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Level 1

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[SOLUTION]Mail does not quit or show old messages after 10.4-10.5 migration

I work for an Apple Specialist in California and have found a solution to this relatively common issue. There is an interesting bug with mail I found that happens occasionally in a 10.4 (Tiger) to 10.5 (Leopard) migration. This bug will cause Mail to be unable to quit and all your messages will not appear in the mail window. I don't know if this problem manifests in any other situation but a 10.4-10.5 migration. I have seen this problem more than once since the release of 10.5.6. To fix this issue:

1. Navigate to your Library folder inside your home folder.

2. Locate the Mail folder and drag it to your desktop.

3. Launch the Mail application.

4. Mail will now ask you if you want import your messages. DO NOT HIT CONTINUE YET.

5. Navigate back to your Library folder inside your home folder. Notice there is a NEW mail folder that was created. You cannot delete this folder yet because it is in use by mail so we will just rename this folder Mail2.

6. Drag your OLD mail folder located on your desktop to your Library folder located in your home folder.

7. Go back to the Mail application and click continue. Your messages and settings should import fine now.

8. Verify that your messages and settings imported correctly and quit Mail. Navigate back to your home Library folder located in your home folder and delete the Mail2 folder.

9. Launch the Mail application again and make sure everything functions correctly.

I found a fix to this by just messing around with the issue for awhile. I have found NO good resolutions online for this bug. Good luck to you all.

Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Jan 2, 2009 3:29 PM

146 replies

julie f.

Level 1

0 points

Apr 26, 2009 9:46 AM in response to adamast

Thank you so very much. I was hoping that I could find a quick fix and this was it. I have over 30,000 messages in my program (yes I archive every year) and would have been devastated had I lost them.

julie f.

Level 1

0 points

Apr 26, 2009 9:49 AM in response to adamast

Apr 27, 2009 1:05 AM in response to adamast

I went through all these steps, but still didn't work until I manually synched the mail. Then everything came back. Don't forget to try that as one of the steps.

ChEMom

Level 1

5 points

Apr 29, 2009 1:36 PM in response to adamast

Thank You! New system, but couldn't get mail to work. This solved my headache. 🙂

john@mac

Level 1

0 points

May 4, 2009 8:04 PM in response to adamast

Brilliant.... if only some other fixes could be so easy...
ps my wife thanks you heaps

May 7, 2009 1:29 PM in response to adamast

I may have a simpler fix.

After the migration go to the Users Library folder. Open the Mail folder and delete the MessageRules.plist and MessageRules.plist.backup

This worked for me with the obvious issue that you loose your mail rules.
Seems like the imported mail is really there but the Mail app is stuck in some rules loop that won't let it display anything.

Hope this helps.

robogobo

Level 2

352 points

May 8, 2009 3:27 AM in response to Tim Sitkiewicz

Tim Sitkiewicz wrote:
I may have a simpler fix.

After the migration go to the Users Library folder. Open the Mail folder and delete the MessageRules.plist and MessageRules.plist.backup

This worked for me with the obvious issue that you loose your mail rules.
Seems like the imported mail is really there but the Mail app is stuck in some rules loop that won't let it display anything.

Hope this helps.

Maybe a good thing to try first. Also you could just move the plists out and then open mail, see if it's a fix, and then try moving the old ones back in.

May 8, 2009 4:19 AM in response to robogobo

There is a fix provided that is much like that TIm posted, and much less risky than that advanced by Adamast (risk in addition to too many moving parts, is for those with IMAP accounts). If you Upgraded from 10.4.11 or earlier to Leopard 10.5.6, it is probably what has been covered by the support document at the link below, which covers the MessageRules files:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2537

It also notes that if you also find any files named to include MessageSorting (which would mean you once have upgraded from a version of OSX earlier than 10.4), remove those, also, but never restore those.

To find the correct location for the Mail folder, open a Finder window, click on the icon of a house in the Sidebar (this is known often as "Home"), click on Library in that Home user directory, and then to open the Mail folder found there.

Ernie

cindysue

Level 1

0 points

May 17, 2009 6:36 AM in response to adamast

Genius !! Thank you !!

Jun 23, 2009 9:57 AM in response to adamast

Thank you very much. This fixed the problem. I guess it also happens in 10.5.7 too. 🙂

jessnics

Level 1

0 points

Jul 8, 2009 10:47 AM in response to adamast

thank you!!!

i've just upgraded from panther to leopard and had this problem, and this solves it!

[SOLUTION]Mail does not quit or show old messages after 10.4-10.5 migration