recover compact
Previously, I have had problems when Thunderbird compacted all my mails, rendering them lost forever. I have not done anything since on compacting my email. Upon receiving or sending a mail which I want to keep, I pull them out of the inbox folder and store them on customized folders.
A few days ago, while on WIFI in a foreign country, I was sudden unable to send any mails. I played around a bit with my "Server Security Settings" "STARTTLS and SSL/TLS" in Account Setting. After that, I realized all my emails previously stored in my folders were gone! The folders were still there, but only a few recent email received.
This is the exact result of compacting my email a long time ago. I am absolutely desperate to recover those lost mails as they are life and death situations for my work.... Please help anyone?
Opaite Mbohovái (7)
Compacting folders is regular maintenance. You would probably have less problems with more regular maintenance.
Helpful links. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_Tips_:_Compacting_Folders http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keep_it_working_%28Thunderbird%29
Thanks for your advise, I did not know about the need to compact it regularly. I just thought as long as I clear my server, pull the important mails I need into folders and delete my inbox mails manually (usually shift-delete everything more than 40 days), everything would be fine.
The above didn't fail me for more than a year. I'm sorry to cut you short but I really don't have the time or mood to be finding out what I should have done. My job is on the line if I can't retrieve those mails because they consist of every quotations, cost and contracts over the years.
Are there anyway to retrieve those mails that were automatically compacted? By the way, I was NEVER prompted to compact at all, I just turn on thunderbird realized this morning everything was gone.
If they are still on the server maybe. Or restore them from the backups you have been making. You have made backups correct?
I have not done any manual backups. Because I have dragged the files out of the inbox folder, I honestly thought I was safe! I mean I never intend to compact my email, and even if it were to be compacted, I would have thought that mails pulled out from the inbox into my local folder would be safe.
I have used thunderbird for many years, and this is the first time something like that happen...
In the case of IMAP, whilst ever Thunderbird can not connect to the server all mail will at least be marked for deletion as the server is "missing".
So have you had the chance to reconnect Thunderbird to the server?
Until a folder is compacted, this add-on can undelete messages stored in it. https://freeshell.de//~kaosmos/index-en.html#recDelMsg
I have not manually compacted the email, unless Thunderbird did it for me automatically...
Yes my Thunderbird can be online and I have downloaded your suggested add-on. Only problem is I don't know how to install it...
To install an addon: Download the file to computer desktop. in Thunderbird Tools > Addons clicko n gear wheel icon and select 'Install addon from file' locate the file you downloaded and click on open.