Thunderbird is acting weird

[Diana]

I am hoping that some of you smart computer guys would have some suggestions as to fixing the little problem that started with Thunderbird last night.

Norton was acting funny and locked up when I told it to stop scanning and the computer locked up so I shut it off with the power source (the only way it would let me do it). Thunderbird was open at the time.

When I started up Thunderbird again it downloaded 375 messages to the inbox...some from all the way back to last summer. They were all duplicates of emails I had already downloaded from the server. Some of those were marked read and some were marked unread, although I had already read the ones marked unread.

After deleting ALL of those messages, the inbox still shows that there are four unread messages in the inbox no matter what I do even if the inbox is empty. And every once in awhile I get a blank-looking email with no header or body, but it lists the date as being back in 1969 (wasn't that before Al Gore?).

I can still use Thunderbird just fine; it's just annoying to keep seeing four unread messages that aren't there. I don't want to lose the gazillion emails in my folders right now for various reasons, so I don't want to uninstall Thunderbird. What do you guys think? Can it be fixed?

Thanks!

 

[mikea]

...

When I started up Thunderbird again it downloaded 375 messages to the inbox...some from all the way back to last summer. They were all duplicates of emails I had already downloaded from the server. Some of those were marked read and some were marked unread, although I had already read the ones marked unread.
...

That is the nature of the POP mail protocol. The client has to try tag the messages and figure if one is new or a repeat. Before Thunderbird had to go through Norton and now it doesn't, so the headers on the emails are completely different so they all look new. That confusion will only happen once.

There's a Thunderbird extension called "Remove Duplicate Messages" that will help the next time that happens....especially since it will happen again if you follow the following advice.

The fix the second problem, you should delete the POP email account and recreate it to go direct to your ISP. (Tools->Account settings, at least on Mac) That means it will look at all of those messages as being new again.

While you're at it, go to your ISP's help page and see if you can use IMAP for email instead of POP. IMAP duplicates the email folder between the ISP and your client so you never get dupes. Another nice advantage to that is you could have 6 PCs getting email and they would all stay in sync. With POP, each client keeps track for itself and you may not see a message that another client downloaded, and you certainly have no way of knowing you read the message elsewhere.

Good luck!

 

[Diana]

That is the nature of the POP mail protocol. The client

Am I the client? I'm not sure who the client is.

There's a Thunderbird extension called "Remove Duplicate Messages" that will help the next time that happens....especially since it will happen again if you follow the following advice.

Oh, OK, I'll go get that.

The fix the second problem, you should delete the POP email account and recreate it to go direct to your ISP. (Tools->Account settings, at least on Mac) That means it will look at all of those messages as being new again.

Will I lose my present folders with emails in them?

While you're at it, go to your ISP's help page and see if you can use IMAP for email instead of POP. IMAP duplicates the email folder between the ISP and your client so you never get dupes. Another nice advantage to that is you could have 6 PCs getting email and they would all stay in sync. With POP, each client keeps track for itself and you may not see a message that another client downloaded, and you certainly have no way of knowing you read the message elsewhere.

This was kinda like reading a calculus book to me. I'm not sure what you said, even after reading it four times. If I make changes, can I still get my email on my iPhone and laptop and leave it on the server and then it will all download to my desk computer like I do it now?

Good luck!

I wish you could come to my house and fix it for me.

 

[mikea]

Am I the client? I'm not sure who the client is.

I mean the email client application, which is Thunderbird. Solly, this is work talk.

Will I lose my present folders with emails in them?

No. I had that in mind but my fingers are too slow. To be safe, back up (copy) your Thunderbird profile folder first.
http://www.mozilla.org/support/thunderbird/profile
The mail folder within Thunderbird would only be deleted if you deleted it explicitedly.

When you add a new email account you set to which mail folder messages go. You can send the new account to put mail in the same "folder." This means, within Thunderbird.

This was kinda like reading a calculus book to me. I'm not sure what you said, even after reading it four times. If I make changes, can I still get my email on my iPhone and laptop and leave it on the server and then it will all download to my desk computer like I do it now?
h

Exactly! That's the advantage of IMAP. With IMAP the iPhone would know you read or deleted a message on the laptop.

This is for Gmail, but your ISP will have a similar setup IF they support IMAP.
http://lifehacker.com/software/geek...nto-the-ultimate-gmail-imap-client-314574.php
IMAP may just plain work if you set the same server settings for your ISP you use now and choose IMAP in Thunderbird rather than POP. Try it!

I wish you could come to my house and fix it for me.

Sure...I should spend another long weekend driving through the ice to Missouri. If you really needed help I could walk you through on the phone setting up VNC so I could set it up for you, but you can do it.

 

[Diana]

I mean the email client application, which is Thunderbird. Solly, this is work talk.

Ok, got it now. I usually stick needles in my clients.

When you add a new email account you set to which mail folder messages go. You can send the new account to put mail in the same "folder." This means, within Thunderbird.

Will it pick up all my old emails and put them back in folders in the active Thunderbird? When I try to go back and read old, old emails in that folder, I can't read them unless I open it in MS Word and then it's hundreds of pages, some of which are a bunch of letters if it's a video or photos.

Sure...I should spend another long weekend driving through the ice to Missouri.

If you DID, I'd make you some homemade chicken noodle soup or homemade chili (with vegetables) and homemade bread (in a machine).

If you really needed help I could walk you through on the phone setting up VNC so I could set it up for you, but you can do it.

I don't know what VNC is. But, I'll work on your suggestions. Thanks Mike.

 

[mikea]

...
Will it pick up all my old emails and put them back in folders in the active Thunderbird? When I try to go back and read old, old emails in that folder, I can't read them unless I open it in MS Word and then it's hundreds of pages, some of which are a bunch of letters if it's a video or photos.

If you DID, I'd make you some homemade chicken noodle soup or homemade chili (with vegetables) and homemade bread (in a machine).

I don't know what VNC is. But, I'll work on your suggestions. Thanks Mike.

The messages that you have in the "Inbox" folder in Thunderbird will stay there.

If you set a new POP account, all of your messages will look new to it, so you'll get them all again.

If you bring your laptop to Gaston's we can do some (minor) surgery on it then. We'd just need your ISP's help page on the web.

VNC is an open-source (usually free!) multi-platform program that let's a computer see and control the screen on a remote computer. it works PC--->PC and PC<--->Mac even to Linux and Palm. I dunno if anybody has made work on the iPhone yet.

I'll getting by with various brands of canned chili that I doctor up when the mood strikes. The local high end grocer even has Cinci Skyline chili. Man, that stuff is thin, but it's OK since I often make it chili mac.

 

[KennyFlys]

At first glance of the thread title, I thought someone had a question about their wine collection.

 

[mikea]

I found some better information on IMAP vs. POP than that Lifehacker idiot above:

http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/email/IMAP_vs_POP/default.htm
http://forums.rochen.com/showthread.php?t=7018

How you set up a new account in Thunderbird on Windows:
http://www.freeemailtutorials.com/mozillaThunderbird/setupEmailAccount.cwd

A video on setting up Thunderbird on Windows for Gmail using IMAP but hard to see. You can at least follow along. You just need to know the servers for your ISP rather than Gmail.
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/09/using-thunderbird-with-gmail-imap/ least follow along.

 

[Diana]

At first glance of the thread title, I thought someone had a question about their wine collection.

Oh, is there a wine called Thunderbird? I'll have to try it.

 

[Diana]

I found some better information on IMAP vs. POP than that Lifehacker idiot above:

How you set up a new account in Thunderbird on Windows:

Mike, thanks for the links...I'll have to check them out.

My inbox still shows 4 unread messages, although there aren't any messages there. Oh, well, maybe it will be kinda like how you add to AGL to get MSL. If I have 8 that means I really have 4.

 

[gprellwitz]

Oh, is there a wine called Thunderbird? I'll have to try it.

No, you really don't!!

 

[mikea]

Mike, thanks for the links...I'll have to check them out.

My inbox still shows 4 unread messages, although there aren't any messages there. Oh, well, maybe it will be kinda like how you add to AGL to get MSL. If I have 8 that means I really have 4.

Try a select all->Mark as read. (Ctl-A Right drag)

 

[Diana]

Try a select all->Mark as read. (Ctl-A Right drag)

Well, I tried that and everything else under the sun, but it still tells me that I have 4 unread messages that aren't there. I wonder who they are from? If I didn't answer somebody's email...it isn't because I don't like you.