evolution backup
 

can someone explain to me in simple terms the way to restore evolution from a network drive. When I open evolution and it asks if I want to restore, it doesn't recognise the .evolution folder and forces me to choose a file buried wirthin the folder.

Can I do some kind of compression on the .evolution folder for it to restore??
Also If I just copy the folder do I need to change the permissions??

The evolution restore requires an evolution backup, not simply a compressed .evolution directory. To restore from what you have just close evolution, remove the existing .evolution directory and place the old one into the users home dir.