[Folder shrank from xxxx to yyyyyyyyyy!]

[O.C.]

Dear All,

using PC-Pine I have moved the messages from the INBOX to the local "savemail" folder.
Now, when I try to open the "savemail" folder, only the "[Folder shrank from 2048 to 2301230021!]" message is displayed. I have lost access to all my messages.
I have searched the web discussions, no solution to this problem found.
The "savemail" file is big, 2.3 Gb - mayby that is the problem. I have tried to split it with Cutmbox application, but it does not work. Also I have tried to convert it to other format with no success, and to view it with MailNavigator - no success.
I wonder if someone had similar problem or knows what is worth a shot.
Thanks in advance.

O.C.

[cha...@washington.edu]

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 5:24:20 AM UTC-7, O.C. wrote:

> using PC-Pine I have moved the messages from the INBOX to the local "savemail" folder.
>
> Now, when I try to open the "savemail" folder, only the "[Folder shrank from 2048 to 2301230021!]" message is displayed. I have lost access to all my messages.

I have had problems like this before, I remember that I transferred the folder to a linux machine, and used the "split" program to split it in segments less than 1 GB.

Then I attempted to open the first segment, and Alpine told me that there was an error at a specific byte. I reused the split program to split it to that size, and that gave me a folder that worked.

I do not recall what I did after that, but I think I repeated the process of spliting the folder again. You might need to split the first 2048 of the first folder, because and mbx folder has a 2048 bytes long header.

The problem you are going through is one of the biggest shortcomings I have ever seen in Alpine. There is no warning that this could happen at all.

--
Eduardo
http://patches.freeiz.com/alpine/

[Jean-Pierre Coulon]

On Wed, 6 Mar 2013, O.C. wrote:

> using PC-Pine I have moved the messages from the INBOX to the local
> "savemail" folder. Now, when I try to open the "savemail" folder, only the
> "[Folder shrank from 2048 to 2301230021!]" message is displayed. I have lost
> access to all my messages. I have searched the web discussions, no solution
> to this problem found. The "savemail" file is big, 2.3 Gb - mayby that is
> the problem. I have tried to split it with Cutmbox application, but it does
> not work. Also I have tried to convert it to other format with no success,
> and to view it with MailNavigator - no success.

If you are able to split this big "savemail" in chunks of say, 10 MB you will
be able to see the text and the headers with linux Alpine. But PC alpine will
complain that it doesn't find the correct "*mbx*" line and size information
that should be at the beginning of a correct Alpine folder.

ON a PC you will be able to see the text your mails with a decent editor like
Winvi http://winvi.de/en/

In both cases viewing attachments will be a problem. Finding the mail
containing a specific string will be possible.

Hope this helps,
--
Jean-Pierre Coulon

[unruh]

On 2013-03-11, Jean-Pierre Coulon <cou...@cacas.pam.obs-nice.fr> wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Mar 2013, O.C. wrote:
>
>> using PC-Pine I have moved the messages from the INBOX to the local
>> "savemail" folder. Now, when I try to open the "savemail" folder, only the
>> "[Folder shrank from 2048 to 2301230021!]" message is displayed. I have lost
>> access to all my messages. I have searched the web discussions, no solution
>> to this problem found. The "savemail" file is big, 2.3 Gb - mayby that is
>> the problem. I have tried to split it with Cutmbox application, but it does
>> not work. Also I have tried to convert it to other format with no success,
>> and to view it with MailNavigator - no success.

You could also try to move it back to the INBOX, and save it as small
chunks at a time.
Edit it to remove the header from the file so pine does not get
confused by that in an INBOX.
You should shut down your sendmail, or pop or whatever loads up your
INBOX during that time, so you do not get contention and lose current
mails.