Lost Messages possibly due to AVG 8

[makaiguy]

How is your AVG configured to handle suspect files? If it is set to quarantine them rather than delete them, you should be able to get them back. Here's an old post on the subject:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... 15#1027915

[iantrader]

It's set to automatically heal/remove infections and delete the virus vault after 30 days with a max of 1000 files.

However, I'm not sure that it did remove the files (although, of course, that may have happened), I'm just drawing a possible conclusion from the fact that I installed AVG 8 and the messages vanished on the same day.

In any event, the vault is empty and the Inbox file only holds the current messages.

Oh dear...

Ian

[Misch]

Ah, ok. Well looking at the contents of those files, I've found the one for the relevant account and it only contains the contents of the emails currently in the In box, not of the missing ones

Ian

My guess:
AVG 8.0 detected a virus among the e-mails in your inbox, then tried to quarantine your inbox. Since your inbox was so large, AVG said "hey, I can't quarantine this", so it did the next best thing and deleted your inbox.

Solution: Hope to heck you had a backup.
Problem: Every time that AVG gets to your inbox after you restore a backup... virus detected!

Find the offending e-mails in your inbox and delete them before AVG can complete a scan.

The real sad thing is that AVG _should_ be able to tell that this is an mbox file and should be able to remove the offending bits.

Good luck.

[PhilBuk]

My guess:
AVG 8.0 detected a virus among the e-mails in your inbox, then tried to quarantine your inbox. Since your inbox was so large, AVG said "hey, I can't quarantine this", so it did the next best thing and deleted your inbox.

Solution: Hope to heck you had a backup.
Problem: Every time that AVG gets to your inbox after you restore a backup... virus detected!

Find the offending e-mails in your inbox and delete them before AVG can complete a scan.

The real sad thing is that AVG _should_ be able to tell that this is an mbox file and should be able to remove the offending bits.

Good luck.

I've just been having a similar problem - (T'bird 2.0.0.14 & AVG 8.0.100).
An entire mailbox folder disappeared. After a lot of investigation, worked out it was AVG 8 finding viruses in that folder and then deleting it (although the AVG History said file was quarantined). Luckily I had done a backup recently so could restore the folder, however, I could not find the offending mail with the virus. Since I had a backup, I tried deleting *all* the e-mails in the folder, but AVG still said it contained the virus.

I then realised the file was not getting any smaller when I deleted the files. Once I had emptied the trash *and* compacted the folder it was fine.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Compacting_folders

I've been using T'bird and AVG for 3 years and never had this problem before (nor have I compacted folders until now). I only recently updated from AVG 7.5 to 8.0. AVG8 has apparently introduced a problem with not recognizing which e-mails have been deleted in uncompacted files.

See http://freeforum.avg.com/read.php?12,12 ... msg-126244

[WTROTT]

Several times, while filing an e-mail from the in-box (or sub-folder) it will completely disappear. Most always the message contains an attachment.
Nothing shows up in my virus detection files. I am running 2.0.0.14, with Zone alarm virus and spy ware detection. Also Zone Alarm router with virus and spy ware programs.

Bil T

[DanRaisch]

WTROTT, this thread is dealing with users experiencing problems with AVG 8. Since you are not using that anti-virus program your problem is different. Please start a new topic to avoid creating confusion in this one.

[Daifne]

WTROTT,
This topic is specifically about problems caused by the new AVG 8. Since you are not using it, you have a different problem. Please start a new topic. These issues can get quite involved and helping more than one person in a topic just confuses everyone. Thanks.

[DanRaisch]

[Daifne]

[Peva]

The same thing happened with me last week at home using Thunderbird and upgrading to AVG Free 8.0 - the inbox deleted on one of two email accounts. Someone posted on the AVG Free forums that they had the same problem: http://freeforum.avg.com/read.php?12,125639,125639 (I added a post to that thread - mine is the third post).

I administer the computers where I work, and we use AVG (paid network version). I am getting ready to deploy AVG 8.0 on all of our computers - this has me worried!! I wonder if this is a problem only with the AVG/TBird combo, or if the same thing happens with AVG and Outlook/Outlook Express which most people here use - a handful of people use TBird.

[Daifne]

This is a change in AVG 8. Have you tried setting Tools>Options>Privacy>Antivirus to "Allow antivirus to quarantine..."? I don't know if this will work with AVG 8 or not. I got rid of AVG with this mess.

[Peva]

This is a change in AVG 8. Have you tried setting Tools>Options>Privacy>Antivirus to "Allow antivirus to quarantine..."? I don't know if this will work with AVG 8 or not. I got rid of AVG with this mess.

I just checked my home computer, and the box is unchecked. Strange - my one at work is checked. Of course checking it now is shutting the door after the horse is out of the barn so to speak. Oh well. It's checked now!

[Daifne]

I know that this is also being discussed in the AVG forums. You may want to look there as well.

[eppoh]

I too experienced loosing all messages in one account just after installing AVG ver. 8
I have accounts for Yahoo, and Gmail. The yahoo messages are all gone- 3 years worth!

[Peva]

FWIW, following is an email dialog I had with AVG tech support about this:

"Question:
"All emails disappeared from one of my email accounts in Thunderbird immediately after I installed AVG Free 8.0. I also read on the AVG Free forums of this happening to another person.

"I assume that if it is a problem for AVG Free, it might be for the paid version as well. Is this a known problem, and are there precautions in addition to backing everything up before installing AVG 8.0? I wanted to know before I install AVG 8.0 Network on all of our workstations.

"Thanks!"



"Dear Sir/Madam,

"thank you for your email.

"If there is an archive (Thunderbird Inbox is archive too) which
contains some virus whole archive is moved to the Virus Vault.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with archives bigger then 5MB. Such
as archives were deleted from disk but the they were not stored to the
Virus Vault. Therefore it is not possible to restore the Inbox from
the the vault in such as situation.

"This problem has been already solved and the fix will be in the next
public program update.

"Please note that there is new beta version with this fix (and much
more) on our beta protal available. For more information please see
this web page: http://www.avg.com/beta

"We are sorry for inconvenience it may cause you and thank you for
understanding.

"Answers to the most common questions can be found here as well:
http://www.avg.com/faq/

"Best regards,

"AVG Technical Support"