Kmail/kontact configuration broken - need to reset kmail

[Chopstick]

Hi All,
I just installed kubuntu 12.10 (clean install, had 11.04 before). I configured kmail/kontact manually and imported all my old email from my one POP account and set up my remaining IMAP accounts. So far everything went well.
Then I tried to copy everything over to my other computer (I like to keep them sync'ed), and got myself into a huge mess.
I copied the .local folder and all relevant configuration files from .kde/share/apps and .kde/share/config (essentially *kmail*rc and *kontact*rc) manually. Then I used a synchronization tool called unison to copy the latest changes (after I closed I closed kontact/kmail on the first computer).
Apparently something went wrong here: when I opened kontact on the other komputer, the IMAP folders were there, but the POP (in Local Folders) was empty, and all my Identities and Accounts and other settings were not there either. Then I tried to sync the folder .config as well, but no change. I copied the configuration files again, rebooted etc., but no progress.
Then I tried to open kontact on the first computer, and now it was completely messed up: kmail opens its own window (not in kontact anymore) and all folders and settings are gone. When I try to change anything, it crashes.
On the other computer there is no change, i.e. the IMAP folder are still there, but the rest is missing (and kmail is still in kontact).
I guess I will have to reconfigure kmail from scratch. I tried to delete all configuration files, stop akonadi, delete the akonadi folder in .config and the entire .local folder, but when I start kontact now, it goes into the initial Email setup dialog, and after that just hangs (also when I cancel that dialog). (Btw. 'delete' here means 'moved to a backup location.)
How, on Earth, can I get a clean start with kontact, without nuling my entire KDE installation? (I spend a lot of time configuring other components, so I really don't want to do that again!)

Does anyone know which files I have to delete, to get a clean kontact/kmail?
And does someone know which files I would have to synchronize to keep my two computers in sync? (And avoid breaking kmail...)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Chopstick]

So, I managed to get some of kmail back: I shut down akonadi, deleted everything related to it, and rebooted.
Then I copied my backed-up configuration files and the local-mail folder in .local/share back, and I got most of my settings, the Identities, the outgoing accounts, and the Local Folders back (with all my mail from the POP account). All my incoming accounts and the IMAP folders did not come back.
Now I am in the process of adding back the IMAP folders and incoming accounts.
My folders are quite a mess, but my computer is working very hard, hopefully to get things back in order (there is some progress).
This is all on the first computer - I didn't touch the other one.

[Chopstick]

I'm happy to report that after about 2 hours, my mail folders are back to normal... but akonadi is still churning on like crazy...

[Snowhog]

It needs to do it's initial indexing. If your mail folders contain a lot of saved email, it can take a while to finish. But once it is finished, it won't take up the resources it is during this indexing phase.

[Chopstick]

OK, I set up everything on each machine separately, I need to figure out how to sync' them; and as far as the IMAP folders are concerned, that's not a problem.
The calendar can be synchronized by copying the *.ics file(s), as long as korgac is closed.
However, I haven't found a way to synchronize my POP3 account; my initial idea of sync'ing the .local/share/local-mail folder does not seem to work, even when Akonadi is stopped. Most of the new mail simply wouldn't appear in my Local Folders/inbox after copying the folder, but some apparently did... strange...

I also have to report, that migrating settings and accounts was kinda difficult: general Kmail settings were contained in the various applicable *rc files (I just copied them), but I had to set up my incoming and outgoing email accounts separately on both machines. I was not able to find a configuration file for that - or at least that's what I thought. When I added the accounts again on the other machine, I found that some of the information (personal information!) would already appear in the boxes, even though the account was not present! - spooky, eh!? I must have copied some of the information with the configuration files earlier...
I have not attempted to sync the addressbook yet.

Can anyone tell me what's going on here? I'm very confused - it seems Kmail and Akonadi are doing a lot of things behind my back...