Cannot delete files after emailing them

would it matter if Mail is setup so it leaves messages on the server and the mail accounts are IMAP?

I will do the same test with both my MobileMe account and another IMAP.

Results: neither sending from the MobileMe account nor the other IMAP presented any problem with deleting the attached file, again without quitting Mail.

Ernie

Message was edited by: Ernie Stamper

Ernie,

I know you are really knowledgeable about Mail problems and I agree; I have no problem emptying the trash with any attachment I've used. But I had a thought: I have a POP mail account - could it have anything to do with an IMAP account? I'm not at all familiar with those except the fact that everything is stored on the IMAP server - could that be the cause of the "in use" message?

Without being able to sit in front of your computer, it is hard to choose between possible actions. I would first suggest quitting Mail, and in the Finder open Home/Library/Mail/Mailboxes, and find the Outbox.mbox folder. Open the Outbox.mbox folder -- does it have any content other than the empty Messages folder, and Info.plist file?

Delete the Outbox.mbox folder, relaunch Mail and again test. Mail will create a new Outbox.mbox when you again send any message from any account.

Ernie

(same thing here).

i think it'd have to do with the Sent folder rather than Outbox... once the mail is sent, it's automatically deleted from outbox but it remains in the Sent folder.

also, sometimes, ONLY when sending emails from Gmail IMAP account, though the email was sent, it's still left in the Drafts folder, don't know if that helps.

Same result with deleting the sent box.

yeah, i just tried it too and nothing changed 😟

I think the next candidate to remove would be the Drafts mailbox, and not the Sent. But that is just a guess as to what would make the normal User Account behave the same as in a New User Account. Did you ever make that test?

Ernie

Ok I found something, if I remove my "Signatures" folder (user/Library/Mail/Signatures) the problem is gone.
I tried various signatures options, fresh signature creation, etc… but it seems that if I got a signature in my Mail preferences then the problem occurs.
When I quit Mail, put the Signature folder on the desktop (for example) and restart Mail then it's fixed.
But of course we want to be able to use signatures right?

Can someone try to reproduce this, so we can confirm that this is the problem? (even if it doesn't makes sense).

Thanks.

Oh… and even if I select "none" (signature) when I'm composing a new message.
If ever I have a signature in my preferences, the send jpg is in use until I quit Mail.
The only way so far to fix it is to erase my signature in Mail's preference.

I have a Signatures folder, although I tend not to actually use a Signature. As time allows, I will again test, but with a selected Signature.

Does your Signature have an image within it?

Ernie

yeah, that does the trick for me too. my signature is plain text.