Mac Mail problem, lost my messages

[jcarter]

My email MacMail was acting funky, so I thought that "rebuild" would help, nope, it just erased all the messages in my inbox.
Sadly I had not responded to the important one, the one which a friend had been to my highschool hometown and sent pictures!
Is there any way of recovering them, I have all messages removed from server when downloaded, so they arent there.. BUt hoping they will be somewhere on my Mac?
Thanks,
Jane

[Paddy]

Jane, are you sure the rebuild was complete? Messages will disappear during the rebuild, and then reappear.

Have you looked in User->Library->Mail? In that folder you should see mailbox folder(s) (I have several) - and in those folders, there should a bunch of different folders for inbox, sent mail etc. You can click on any of them and they should open in Mail. If the entire mailbox is missing from Mail, but there in your Mail folder, I'd try a few quick fixes first, before importing them back into Mail.

In User->Library->Preferences, delete the com.apple.mail.plist. Restart Mail and see if that fixes anything. Try restarting the Mac too.

If on the other hand, your mail is entirely missing from your User->Library->Mail folders, the only way to retrieve them will be from a backup. You do have one, don't you? Time Machine backs up once an hour, so if you have TM going, you should be ok, unless you'd downloaded the mail message from your friend and the backup hadn't run before things went pear-shaped with Mail. If that's the case, the friend could resend the message perhaps?

Generally, it's not a good idea to rebuild a mailbox if you have no backup, since occasionally the rebuilding causes things to go south.

Also - in the Mail preferences ->Accounts->Advanced, change the third option "remove from copy from server after retrieving a message" from immediately, to "after one week" - that way you'll never be in this situation again. Or you could make it "after one month" if that makes you more comfortable and if you aren't likely to exceed your mailbox quota in that time. I've occasionally had to retrieve something that I mistakenly removed - it's a nice little safeguard.

[jcarter]

Hi Paddy,
Nothing is visible, its a really really old version.
I deleted the plist and everything is gone except for my junk mail and the whole program looks different.
Its really messed up, but this is a really old Mac.
It keeps asking me for a password which is already in there.
Its sort of a loop, the asking for password wont stop.

I keep sending mail from my new Mac and nothing comes thru.
This is serious, I have lost jcarter AT capecod DOT net and jane AT jcarter DOT net
The whole program looks totally different.
Oh, this is so sad,
I dont know what to do.
All my accounts are gone!!! Nothing is the same, it looks like Ive never had anything on my mail program.
Oh, I just will go to bed, Ive restarted and tried everything.
I never should have trashed the plist?
Everything is just plain GONE! Even my junk mail, nothing is there at all, my preferences are all missing too. Outgoing  mail and incoming are all blank!!!!
Jane

[Paddy]

But Jane, you haven't answered my questions. Did you look in the User->Library->Mail folder? I'm guessing the missing mail is still there.

And don't you have a backup?

It also sounds like your account settings are incorrect and you need to put them in again. (reason your mail is not coming through) Deleting the .plist file may be the reason for that. Did you actually empty the trash or is it still in there - or on the desktop? Always a good idea to NOT throw it away completely, which I should have mentioned. That way you can put it back if you have undesirable results or no results at all.

More info here:

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-86429.html

http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/ma.../topic2660.html

[jcarter]

Yes, but it wont do anything, it comes up blank.
Nothing is there at all. No settings, nothing. I dont save passwords, as I had them all so they never had to be typed in.
No backup for email.
My plist is gone.
So nothing comes thru with either of my emails.

The only one I have left is my gmail, and this new one which my family and friends and TS dont use regularily.
It is jane AT jcdouglass DOT net
And I am using the new Mac for this.

Gee this is serious!
My soccar ball Mac was my communication Mac, and its about useless now.

As I use email all the time to my jcarter AT capecod DOT net and jane AT jcarter DOT net
Those 2 are just gone. And my outgoing mailserver is Comcast, that is missing too, the whole program is just plain blank and if I try to put anything in, it asks for passwords, what the heck are they and when I type them in from my little notebook they say they are invalid?
Arrrrgggghhh, in place of bad words.
Jane

[jcarter]

I am going to head to bed, as its late here on east coast, and we have to be up really early tomorrow.
So if anyone here wants to contact me, dont use the old email, use jane AT jcdouglass DOT net from now on.
Though I think my webhost might be able to fix it, not fix, but help me to set up all my old accounts on this new Mac.
Though what my passwords were, god help me.
Of course I wont get any updates by email for TS either.
Jane

[krissel]

Jane, sorry to hear of your troubles.  That first link Paddy left has a few ideas for importing mailboxes which you could try, assuming they are somewhere on your drive.

Just a thought, are you sure you are logged into your regular account? Could you possibly have started up to a different system or account?

BTW, I altered your email addresses so they weren't so easy to steal for spamming.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Nothing is visible, its a really really old version.

QUOTE

the whole program looks different.

QUOTE

Nothing is the same, it looks like Ive never had anything on my mail program.

QUOTE

Even my junk mail, nothing is there at all, my preferences are all missing too. Outgoing mail and incoming are all blank!!!!

QUOTE

the whole program [display?] is just plain blank

It sure sounds like you're not using the same version of Mail that you had been using. Are you sure you haven't recently been doing some "spring cleaning?" Maybe deleted the newer version of Mail and now have only an earlier one?
What is the version number (just select its icon, in Finder and press command-I)? Or select the Mail->About Mail menu.
Are you saying there is absolutely no "Mail" app in TM? No janescomputer(whatever your computer's Home folder is)/Library/Mail folder?

[Paddy]

Jane, to put in your account settings, go to Mail->Preferences->Accounts

Comcast settings can be found here:

http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQViewe...91-2a1b0f2bb20e (yes, they show Windows/Outlook Express, but the settings are the same).

So far, I'm still not clear on whether you've check IN THE FINDER for the messages in your USER ACCOUNT. We get that you're not seeing anything in Mail - that's not what I've been asking you. Please go to your USER (home) folder in the Finder - let's say you called it "Jane" - so that path is Jane->Library->Mail. Inside that folder, you should see something that looks a bit like the first screen shot. Inside the INBOX.mbox folder, you should see something that looks like the second screen shot.

Alternatively, do a search for "emlx" on your Mac and see what pops up. You should get a list of every email on your Mac - starting with the most recent ones. (Actually - do that first - it will confirm very quickly whether or not your emails have in fact disappeared or not)

[jcarter]

Hi Paddy,Good morning, I found some of them, but only 2 in my inbox, and a few in my junkbox where I have a file for my classmates.Your instructions are great, but I still cant find any of my old mail.Tried 'emix' and only got 2 iTunes songs.I found all my inboxes again this morning and when I open them, there are only 2 in the current ones.I guess its pretty much gone.  I never should have trashed the plist, but I found the old one.So here goes, I am putting it back into my mail program to see if it brings back anything. No change, darn.About a week ago, I got odd messages that my messages werent downloaded from server, so I had to quit and restart mail, and they would be there.Then I got all these 'enter password' box things popping up. Which I never saw before.My version is MacMail 1.3.11 (v622/624)And the soccerball Mac is 10.3.9For now I will be using" jane AT jcdouglass DOT net" for my email, its primarily for just family, but I sure need to resurrect my "jcarter AT capecod NOT net" one, as that my regular one, and stuff sent to it used to be forwarded too.Thank you!JaneI am going to try to set up the old "jcarter AT capecod DOT net" one here on my new Mac.Jane

[jcarter]

Im going to try to add the old "jcarter AT capecod DOT net" account to my new mail program here on my new Mac. But Ive notified all my family and friends to go over to the "jane AT jcdouglass DOT net" one until I do.
Jane

[Xairbusdriver]

"Speed kills!" Slow down.

Read the posts above. Please respond to the many repeated questions.

We need a clear idea of where you have looked. Take deep, slow breathes.

No need to even open Mail. That is not where you need to be looking.

The sky has not fallen, despite reports to the contrary.

It's just cloudy.

Please help clear the clouds.

[jcarter]

Hi Kris,
I think that the program was having problems, as it kept acting really weird the last 2 or 3 weeks.
Ive gone over Paddy's info, and it works fine, but almost everything is missing. Followed the instructions to a T again.
Its the regular account, as I have no other accounts.

Thank you for altering my addresses, I forget about that.

I sure had my old email set up beautifully, as I never got any spam.

Hi Jim,
I checked all of that, as I had screenshots from years ago. Its all the same. That part didnt change.
The version is the same, no change. There are just a few messages there from 2006 and 2 recent ones. Ive searched and searched and thats all that is left.  User<Library<Mail everything.

My version is MacMail 1.3.11 (v622/624), And the soccerball Mac is 10.3.9

Talked to one of our kids on the phone, and she said, "Go into your Earthlink account, go to your WebMail account for your "jcarter AT capecod DOT net" and have it forwarded to the new one, or your G-mail account.

Ive never used the webmail for that account, so I guess I better see what I can do.
I think this is the best fix for now, as I get a lot of mail to my "jcarter AT capecod DOT net" account all the time from my Photoshop classmates and friends all over the place. So I really need that one.

Ive got the Comcast all OK, took screenshots of that one last year when Comcast changed their outgoing ports without telling most of their customers.

Thank you all,
Jane

[Paddy]

Jane, it's not "emix" I want you to look for, it's "emLx".

Try that and get back to us.

And once again - no backups of anything on this Mac?

[jcarter]

All my pictures on this Mac are backed up, as are all my documents and lessons. All the important stuff is on my external HD.
But who bothers to back up emails?  
No emlx either.

Actually Ive been very lucky with going thru my address book and telling everybody about my new email, and getting responses all morning.
ANd best of all the video of the starving puppy that our daughter's inlaws just brought home from St. Maartin.
He certainly is not starving now!

Then went to my Earthlink webmail, found nothing, but from their blog, I found out that there is nothing, as I had it set to be removed from server once on my Macmail.
So now soon as I change the prefs on that, I can use my Earthlink webmail.
Though I do love the new MacMail program on this new Mac.

I will see how it works now.
Thanks again,
Jane

I was thinking also, could I set up my old jcarter(at)capecod.net account on my new Mac here. Or would it just be too many accounts in one mail program?