Email bodies missing when email is listed in the headers list before August 2024
Email bodies missing: Urgent help needed. I’ve been using and donating to Thunderbird for over 20 years and it has been bulletproof. Probably the most reliable program I have ever used. I went back to see some emails I received (INBOX) and send (SENT) before August 2024 and all I can see is the email header list but all of the email bodies are missing. I’ve checked other folders for the domain and they are the same. When checking my other domains INBOX, SENT etc I have the same problems. I have checked the INBOX and the problem occurred at 17/08/2024 at midnight (23:59) (as emails came in without and with body text either side of midnight). The SENT box problem happened somewhere between the 20th and 28th August 2024 Incidentally the same problem occurs on both the JUNK and DELETED folders but not on the DRAFTS folder which works perfectly. I spent a night researching and reading up about this problem and several posts, including here, recommended ‘right click’ on the problem folder, select ‘Properties’ and click ‘Repair folder’. I tries this on my SENT folder, BIG MISTAKE, this has deleted all the email where the bodies were not displayed, i.e. all my sent email before 17/08/2024 at midnight (23:59) not even showing in the header list now – Agggggg! If you have the same problem of email bodies missing in Thunderbird then DO NOT click ‘Repair folder’! I do have a backup of the ‘profile’ folder but as Thunderbird has been so reliable the last one was a year earlier! The Inbox (which I haven’t touched yet) would have been a better choice to try to repair as I keep two copies of Thunderbird running on two separate PC’s at different addresses so both have identical INBOX, which I did in case one got stolen, broken or the hard disk crashed. Of course this does mean the SENT boxes are not identical as I predominately use the main PC to send emails (the emails I have lost). Both PC’s are very similar spec and running the same software as the spec below except the main PC is running a 32bit version of Thunderbird and the second PC is running the 64bit version of Thunderbird. The second PC has not suffered any of these Thunderbird problems and is still running Thunderbird perfectly. Because I was using both PC’s remotely using TeamViewer during August and Sept it’s only now I’m back in the UK I noticed the problem. I receive about 100 emails a day = about 35,000 a year. Every year I make a new folder , example INBOX OLD 2023 etc to keep the INBOX with only a years worth of emails in it So I have three problems: 1. The INBOX (and JUNK and DELETED) for my main domain and INBOX and SENT on other domains not showing the bodies of the email – How to get the email to display the bodies again and 2. The SENT for my main domain, which is only now showing headers and bodies after 20 August 2024 – How to get all the email back – This is critical 3. How to get the 16 missing INBOX OLD 2008 to INBOX OLD 2023 yearly folders back – I do have most on the second PC as a last resort (but some are not complete) PC’s Spec Windows 10 64bit latest version 19045.4894 - both Thunderbird 32bit version 115.15.0 in August both now 128.2.3esr (32bit main PC, 64bit second PC) Kaspersky latest version 21.18.5.438(a) - both The only things I can suggest are: A. There is a difference between Thunderbird running 32bit and 64bit versions. B. Kaspersky has done something, but why on only one PC - unlikely C. I transferred about 10,000 email from INBOX to INBOX OLD 2023 around the same time, I’ve done this for years to keep the INBOX with only a years’ worth of emails in it. Never had a problem before, D. I have checked the SENT file in my profile folder with notepad and it only has the emails from August 2024 with the header X-Mozilla-Status: 0001 I can’t see any with X-Mozilla-Status: 0009 (= hidden). E. would a file / email recovery program like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard be worth trying Your help would be very much appreciated. If you need any other data then just ask. Thanks, Brian.
All Replies (2)
I read something in the past couple of days about Kaspersky actually auto uninstalling and replacing itself with something else, but as I don't use it I only sort of skimmed the topic. But it probably has something to do with it being banned in the USA.
The first order of business is to ensure the index files are compatibly with the actual mail in the store, so right click the folder, select properties and then the repair button. This will re-index the mail stored in Thunderbird. It will probably remove all of your old mail as it no longer exists. But this is an indexing process, not a data changing one. Reindexing is not a big mistake as you suggest. It is just bringing the index up to date with reality.
Now all mail prior to a certain date going missing sounds like some sort of server side retention policy. Unfortunately folk appear to miss the fact that they use a syncronised mail service (IMAP) and that decision made by their mail provider have local implications as often do deletion decisions on phones.
My guess here is that your mail provider has archived all mail prior to August. The fact that drafts are unaffected sort of underlines that as they would be considered part of your "current" working set so not subject to the servers retention policy.
It is also possible in these days that mail is deleted from a phone (when it is to be replaced is often when this disaster is invoked by folk deleting stuff instead of simply doing a factory reset)
Generally Thunderbird will "sync" the indexes to the current store for it not to do so is generally an external product messing things up. Historically I have seen things simply be removed by antivirus products (Quarantine) system optimization tools (optimizing disk space by deleting unnecessary files that are not unnecessary)
I think the first ting you need to do is confirm if your account is IMAP. It is no good going down some sort of server side even path if the account is P{OP and entirely local.
The next is to examine your installed software for system optimization and antivirus quarantine events that might be involved.
Hi Matt, Thanks for your reply. I forgot to say all my email accounts are running on POP mail servers so all local not IMAP. Brian
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