give another (Power User) user access to the same program and the same mailbox, but again Pegasus dispalys the opening screen and then dies.

Your suggestions will be welcome, thank you.

Martin

> I wish to separate the mailbox folder from the program folder.  I have
> tried to use the Pegasus commands (Tools>Options>Mailbox Location)
> without success.  I have tried to copy the mailbox folder from the
> original location to the new location, and then use pconfig.exe to
> redirect Pegasus.  In this case opening Pegasus causes the first
> screen to flash on and off and Pegasus seems to die.
>
> Pegasus is installed on C:\program files\pmail\ etc with the mailbox
> in the same location.  It is a single user installation.  The OS is
> Windows XP Pro, and I am logged in as an administrator.  The new
> location of the mailbox should be D:\mdsdocs\gmail\ etc
>
> I have also tried to give another (Power User) user access to the same
> program and the same mailbox, but again Pegasus dispalys the opening
> screen and then dies.

If what you really want to do in to move both the HOME and NEW mail directory to a different location it's pretty easy.  Just move the mail directory to the location you want and then run pconfig.exe from the program directory to point at the new location.  In your case you would move c:\program files\pmail\mail to d:\mdsdocs\gmail and then reset the HOME and NEW mail directory spec to c:\mdsdocs\qmail\mail\~n

Dear Thomsa

Thank you for your response, but it does not work for my system.

Firstly your suggestion of the reset path for HOME and NEW mailboxes uses drive letter C: and I presumed you meant D: since that is where the files were copied to.

 Secondly the inclusion of ~n seems to prompt me for a user, but I think I am trying to use single user mode.  Whatever answer I give to the prompt is a person who does not exist.

Thirdly your inclusion of \mail at the end of the new directory spec is strange since that folde does not exist after the DOS xcopy, even using the /s switch to include the folder \Admin in the copy; I would have expected \Admin on the end of the path perhaps.

I get most success setting the HOME and NEW paths to D:\mdsdocs\gmail\admin  (without \~n) but I get a flash of the opening page of Pegasus which then dies.

I need some more direction please.

Thank you, martin

Firstly your suggestion of the reset path for HOME and NEW mailboxes

uses drive letter C: and I presumed you meant D: since that is where

the files were copied to.

What drive letter were you using on the old system?  That's the drive letter that Pegasus Mail expects to find the program files. I assume you are moving the files from the old dick to the new disk.  If that is not so I really need more info on whjat ytou are trying to accomplish.

  Secondly the inclusion of ~n seems to prompt me for a user, but I

think I am trying to use single user mode.  Whatever answer I give to

the prompt is a person who does not exist.

Single user on all the systems since v4.x came out is ..\pmail\mail\admin.  In this case you need the ~8 (or ~n).  If you were running a older version it could be simply ..\pmail\mail and you would not need the ~8 (or ~n)  Where is the pmail.ini file?

Thirdly your inclusion of \mail at the end of the new directory spec is

strange since that folde does not exist after the DOS xcopy, even using

the /s switch to include the folder \Admin in the copy; I would have

expected \Admin on the end of the path perhaps.

Nope, if there is only one user the system will not ask for a username.  Assuming the system finds the pmail.usr in the root.

 I get most success setting the HOME and NEW paths to

D:\mdsdocs\gmail\admin  (without \~n) but I get a flash of the opening

page of Pegasus which then dies.

The flash and dies will happen if you do not have the proper rights of if the files are read only. A trailing backslash might also cause a similar problem.

Currently Pegasus works as a single user system.  Both programs and mail boxes exist in C:\program files\pmail\  I am trying to move the data (mailbox) to D:\MDSDOCS\GMAIL, whilst leaving the programs in their original locations.  Maybe I do not understand the nomenclature of HOME and NEW and what should be in those mailboxes . 

I have not been able to use the Tools>Options command to move the mailbox(es); when I use the command nothing changes.  I tried to force Pegasus to recognize the new locations by using pconfig.exe with the effects outlined above.  I have to use pconfig.exe again to recover the Pegasus system, and I can do so by setting both HOME and NEW mailboxes to C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin and the system works again but I have accomplished nothing.

I have two copies of pmail.ini the newer one is in C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\ the older one is in C:\program files\pmail\mail\  Both of them indicate Y for Stand alone mode, in in C:\program files\pmail\mail\, the older one, the internal user name is 'Single-user mode' in C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\, the newer one, the internal user name is 'Admin'.  That may be significant.

Tthe file pmail.usr exists in several places alonside pmail.ini.  In C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\ pmail.usr seems to indicate two users which I tried to set up on one occasion in multi-user mode.  In C:\program files\pmail\mail\ pmail.usr indicates a single user Admin who is the mail administrator.

I hope this is clearer.

Thank you for your continued help.

Martin

[quote user="mds_sjs"]

Currently Pegasus works as a single user system.  Both programs and mail boxes exist in C:\program files\pmail\  I am trying to move the data (mailbox) to D:\MDSDOCS\GMAIL, whilst leaving the programs in their original locations.  Maybe I do not understand the nomenclature of HOME and NEW and what should be in those mailboxes . 

The HOME mail directory contains the folders, the NEW mail directory contains the pmail.ini and the new mail messages.  In most cases these are the same directory.

I have not been able to use the Tools>Options command to move the mailbox(es); when I use the command nothing changes.  I tried to force Pegasus to recognize the new locations by using pconfig.exe with the effects outlined above.  I have to use pconfig.exe again to recover the Pegasus system, and I can do so by setting both HOME and NEW mailboxes to C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin and the system works again but I have accomplished nothing.

This would only more the HOME mail directory even if it worked, it does not.

I have two copies of pmail.ini the newer one is in C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\ the older one is in C:\program files\pmail\mail\  Both of them indicate Y for Stand alone mode, in in C:\program files\pmail\mail\, the older one, the internal user name is 'Single-user mode' in C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\, the newer one, the internal user name is 'Admin'.  That may be significant.

It is to some degree. Since the new mail directory contains the pmail.ini file In the first one the new mail directory is c:\program files\pmail\mail; in the second the new mail directory is c:\program files\pmail\mail\admin.  In the first case the new and home mail directory in pconfig.exe should be c:\program files\pmail\mail and in the second it should be c:\program files \pmail\mail\~8.

The file pmail.usr exists in several places alonside pmail.ini.  In C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin\ pmail.usr seems to indicate two users which I tried to set up on one occasion in multi-user mode.  In C:\program files\pmail\mail\ pmail.usr indicates a single user Admin who is the mail administrator.

 The pmail.usr file should be in c:\program file\pmail\mail in the second one and should not exist at all in the first one.
 

I hope this is clearer.

Thank you for your continued help.

The default setup is:

c:\pmail\programs                                    the WinPMail program file

c:\pmail\mail                                            the pmail.usr file

c:\pmail\mail\admin                                    the single-user home and new mail directory.

 The pconfig.exe in this case would show c:\pmail\mail\~8 for both the home and new mail directory.

Martin

Dear Thomas

I appear to have found some sort of answer, or new question for my problem.  If I try to use pconfig.exe to move my mailboxes, and retain the same drive letter I am successful.  Specifically using pconfig.exe and changing C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin into C:\temp\gmail\admin successfully redirects Pegasus to look in the new folder.  But changing C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin into D:\mdsdocs\gmail\admin causes the necessary changes in pmail.cfg, but Pegasus is unable to redirect itself to use the mailboxes which have been previously copied to this folder on the D drive.  I do not think it is a security access issue, because the logged in user has administrative privileges.  I have not yet satisfactorily tested the contents of pmail.ini.  Can you please shed any light on this?

Thank yuo

Martin

But changing C:\program files\pmail\mail\admin into

D:\mdsdocs\gmail\admin causes the necessary changes in pmail.cfg, but

Pegasus is unable to redirect itself to use the mailboxes which have

been previously copied to this folder on the D drive.

All WinPMail does is read the pmail.cfg file, retrieve the new mail directory spec and look for a pmail.ini file in this directory.  Once it finds the pmail.ini file it reads the user configuration from this file.  If the pmail.ini file is in this directory then there is some sort of rights problem at the OS level that is keeping this from working.