Thunderbird folder did not load, emails downloaded by POP3 now seemingly lost
Having opened Thunderbird a message came up to the effect that the folder had not loaded. No emails were shown in the list, although the total number of emails in the folder appeared as usual above the list.
Thunderbird then downloaded over 100 emails, according to the status bar. These messages were previously present on the server, and were downloaded via POP3 with the option to delete on the server once downloaded selected.
Having closed Thunderbird and relaunched, the folder with all the existing emails appeared. However, there are no emails now on the server, this having been verified by logging in to webmail.
Where have the emails gone?
If they are indeed lost then why does Thunderbird proceed with downloading messages when a folder has not loaded? Why is downloading of messages not conditional on the folder having loaded? This would avoid such an eventuality.
I am running Thunderbird 115.18.0 32-bit in Windows 7 SP1 64-bit.
Wót DonnyDave změnjony
Wšykne wótegrona (5)
Hi DonnyDave,
I'm sorry that I don't understand completely. You say that the messages appeared after re-starting Thunderbird, so they were downloaded successfully and they are present. But you also say that they are lost. How should one understand those two apparently contradictory statements?
"with the option to delete on the server once downloaded selected" -- Then the messages should not be on the server, but you are concerned because they are not?
Is your concern about messages not appearing at all before you re-started Thunderbird? I don't know why they did not appear at first but then appeared later. I also am not familiar with that error message. If you see it again, would you please post a screenshot of it?
One possible explanation for not seeing any messages at first even though the count of messages appeared above the message list is that you had a quick filter set. Re-starting Thunderbird removed the quick filter and showed the messages. This may not be what happened in your case. It's just a possible explanation that should not cause any concern.
And that message appeared *before* Thunderbird retrieved the one hundred messages, so it was not relevant to them?
Rick (Scooter) said
I'm sorry that I don't understand completely. You say that the messages appeared after re-starting Thunderbird, so they were downloaded successfully and they are present. But you also say that they are lost. How should one understand those two apparently contradictory statements?
On restarting Thunderbird all emails that were there prior to the downloaded emails were present. These are the ones present the last time I ran Thunderbird, a few days ago. This is what was meant by the "existing" adjective ("pre-existing" might have been a more apt word): "Having closed Thunderbird and relaunched, the folder with all the existing emails appeared." The new ones – those received in the intervening period – do not appear in the list and are not on the server either.
Wót DonnyDave změnjony
Were those messages in the in-box on the server when you last saw them?
Are those messages in the trash now, either on the server or in Thunderbird?
Do you access this account from any other app or device?
Do you use message filters?
Yes. When I checked webmail yesterday there were emails there.
The emails do not appear in the trash, nor in any of the other folders, including those under Local Folders.
The email has only been accessed via webmail and has not been accessed via a client on any other device.
There are message filters set-up for some email addresses which are no longer relevant, meaning they don't apply to the emails received.
Musyśo se pla swójogo konta pśizjawiś, aby na pśinoski wótegronił. Pšosym stajśo pšašanje, jolic hyšći njamaśo wužywaŕske konto.