Deleting messages

[PennsyNut]

Hi. Here I found a new problem, just started today. After I uninstalled Kapersky and added Comodo. ?? When I click the "delete" tab, the message stays and a red X appears. When I "transfer" the message by dragging from "Important" to a selected file/"Save for example, that red X appears. Sometimes the message disappears right away and sometimes it stays for a while and then disappears. ?? Prior to today, when I clicked delete or transfer, the message moved immediately without the red X. What did I inadvertently change?

[DanRaisch]

How is the account set up in Thunderbird, as POP or IMAP? Find out using menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->Server Type at the top right of the dialogue.

[PennsyNut]

Thanks Dan. I have 3 gmail and 1 yahoo email accounts in Tb. All 4 are "IMAP".

[DanRaisch]

See what is selected under menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings->"When I delete a message". If "Just mark it as deleted" is selected, that red X is the result. You may have been using a different option before this issue appeared.

[PennsyNut]

Again, Dan, I thank you. I must have inadvertently done that. I did change all 4 to "junk @". But noticed that I can not send all junk to one file. It will be a junk file but under each email address. So now I have 6 different junk files. (Or Spam. What is the difference between spam and junk?) Clumsy. If there's any alternative to that, please advise.

[DanRaisch]

No, you can actually pick the folder AND the account using menu path Tools->Account Settings->Junk Settings. But the Junk folder is not the intended target for deleted messages. There is a folder named Trash (or Deleted or Deleted Messages, depending on several factors). That folder is where all deleted messages for an account would normally be moved after the user determines they no longer wish to retain them in the email client. Messages for a given account are normally stored in folders unique to that account simply for better organization and management.
"Junk" is Thunderbird''s term for any messages the user considers undesirable. That could be classic spam ("Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients") or it could be messages sent only to you from Great-Aunt Mathilda who you really can't stand.

[PennsyNut]

Again, thanks Dan for the explanation. Just as I had thought. But: from what you say, Junk is Spam. So why different folders/files? And what looks weird to me is that one gmail account/#1 has all three, Junk, Spam and Trash, and is where I created separate "save" messages by subject or such. Examples are Medical and Financial, etc. Another gmail account/#2 has spam and trash, but no junk. And I move messages to the "save on #1" #3 gmail acct has trash and spam but in different order than #2. And again, I move messages to the "save on #1". And finally, the Yahoo account has trash, no junk nor spam, and has "bulk mail". Since I don't use Yahoo daily, maybe once a month or so, nothing passes through to Tb from Y but those occasional "once a month messages". And again, if I do "save" a yahoo message, it goes to "save on #1". That keeps all saved messages in one account set of files. And what I did in the "settings" is Server moves deleted messages to trash in that account, but Junk settings allows moving deleted to any "spam" folder. ??? Can you see why I am confused?

[DanRaisch]

The confusion is being caused by the email providers who use different names for the folders (or labels in the case of Gmail) rather than standardize. Thunderbird has only one name for folders like Trash or Junk (in the US English installations) but when you access IMAP accounts you may see the folder/label names as they are used on the server side. That's certainly the case with Yahoo's "Bulk Mail" terminology. If you want you can unsubscribe from some of those confusing IMAP folders --
https://superuser.com/questions/61585/w ... map-folder
https://www.liquidweb.com/kb/how-to-sub ... underbird/

[PennsyNut]

I hope y'all are still around. This problem does not want to go away. How can I delete a Thunderbird account? The Yahoo stopped and the message is that it don't work in this State/Texas. So, I just want to delete it from Thunderbird. But I see no delete option.

[DanRaisch]

Is that a "real" Yahoo account or is your ISP using Yahoo for email? It would be extremely unusual for problems to exist on a state by state basis if it was a regular Yahoo account.

As for removing the account, try menu path Tools->Account Settings->select the Yahoo account in the left hand pane of the dialogue, then click on the "Account Actions" at the bottom of the left hand side of that Dialogue and select "Remove account."


Ignore the red arrow in that image but note the "Account Actions" drop down at the bottom of the column.

[PennsyNut]

Thanks Dan. That worked fine. I don't use the Yahoo email anymore and haven't even seen spam on it. So, I'll just leave it dormant. Similar to the email accounts some give you, example ATT. I only use the one account for 99% and another for special situations.
You say they don't use a state by state, then what the heck was it? I specifically stated State. Is there a special way to set up a Yahoo account in Thunderbird? I had it at one time. It just stopped a few months ago with that State message.

[DanRaisch]

As far as I know Yahoo doesn't include any reference to state in their server names but there could be ISP's who depend on Yahoo for their email services that do that. You'd have to provide the full text of the alert/warning message for us to better understand the issue.