I have made a small adaptation to the filters: all filters now have an extra "to-do": mark as unread. Will have to wait and see if that helps on the "read issue". If this is the case: I am sorry. But thats just plain... euhm... yeah... dumb... I mean a filter does not read the message, right? Or at least shouldn't mark a message read? Right?

Thunderbird does not mark emails as 'SPAM', if the emails are marked as 'SPAM then read section 'Any mention of SPAM:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Junk_Mail_Controls

then work through the 'Junk controls' information at the link to make sure yours are set up correctly. Info at link plus below.

When settings up Junk, do the following and in this order:

1. Set up preferences in:

• Tools>Account Settings >Junk Settings
• Check the following:
• Selected: Enable adaptive Junk Mail controls for this account
• Selected: specific address books (double check that you have not got unwanted email addresses in your various address books)
• Do Not select: Trust Junk Mail Headers - leave this for now
• Select: Move New Junk messages to
• Select: Junk folder on and the appropriate account

Note: You can choose to send to Trash folder, but if some emails marked as Junk, but are not Junk go direct to trash you may miss them or even delete without realising they are good.

Do not set the auto delete after 'x' days just yet until you are sure it is working correctly - you do not want to lose emails that need to be trained as not junk.

Click on 'OK'.

2. Set up default settings for Junk.

• Tools> Options >security > Junk tab

note: if you have more than one account and have setup all emails to go to Local folders so that you view everything in one place then do not set up - leave unticked the 'when I mark messages as junk'

• Select: when I mark messages as junk
• Select: move them to the accounts 'Junk' folder
• Do not bother with marking Junk messages as read because you may need to read and select some as Not Junk - they are then returned to the Inbox in an unread state.
• Select: enable Junk filter logging - useful if you need to know what the filter is doing at a later point.

• Click on 'OK'

3. Train the Junk filter

In the begining, for each email, you would need to select whether it is Junk or Not Junk. Remember to check the Junk folder for legit emails and reset them as Not Junk. Soon, the Junk learns your preferences.

If you wish to reset everything and retrain the Junk.

• Tools> Options >security > Junk tab
• click on the 'Reset Training Data'
• then work through the instructions above.

Geepers. you made me go on a gigantic goose chase. My install is in dutch and there is NO WAY I can change that to English. I am guessing thunderbird is only to be used by the real IT crowd? Like professionals? When you can't even switch languages....

I am afraid this software is over my IQ-level. Thanks for trying though.

If you speak English (assuming this because you type so well using English) is there a reason why you are using a Dutch version Thunderbird.

re My install is in dutch and there is NO WAY I can change that to English.

• Why are you using a Dutch version?
• Why is there no way you can change it to English?

If you have a Windows computer.

• close Thunderbird.

• Control Panel > Programs and Features
• select Mozilla thunderbird and click on uninstall.

when uninstalled, then download and install English version from here:

• http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all.html

Your profile folders containing your emails are not stored in the same place as Thunderbird program, otherwise it would be impossible to update Thunderbird.

I am Dutch. Thats why I type so good English ;) ;) I downloaded Thunderbird from the server, and installed the Dutch version, assuming that in times of trouble I would be able to switch to English to follow help instructions...

I am not going to uninstall my mail software, loosing painfully imported outlook express mails, to switch to English. It took me a week to manually import 14000 mails from outlook express (had to resort to sending to myself in Hotmail, and praying they would not be downloaded by outlook express before I had gotten them in thunderbird, because the automated import... Didn't get that working; gotta love changing PC's...). I know that it is not your fault, not problem, but it is stupid to have to un-install software to change language. I mean, a language switch in settings isn't thát hard right?

Why oh why did Microsoft EVER stop with oulook-express? With a distance the best mail software for loosers like myself. Live-mail is too complicated, online stinks, thunderbird is out of my league :(

Anyway, I applied your original solution (translated ;) ), and now its a waiting game for spam to arrive. I'll get back to you in 5 seconds ;) ;)

It seems a two way thing.

First I needed to adapt the filters to mark messages that were filtered as unread. Next the unwanted mail needed some tweaking.

It seems ok now ;)

Toad-Hall: Thank you!