It takes a long time to open inbox

[hm]

Hi,

Since yesterday I have a big problem: Thunderbird seems only to open my inbox after a long time. The messages are wrong flagged (rereading some messages require to "sent a read message" or set as "unread") and what troubles me most, it refuses to accept mail (which are luckily still in the providers mail box) What s going on?
BTW compacting the inbox seems not helpful.

If you know the answer to my problem, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

hm

[dnmet]

I've got exactly the same problem....Does has anyone any solution to this ??

Rgds

dnmet

[makaiguy]

Background information that will help you understand what's going on.

Mozilla products store all the messages in any given folder in one continuous database file. The filename of each such file is the name of the folder, with no file extension.

Each folder also has an index or summary file that keeps track of where in the message database file each message is located, along with some other identifying data. It has the same base filename as its corresponding message file, plus a .msf (mozilla summary file) filename extension.

Thus your "inbox" folder (as shown in the program) consists of the following two files:
- inbox = the inbox message file
- inbox.msf = the inbox summary file

When you delete or move a message, it remains in its original message file, only marked as inactive so TBird knows not to display it. COMPACTING your folder rebuilds the message file with only the remaining active messages, and the corresponding summary file is updated to reflect the current message file. This not only regains wasted disk space, it often also can cure a bunch of message system ills.

What to do about the problem

So compacting your folders should be your first troubleshooting step, especially if you don't compact regularly. EXCEPTION: do NOT compact if you are trying to recover old messages that may have been previously deleted. (CLICK HERE for additional information on compacting folders.)

Sometimes, though, the summary (*.msf) file for your message folder may have become corrupted to the point that rebuilding it via compacting your folders can't fix it. Symptoms of a bad .msf file include (but are not limited to) one or more of the following:

• messages show in the message list but you cannot view their text
• when you click on a message, you are shown the text of a different message
• 'get mail' button no longer works, although you may be able to force a download of individual accounts using the drop down menu on this button
• inaccurate and/or changing number of messages shown in left folder pane
• 'read' messages shown as 'not read' or vice versa
• cannot write new messages to file
• cannot move and/or delete messages
• previously deleted messages reappearing
• delays with "rebuilding summary file" shown in status bar

Here's what to do about it:

If you're using TBird 2.0 or later:
From within TBird:

• Right-click on the folder name.
• Select Properties | General Information.
• Click the "Rebuild Index" button.

You may find an erroneous increase in the indicated number of active messages in the file. If so, just click away to a different folder, then click back. I have always found this to take care of the missing messages problem, but some people have reported needing to perform the "earlier than 2.0" process below.

If you're using a version of TBird earlier than 2.0:
Exit TBird. Go into your profile folder then into the Mail subfolder and then to the subfolder for that mail account. If you need help finding these files, CLICK HERE for information on where to find your profile files. WinXP users be sure to read the part about revealing hidden files.

• NOTE: this instruction has been mis-interpreted as going into TBird's Profile Manager and doing something. That is NOT what is being suggested here, rather go into your actual profile files.

Delete the *.msf file for the folder that is giving you problems. E.g. if your inbox is the one with problems, delete inbox.msf -- do NOT delete the file just named inbox (with no filename extension), as it contains your messages.

• NOTE: You may have more than one profile on your system. You also may have more than one mail account within each profile. Be sure you're deleting the *.msf files from the profile and account that is giving you problems. If the problem folder is under Local Folders, be sure you delete the .msf file from there.

Then restart TBird. It will analyze your message file and rebuild the index file from your existing messages, which might take a while if you have a large number of messages in the folder. The summary file should now be sound and eliminate future problems.

To help keep your system healthy after you get it working again, compact your folders regularly, and move messages you want to keep out of your inbox into their own folders. Keeping the extremely active inbox free of extra messages reduces the likelihood of future corruption.

[Edited several times for clarity of expression and to add additional information.]

[hansen]

http://kb.mozillazine.org/index.phtml?t ... ng_Folders

[mpeltier]

I'm having same problem with inbox.. way too many messages and inability to delete or get new messages. . When I try to delete I get message: "Unable to delete message because it is in use by some other operations. Please wait for that operation to finish then try again..

I tried above fix. I exited Tbird and went to program files clicked on TBird then clicked on Profile manager and changed name on profile. (Did not find an Inbox.msf folder )Is that correct???

[hansen]

perhaps your antivirus or such is attacking the mailbox...

[makaiguy]

I tried above fix. I exited Tbird and went to program files clicked on TBird then clicked on Profile manager and changed name on profile. (Did not find an Inbox.msf folder )Is that correct???

What you just did was created an additional profile. It will contain its own settings and any mail you download into it will be contained there separately. To return to using your original profile where all your previous mail resides, it may be necessary for you to run Profile Manager again and choose that profile instead of the new one.

The actual profiles themselves (which is where all your settings and mail are kept and where I was suggesting you look for your *.msf index files) are not located in the program directory. Their location depends on what operating system you are using - see http://kb.mozillazine.org/index.phtml?t ... ile_folder .

[[Viktor]]

This was exactly the same problem as I just got a few days ago, thanks a lot for the help:)
I receive a lot of attachments and my inbox file had grown to a respectable 840MB, heh!
I noticed with Outlook Express that the files in which emails are stored don't decrease in size when emails are deleted, as one might suspect they should. I thought thunderbird didn't have this problem. Why is it that email programs can't delete the actual mails but only make them invisible?

[Old Ausdilecce]

Victor,

It's not that email programs "can't delete"... it's a matter of performance. It is far quicker to modify a database record ( of the message in question ) and 'flag it as deleted' than to physically remove the record and reindex the database. In TB, if you really want a message to be deleted, you
1) hold shift while clicking the delete icon ( that will mark the message as deleted ( and hide it ) and NOT put a copy in the trash folder )
2) compact the folder ( right click on the folder name and click 'compact folder' --- this will remove the actual message and reindex the folder's database

Outlook express has a similar deletion method to TB in that messages are NOT actually deleted, they are 'marked for deletion' ..
in OE, you need to click file...folder...compact or file...folder.. compact all folders

[hm]

HI All,


THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM ! Now I have at work the same problem as at home a few days ago. It can't be accidental that al indexes are corrupted.

Hugo

[makaiguy]

Well, it COULD be a coincidence, but maybe it's not.

Maybe you downloaded the same (or similar) malformed message to both places.

[hm]

Hi Doug,

What then, about all the other postings and threads regarding the same problem ?

Regards,

Hugo

[makaiguy]

What then, about all the other postings and threads regarding the same problem ?

What about them? Nobody has said it's not a problem.

I don't know what might have caused the problem on your particular system. With the skazillions of emails that are floating around there, it is inevitable there will be some with malformed headers - especially with all the script kiddies out there that flood us with virus-generated mails. Maybe TBird could be coded better to detect these and not let them corrupt the index files - I'm not a coder and I don't know. Or maybe one or more files might become corrupted due to a power interruption, or TBird or another program locking up your computer at the wrong time, or even a stray gamma ray.

What I've tried to do is help you find a way to get YOUR system back working again. You can go ahead and try to get your system fixed or you can put your hands on your hips and argue about it. No skin off my nose either way.

[isnoop]

Yet another person with this same problem. Now, every time I open TB, I have more and more unread messages in the inbox, even though I'm not checking the mail. It makes me think some of my mail has been deleted and is probably lost for good.

[makaiguy]

Yet another person with this same problem. Now, every time I open TB, I have more and more unread messages in the inbox, even though I'm not checking the mail. It makes me think some of my mail has been deleted and is probably lost for good.

First, compact your folder and see if that fixes it. If not, see the suggestion in the third post in this thread.