thunderbird help

[LibraryLady]

Maybe someone could advise me?

I have Mozilla Thunderbird email and the trash bin refuses to empty. If I click on empty the whole folder disappears and I can delete any mail until a close and open it. Then the whole folder reappears with everything I tried to get rid of. There are close to 5000 items in there now and I'd like to clear them.

Any ideas?

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

It's up to v2.0.0.14.

Which version are you using?

[shadron]

Do you empty it manually or do you use the empty-on-close option? Have you run a compaction lately?

[LibraryLady]

Hi

It's up to v2.0.0.14.

Which version are you using?

2.0.0.16.

Do you empty it manually or do you use the empty-on-close option? Have you run a compaction lately?

I empty it manually. I have not run a compaction. Should I?

[leonAzul]

Maybe someone could advise me?

I have Mozilla Thunderbird email and the trash bin refuses to empty. If I click on empty the whole folder disappears and I can delete any mail until a close and open it. Then the whole folder reappears with everything I tried to get rid of. There are close to 5000 items in there now and I'd like to clear them.

Any ideas?

Please check account settings to be sure the messages are being deleted from the server when you download them, otherwise they may merely be moved to a "trash" folder on the server and reappearing the next time you connect.

[LibraryLady]

"Automatically download new messages" is checked and always has been. Is that what you mean?

While I was at it, I checked "Automatically delete trash when exiting" while I was at it. I'm going to exit now and see what happens.

ETA: Yup, that seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks!

[shadron]

2.0.0.16.



I empty it manually. I have not run a compaction. Should I?

That is what they recommend on their forum for almost all ills of the program. I've learned, by hard experience (two instances of lost email) that one should have automatic compaction turned on, and should always empty out the Inbox, placing the mail you want to keep in other folders as soon as it has been read - that also makes compaction fast. The Inbox and the Trash are the two containers that are always expanding, and with compaction, contracting, so they experience the most "violence". I also have automatic delete trash on close turned on. You might try that just to get rid of the junk in there that is causing problems, and then turn it back off.

If things are staring to get hinky, it's time to backup the mail file just in case.

[LibraryLady]

I take back the "it worked thing." I deleted one new message and all 5000 old trash messages reappeared. :mad:

Going to look for the compaction thing now.

[RichardR]

Do you right click on the trash folder and select "empty trash"?

[Mongrel]

If nothing else works here's a kludge (for Win XP)

C drive
Documents and Settings
<User Name>
Local Settings
Application Data (You may have to go to Tools > Folder Options > View and put the dot in "Show hidden Files and Folders" first)
Thunderbird
Profiles (there should only be one here)
Mail
Local Folders
Now delete any files with 'Trash' in the name

Next time you start Thunderbird the files will be recreated. If you're a little unsure of a straight up delete then just move the files to your desktop and check Tb does recreate the files before irrecoverably deleting them

[bruto]

"Automatically download new messages" is checked and always has been. Is that what you mean?

While I was at it, I checked "Automatically delete trash when exiting" while I was at it. I'm going to exit now and see what happens.

ETA: Yup, that seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks!

The setting Leon was looking for is the one that I think is just above that, for "leave messages on server." If you uncheck that one, then as soon as you've downloaded a message, it will be erased from your mail server. No real need to leave messages on the server unless you want to get them on another computer later.

[LibraryLady]

That wasn't checked in the first place. However, the problem is solved, so I'm a happy camper.

Thanks to all who helped!