Mailbox problem

[Typo]

I've got a problem with my Mail program that I'm hoping someone can help me with.

(OS 10.4.7)

I recently received a junk email (no subject, no return address...just blank) and accidently clicked on it. Now I can't get rid of it and my inbox has a funky little "clock" icon next to it.

It acts as if it's a massive file that Mail is trying to load. I've stared at the "loading..." text for several minutes in the past, but it never finishes (I have DSL).

I've tried deleting it, erasing deleted messages, etc, but NOTHING works.

Then, when I try to shut the Mail program down I get the spinning color wheel and it won't quit without a restart (which I have to do manually).

I can go straight to my server for my emails, so I'm not losing anything, I just can't use the program.

Any thoughts?

-Typo

 

[blodwyn]

I presume you've deleted the offending email from your server? Not sure if this will help, but if you can get to Mail preferences on the Advanced tab, there is a checkbox that allows you to disable automatically checking for email. Maybe if you uncheck the box it will stop trying to download the email and allow you to delete it.

 

[mkrishnan]

If you cannot access the server in another way and delete the message, then you might try the following:

Option 1: disconnect your ethernet cable or turn off your airport (or whatever it is giving you net access), and then try closing and re-opening Mail. If you can access the message and delete it while offline, then you can plug back in.

Option 2: with mail not running: open terminal, and cd into ~/library/mail/ -- you will see a directory something like IMAP-xxxx@xxx where the xx's represent your e-mail address (IMAP -> POP if it's a POP account). Inside this, go to INBOX.imapmbox or INBOX.mbox (depending on IMAP or POP) and then the Messages subdirectory. Try to figure out which of the files represents the offending message and delete it. Then run Mail. You can use datestamps maybe to ID the file, or perhaps it has a zero size or something?

Also, please submit this bug to Apple....

 

[Typo]

blodwyn, mkrishnan.....

Thanks for your advice. I'll try them and let you know the results.

Thanks again,

-typo

 

[Typo]

I'm back....

blodwyn, I appreciate your help, but I'm afraid it didn't work.

mkrishnan, option 1 didn't work. I'd like to try option 2, but you're going to have to use really small words and baby step me through that once more, if you don't mind...I printed out what you said, but get lost about half way through the first line. "cd into..." ??

Thanks,

-typo

 

[mkrishnan]

I can try.... But I need to ask a couple more questions to make it safest....

1) POP or IMAP? If you can get to the prefs in Mail, you should be able to see which, if you don't know, in the Accounts pane.

2) Are you able to manipulate other aspects of the inbox? Is it possible to move other e-mails from the inbox to a saved messages folder? Or does it prevent you from doing that right now?

 

[Typo]

1. POP

2. Well, right now there are two emails in my inbox. One I'm finished with, and the demon-mail.

I've tried deleting the one I'm finished with thinking that I could still work with my mailbox, but after force quitting, and restarting the mailbox, I see there is a COPY of the one I trashed with the original and the bad one still in the inbox......make sense??

 

[mkrishnan]

Okay, if there are only two mails, and you don't NEED either of them, this should be easy. Super step by step, so please don't be offended. And actually, we don't really need Terminal.

Close Mail.

Open a Finder window and go to your home directory (e.g. click on your user name in the left side of the finder window).

Then double click on the Library folder.

Then double click on the Mail folder.

If you are in the right place, you should see a number of folders, including one whose name is of the form POP-xxxx where xxxx is almost like your e-mail address. If your e-mail address were me@here.com, it might be POP-me@pop.here.com ....

Double click on that folder.

Double click on the INBOX.mbox folder within.

Double click on the Messages folder within.

You are now located at ~/library/mail/POP-xxx/INBOX.mbox/messages/

You should see a bunch of files that have names like 12345.emlx. Drag them all to the trash.

Now start Mail. The messages should be gone, and your problem should be solved....

Please let me know if that works.

 

[Typo]

Awesome!

It sounds easy (even to me). However, I'm at home now (on an extended 4th of July holiday) and my mailbox issue is at work where I won't be until Wednesday.

As soon as I get the chance to work with it, I will let you know the results.

Thanks so much for all your help!

-typo

 

[Typo]

Hallelujah!!

All hail to thee, mkrishnan, Mac-Guru Supreme!

It worked like a charm with one little difference.....

After ditching the .emix files I restarted my Mail and my two emails were still there. HOWEVER, the clock icon was NOT. Also, I never saw the spinning color wheel.

I did a select all and hit delete. They were gone, but not in the trash folder (that's happened before).

Then I go back to the POP folder you directed me to and went to the trash folder within the messages folder. There was another .emix item, so I ditched it and VOILA!!

So, thank you, thank you, thank you for your help! I appreciate it VERY much and am glad to know there is a community of Mac-Guru's that I can come crying to when I need help.

-typo

 

[mkrishnan]

Glad your modified version worked! That sounds like it would've been a major drain on my patience!

I get antsy if I go more than six or seven hours without e-mail access!

 

[Typo]

I'm the same way with email....but fortunately I could still retrieve it from my server.

An interesting note though about the Mail fix.....I had to reset my "check for mail" preference. I had it set up to check every minute, but the fix somehow bounced it back to checking manually.

-typo