2nd try, recovering corrupted messages
PWM
Does anyone have experience in recovering corrupted email messages from
an IMAP system? This happened in TB2; I've since upgraded to TB3.
The problem happened as I was trying to move messages to another folder.
Some were transferred, others were not but what was left behind is a
time and date, forwarding icon, but no message text.
I can send more details if someone has alread dealt with something like
this. The lost messages are very important. I should have backed them or
archived them (which was then a possibility I was aware of) but I didn't.
In advance, thanks for any help anyone can offer.
Paul
Nir
I never experienced this issue with my IMAP accounts but if you want, i
like to help.
Is that IMAP account set to download messages for offline usage?
If you login to IMAP account through webmail interface (if present), do
you find similar issue there?
John Thompson
IMAP stores your mail on the server so chances are all you need to do is
clean up thunderbird's index of the messages. These are stored in yourt
profile directory (in linux, ~/.thunderbird/default/[whatever].slt/ImapMail/imap.whatever.com/).
Close Thunderbird and look for the .msf files associated with the problem
folders, e.g. "INBOX.msf" or "Trash.msf" or whatever and delete them.
When you next start Thunderbird, it will query the IMAP server to
rebuild them, hopefully with the proper data.
--
-John (jo...@os2.dhs.org)
PWM
Ok, John and Nir. I'll try this. I may need some help on this end so I
don't accidentally delete or change something I need. I might not get
help from our IT people until school starts again--I'm at a university.
I appreciate the help, and if I can actually recover them, it will be
WONDERFUL!
PWM
John,
Deleting the msf file didn't resolve the problem. This is some time ago
that it happened--and I went on to other things, thinking it was
impossible to recover them. I'm trying to remember how they disappeared.
It was in TB2, not 3, and I THINK I was trying to save them by sending
them to a local folder. In retrospect, not a good idea.
It seems that they're no longer on the IMAP server. All I have when I
open the folder is the same date for 20 emails, and that date is the
date I tried to transfer them. I can't find or determine what the folder
was I was trying to transfer them to.
I know this sounds lame, and I'm sorry to take up your time, but do you
have ANY other suggestion, or should I just resign myself to their being
gone forever?
Thanks,
Paul
G. R. Woodring
Do you have a web interface available for your email? If so, you may have more
account maintenance options available there. Don't compact or compress any
folders or empty trash as that could permanently delete the messages.
Even if the University is closed you may find contact info for the IT
department. They likely have a regular back-up routine so your messages may be
recoverable. You should probably contact them as soon as possible.
--
G. R. Woodring