Truncated messages in Thunderbird

[kimmer]

See my last post, I've partially solved this.

Oh AAARRRGGGHHH!  

First a rant ...
Yesterday a pal (and I use that term loosely) sent me a HUGE email. Took over 5 min. for the ^&*)(U* thing to download. When it did, it was a stoooopid power point thing that I couldn't open. In fact, her email said, "2 attachments, skip the first, it's blank and click on the other one". Well, I only had ONE attachment. Turned out I had to reset my email to show html and inline attachments in order to even SEE the $%^&* attachments to download them.  

Well, I did all this, and then had the power point thing crash NeoOffice, crash ScriptWriter (which for some reason it kept trying to open all on it's own), and it froze FF (which either the attachment or NeoOffice [more likely culprit] kept trying to open).

I finally got this #$%^& thing open, found it was a barfy something to mom's (oh gee, thanks a ton. I'm not a mom and my mom passed away and gosh -- THAT gave me the real warm fuzzies) and dumped the whole thing and sent her back a note that said thanks a bunch but I can't view whatever this is. (I wasn't much nicer, but I did refrain from telling her how INCONSIDERATE and INSENSITIVE I thought she was. Oh, yeah for me.)

Add to this my HS class has discovered email, set up a list and are sharing photo's. Nice, only none of them know how to trim down pictures, or to remove the old stuff and their emails are choking my mailbox as well.

The end result of a frustrating morning was I got annoyed at all these things and changed my settings in Thunderbird to only download messages under 50kb. This morning I have 2 emails from HS class, and they both show up with this in the body:

QUOTE

Truncated!This message exceeded the Maximum Message Size set in Account Settings, so we have only downloaded the first few lines from the mail server.

Click here to download the rest of the message.

I click and nothing happens.  

I've clicked several times and nothing happens. :Double-huh:

I can go into the web mail interface and view the emails, so I know they are sitting there, but I can't seem to get TB to download them.

Any suggestions? Clues? Answers (short of getting new pals)?

[chriskleeman]

Kimmer, I hate to sound obvious, but have you viewed the size of these messages that are on the server?

Because if they are bigger than the 50 Kb limit you set, they're not going to download anymore...

It sounds just like something I'd do, by the way!

HTH,

Chris K

[kimmer]

The messages are well over the 50kb limit, Chris. However, clicking the link (Click here to download the rest of the message) in the message is SUPPOSED to bring in the entire message.

It doesn't.

I'm considering moving over to Apple's Mail or digging through my old disks and finding my Eudora registration number and going back to CandylandEudora.

I've also considered dropping all my buds and pals and old classmates. That would be fast, simple and stress free.  

[chriskleeman]

QUOTE(kimmer @ May 13 2007, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The messages are well over the 50kb limit, Chris. However, clicking the link (Click here to download the rest of the message) in the message is SUPPOSED to bring in the entire message.

It doesn't.

I'm considering moving over to Apple's Mail or digging through my old disks and finding my Eudora registration number and going back to CandylandEudora.

I've also considered dropping all my buds and pals and old classmates. That would be fast, simple and stress free.  

Well, see, I'm, uhh, well, err, I don't know...

I went through my SeaMonkey settings (I guess more idiot-proof for folks like me...) and I don't see a setting anywhere to limit the size of downloaded messages. I thought maybe there'd be something similar since they are both Mozilla... there may be anyway, but I can't find it.

So, I guess I'm no help here am I? I've got a big e-mail I'd like to send along, though!

Maybe a re-install of Thunderbird?

SeaMonkey almost always asks how it wants large attachments handled, and that can be set in the preferences.... which helps to just delete them if I don't want them. I have a friend who just can't help himself in that way, but I haven't decided to ditch him yet, he's my Chiropracter, could hurt!

Chris K

[kimmer]

QUOTE(chriskleeman @ May 13 2007, 01:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've got a big e-mail I'd like to send along, though!

   Thanks, pal.  

QUOTE

Maybe a re-install of Thunderbird?

That may be next. I reset the prefs for that acct and now I have 2 emails I can't download in their entirety.  

Maybe I could refer my pals to your chiropractor and they could all send huge files to each other?  

[chriskleeman]

QUOTE(kimmer @ May 13 2007, 06:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 Thanks, pal.  
That may be next. I reset the prefs for that acct and now I have 2 emails I can't download in their entirety.  

Maybe I could refer my pals to your chiropractor and they could all send huge files to each other?  

Now I like that idea!!!

The last time I left for a few days and would not have regular computer access, I had to e-mail him and tell him to hold off sending anything for a few days... he still didn't get the hint!

So I'll be glad to forward you his e-mail and they can all have at!!!        

Chris K

[kimmer]

QUOTE

So I'll be glad to forward you his e-mail and they can all have at!!!

HAHAHAHAHA! Having just downloaded 3 new messages -- which all quote at least 12 previous messages, including every attachment -- they deserve each other.

All seriousness aside ... I reinstalled my TB profile and now the magic link works and I get all the junk I never wanted.

Next step is to figure out how to get TB to delete from server the big messages I don't want.

[Xairbusdriver]

Thunderbird may not be as mature as Eudora, but at least Eudora has these size settings available for every account you might be checking. However, when I get a message that it has only downloaded a small amount of an over-sized message it uses a somewhat different approach to downloading it. I must first click a button in the 'toolbar' of the message window. Then, and this is the important part and possibly a solution for you, I must once again download/check for messages ( command-m ). Those two actions tell Eudora to disregard the size limit for that specific message, which is, of course, still on the server.

I have no idea if this will work in Thunderbird but it can't hurt to try. Click the link and then ask for another download/mail check.

My wife can sympathize with you frustration with High School reunion emails! Fortunately, hers was a very small class! I doubt that you'll ever get the message across to the majority, they're probably still amazed that the whole thing even works! I still have a friend who says she can't delete anything in messages she forwards to me! There's no such thing as a 'fool-proof' program/system. Even my MoM keeps sending me "winmail 1.dat" files.

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ May 14 2007, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thunderbird may not be as mature as Eudora, but at least Eudora has these size settings available for every account you might be checking.

It's been a few years since I used Eudora, but that's what I remember about how it handled large messages, and also how it would delete from server. I've got to find my serial number so I can reinstall and use it.

Since TB/Mozilla inherited the code for Eudora, my hope was that we would shortly see a very robust TB available. So far, I've not seen or read anything to indicate TB will go in this direction. It's very, very discouraging. I truly dislike the "look" of Eudora, and that's why I stopped using it. I'm becoming frustrated with the lack of several things in TB and am about ready to live with CandylandEudora.  

QUOTE

Then, and this is the important part and possibly a solution for you, I must once again download/check for messages ( command-m ). Those two actions tell Eudora to disregard the size limit for that specific message, which is, of course, still on the server.

I tried this and it wasn't working. I'm thinking perhaps my prefs had become corrupted as reinstalling them seemed to make things function correctly (click the link and the message comes right in). This is the 2nd time in the past few weeks that I've had to reinstall my TB prefs. It's becoming ... annoying.

QUOTE

My wife can sympathize with you frustration with High School reunion emails! Fortunately, hers was a very small class!

My class was one of the largest to graduate from my HS, but it's still small by comparison to larger HS's.   We have 103 classmates on this list and no one has thought of setting up an email list anywhere. I'd volunteer (could do it through our domain), but ... I don't care that much about these folks.    Ummm ... well, that's the truth. Haven't been in touch in 40 yrs. and likely won't make this reunion or the next several.

QUOTE

I doubt that you'll ever get the message across to the majority, their probably still amazed that the whole thing even works!

hehehehehehehehehe  Yeah, the worst offender is the guy who started all this. He makes his living writing code/programs and he couldn't figure out how to send a simple listing of names/address. I was ROFL at the antics he went through. No less than 8 (yes, eight!) copies came through (from him) before someone's daughter took pity on her dad and converted it to a RTF file. HAHAHAHA!

QUOTE

Even my MoM keeps sending me "winmail 1.dat" files.

Oh no!    

Okay, I'm off to see if I can find my Eudora stuff. Like I don't have enough to do this week.  

[Xairbusdriver]

It might create another problem but I'm wondering if locking the TB prefs file would help? If it re-writes it each time it quits, it may cause it to crash rather than just quit. Of course, you'd won't be able to change any of the prefs without first unlocking the file. I'm only suggesting this as a means of stopping an error when it gets rewritten with no changes.

Of course, you can always make a copy of a working file and keep it hidden from TB by renaming it something like "ThisIsAPerfectThunderbirdPrefFileThatShouldBeRenamedItsNormalNameBeforeUsin
ItToReplaceABadPrefFile.plist". Or something like that. :rolleyes

Sounds like TB does this sort of thing ( downloading over-sized ) files with fewer clicks than Eudora. Not sure it's worth going back to the ugly, multi-window setup if you like TB, anyway. I still use it mainly because it's familiar and very stable. But so are rocks!

[kimmer]

Not sure about locking the prefs file. I do keep a "clean" backup, that's how I was able to easily reinstall.

Yes, it's a few steps easier than Eudora (when it works), but if it won't delete this stuff from the server for me, it's also somewhat useless. Having to log in to the web based mail site for our domain is several steps more than I'd have using Eudora.

I happen to like rocks. Have a nice collection of really pretty ones (that I picked up at the beach) in a bowl on my coffee table.

[RNKIII]

For xABD.....

Just found this on VersionTracker.  Something to handle those M$ files from Mom...


Bob K.   rnkiii