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mails dissappeard from mailserver (imap), can I retrieve them from thinderbird files?

  • 5 replies
  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by haramo

haramo
haramo
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Dear

Yesterday (31/12/2015)after I enabled some icons in IE, these icons let me open emailprogramm directly from IE. I tested it and windows live mail opened. NOrmally I use thinderbird for reading my emails. anyway, windows live mail was set pop3,thinderburd imap. in the pop3 setting I never let the emailprogramm delete emails from the isp mail server ? I checked this in the settings: and it only would delete mails if I delete them after I deleted them to the delete folder.

so when I clicked the icon and Windows Live mail opened, it loaded some emails. 15 mails let say. I closed the program. Extra info: windows live mail is long time not used, it was even empty when it came up after I hit the icon , no mails were in it untill it retrieved those 15 mails.

Also I had to end the acccount HI5 that uses my old ISP emailadres that end with at pandora.be. but the ISP changed that to at ispname.be. But those mails that HI5 send, came in in the new emailadres.


But after these two changes, today I found out when I opened thinderbird: all emails dissapperared except these 15 mails.

there were at least 100 mails, all gone. except those 15 mails are stil there.

I went to webmail and looked there: same: 15 mails.

Only inbox folder has this problem, al other folders are the same as before my actions from yesterday.

or the mailserver of my ISP went grazy when pop3 and imap were enabled in two different emailprogramms or it has something to do with the old emailadres (pandora). or it a new years bug?

Anyway, I really hope, really really hope, that I could retrieve some or all of these mails from thinderbird emailprogram, maybe there are stored somewhere?

Dear Yesterday (31/12/2015)after I enabled some icons in IE, these icons let me open emailprogramm directly from IE. I tested it and windows live mail opened. NOrmally I use thinderbird for reading my emails. anyway, windows live mail was set pop3,thinderburd imap. in the pop3 setting I never let the emailprogramm delete emails from the isp mail server ? I checked this in the settings: and it only would delete mails if I delete them after I deleted them to the delete folder. so when I clicked the icon and Windows Live mail opened, it loaded some emails. 15 mails let say. I closed the program. Extra info: windows live mail is long time not used, it was even empty when it came up after I hit the icon , no mails were in it untill it retrieved those 15 mails. Also I had to end the acccount HI5 that uses my old ISP emailadres that end with at pandora.be. but the ISP changed that to at ispname.be. But those mails that HI5 send, came in in the new emailadres. But after these two changes, today I found out when I opened thinderbird: all emails dissapperared except these 15 mails. there were at least 100 mails, all gone. except those 15 mails are stil there. I went to webmail and looked there: same: 15 mails. Only inbox folder has this problem, al other folders are the same as before my actions from yesterday. or the mailserver of my ISP went grazy when pop3 and imap were enabled in two different emailprogramms or it has something to do with the old emailadres (pandora). or it a new years bug? Anyway, I really hope, really really hope, that I could retrieve some or all of these mails from thinderbird emailprogram, maybe there are stored somewhere?

Chosen solution

RE; laptop Try this. Do not start up Thunderbird else it will synch with new Inbox.

If those folders on laptop were synchronised subscribed folders then the emails may be in that IMAP mail account Inbox.

They would be in the Thunderbird Profile folders. You would need to make hidden files and folders visible.

Then navigate to Profile Folder:

  • C:\Users\Windows user name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profile name

Click on 'ImapMail' folder click on mail account name Look for 'Inbox' file, (there will also be an Inbox.msf file.) If there is no separate 'Inbox' file, just Inbox.msf, then you are out of luck. Copy that 'Inbox' file no extensions to external device and get it onto your other computer desktop. right click on that File and rename to eg: 'XInbox'

Then use ImportExporttools addon to get those emails into the 'Local Folders' account.

How to install addon:

  • download the .xpi file to desktop
  • In thunderbird
  • Tools > Addons
  • click on gear wheel icon and select 'Install addon from file'
  • locate the .xpi file you downloaded and click on Open.

then right click on 'Local Folders' select ImportExporttool > Import mbox file select 'import directty one or more mbox files' and click on OK locate the 'XInbox' file and click on Open

This should then get those emails into Local Folders.

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All Replies (5)

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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IMAP mail is synchronized.... I really have no idea what you have done. But this add-on might get them back... I emphasis might.

https://nic-nac-project.org/~kaosmos/index-en.html#recDelMsg

haramo
haramo Question owner
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I'm sorry if I failed in explaining what happened. I think that you assume that I have deleted the mails from the inbox folder to the deleted items, and then delelted them from the deleted items?

If the tool recoverDeletedMessages-0.4 , only helps for this problem, then I don't think the tool can help me.

I don't want to try things and maybe make it worse. So maybe if I could explain it again , so you first understand my problem.

comment to your answer: I haven't done anything that is the cause that deleted the emails.

I think that because pop3 and imap were active,that the server went grazy and deleted the mail, or, like you said: IMAP mail is synchronized. So the email server was thinking that the only mails are those 15 mails that the pop3 account (windows live mail) downloaded, so the imap server thaught that these 15 mails shoud be also on the webserver. as a result the imap account (thinderbird) on the laptop, went it opened, it gets synchronized with the email server, which has only 15 emails.

so 100 mails are gone in the wind... .

There is another laptop that also has thinderbird and I think it still hasn't connect to the mailserver when I had this problem. Is it the easiest method to disconnect the laptop from internet, open thinderbird and then copy all the mail in inbox folder to new folder. Then connect to internet , so imap will go in action and create the same folder on the mailserver with those mails. as a result , the thinderbird imap account in the other laptop will also download that new folder with the mail in it.

Do you understand my problem now? What is your thaught on this method?

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

RE; laptop Try this. Do not start up Thunderbird else it will synch with new Inbox.

If those folders on laptop were synchronised subscribed folders then the emails may be in that IMAP mail account Inbox.

They would be in the Thunderbird Profile folders. You would need to make hidden files and folders visible.

Then navigate to Profile Folder:

  • C:\Users\Windows user name\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\Profile name

Click on 'ImapMail' folder click on mail account name Look for 'Inbox' file, (there will also be an Inbox.msf file.) If there is no separate 'Inbox' file, just Inbox.msf, then you are out of luck. Copy that 'Inbox' file no extensions to external device and get it onto your other computer desktop. right click on that File and rename to eg: 'XInbox'

Then use ImportExporttools addon to get those emails into the 'Local Folders' account.

How to install addon:

  • download the .xpi file to desktop
  • In thunderbird
  • Tools > Addons
  • click on gear wheel icon and select 'Install addon from file'
  • locate the .xpi file you downloaded and click on Open.

then right click on 'Local Folders' select ImportExporttool > Import mbox file select 'import directty one or more mbox files' and click on OK locate the 'XInbox' file and click on Open

This should then get those emails into Local Folders.

Toad-Hall
Toad-Hall
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Once they are in Local Folders, then you should be able to put a copy back on the server.

haramo
haramo Question owner
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Toad-Hall said

Once they are in Local Folders, then you should be able to put a copy back on the server.

Thanks a lot Toad-hall, although when I opened the folder to see the date for the inbox file, I was afraid that thinderbird already connected to the server , date was 01-01-2015, but the file was more then 400MB big and the same file on the other laptop was very little , verry verry little.

So I give it a try and yes, all mails are back, even more then 100 mails 500 mails , ofcourse those old mails are not needed anymore.

Strange that these mails were still on the other laptop, but I'm happy they were there :-)

Thanks a lot again.