Undeliverable mail messages won't delete; Mail won't quit

Hello, and welcome to the Discussions.

Never bounce a Junk email -- you are only confirming your existence.

I have been experimenting with some fraudulent messages, alleging to be from some "postmaster", that another poster furnished me, that could not be deleted.

Try creating a New Mailbox, and then Move these messages to that mailbox, and then delete the entire mailbox -- if necessary, delete in the finder. For the situation I have investigated, see:

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2835057#2835057

Please report whether there is any actual address in the Return Path Header?

Ernie

Ernie,
I have the same problem with 10 messages that won't delete. I tried your suggestion of making a new mailbox and deleting it. I move them to the new mailbox and delete that mailbox. Return to my old mailbox and they are still there.

All help would be appreciated. I have been fighting with these messages for a month.

sille

G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Sille,

Welcome to the Discussions.

I have yet to fully explore this problem, but try this:

Make another New Mailbox. Move the messages from the original mailbox (is this the Inbox) to the New Mailbox. Quit Mail.

Next, in the Finder, open Home/Library/Mail/Mailboxes and locate the New Mailbox.mbox folder you created. Delete this folder. Now return to the root level of the Mail folder, and locate the Envelope Index file -- drag this file to the Desktop.

Relaunch Mail, and it will announce that it is ready to import your mailboxes -- allow this to continue, and it will only be reindexing your mailboxes, and not really import anything.

Open the original mailbox, and see if the messages are still there. Keep me posted.

Ernie

Ernie,
Went thru your suggested process twice and the problem messages are still with me.
Any other ideas would be appreciated.

sille

G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Sille,

I will be going to bed, shortly, but will review your next post, in the morning.

Are the messages in the Inbox?

If in the Inbox, is this a POP, IMAP or .mac account?

If not in the Inbox, where are they, and how did the messages get moved?

Have you Erase Deleted Messages, recently?

Ernie

Ernie,
Yes, the messages are in the Inbox.
It is a POP account.
I created a Bad Mailbox and dragged the messages into it. I quit mail and went thru the steps you suggested. When i restarted Mail the messages were still in the original mailbox.
I Erase Deleted Messages and Erase Junk Messages this morning and something interesting happened. The icon on Junk changed to icon attached to problem messages.

sille

G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Going out to lunch, shortly, but what are your settings in Mailbox Behaviors, regarding whether deleted messages are moved to another folder?

Are the messages that will not delete, gray, or black, in type style?

Ernie

Junk-Erase messages in junk mailbox when one week old.
Trash-Move deleted messages to a separate fold, erase deleted messages when one week old.

The messages that will delete are black type like all the other good messages.

sille

G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Sille,

I will have to start fresh on this, later tonight. Did you observer the Long Headers, and note whether there is any address in the Return Path Header?

Later, after thought, and another test, or two.

Ernie

Ernie,

Return-Path: <MAILER-DAEMON>

Thanks,
Sille

I am trying to find time to experiment with the problem messages I have been given, but of course, they may not be the same problem -- I have not forgotten.

Ernie

I, too, have a client with a thusly afflicted Mac. Your recommendation also did not work for me. POP messages appear to be empty and cannot be deleted.

Matt,

Welcome to the Discussions.

I have only just now seen your post. If the messages appear to be empty, I am thinking your problem may be with the Envelope Index, rather than an actual message.

Did your mailboxes, and Mail folder originate in an earlier version of Mail, from that in Tiger? If not, have you tried using Rebuild on the mailbox?

More info, please.

Ernie