Well, the subject says it all.
I am running Mail 7.3 under Mac OS X 10.9.5 and have 8 smart mailboxes set up. However, as of this morning, none of them are displaying any emails, along with all the VIPs. However, all other folders etc are working normally.
Any suggestions anyone?
Joe.
iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), Mid-2010, 12GB RAM, 3.06 GHz
Repair Mail
With Mail quit....
Go to the User's Library folder. This folder is hidden by default. To unhide: Select the Finder in the Dock. Under Go in the Menu bar > hold down the Option key and you’ll see the Library.
Go to Mail folder.
Select the V2 > MailData folder.
Delete any files in MailData with envelope in the name. (should be 3)
Log out under the Apple in the Menu bar
Log in
Open Mail. Mail will reindex your files.
Hi dianeoforegon
Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried this and Mail imported all messages again, but the smart mailboxes still aren't working.
I might delete them all and re-add them and see what happens.
Any other suggestions?
Joe.
Deleting and adding back should fix the problem. Take screen shots if needed.
Command-Shift-3 takes the entire screen
Command-Shift-4 takes a portion of the screen. <--use this one
Guess what? Deleting and re-adding my smart mailboxes didn't work. I even tried creating a new smart mailbox folder and adding new smart mailboxes to that.
😟
Any other suggestions?
Joe.
PS. I could take screenshots, but all they're going to show is empty smart mailboxes, so don't see the point.
The screen shot would be for the smart folder setup criteria, not the messages for that folder.
With Mail quit....
Go to the User's Library folder. This folder is hidden by default. To unhide: Select the Finder in the Dock. Under Go in the Menu bar > hold down the Option key and you’ll see the Library.
• Go to Containers. Drag the com.apple.mail folder to the Desktop
• Go to Preferences. If you find any com.apple.mail.plist files, delete these.
Log out under the Apple in the Menu bar
Log in
Open Mail
If this fails, testing in a new User will quickly tell you if the problem is system wide or if it's your User's folder that contains the problem.
CREATE A NEW USER
Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Users & Groups. Switch to the New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching.
Add your Apple ID. You only need to set sync Mail.
Open Mail and create a smart folder. Does it work?
Hi Again
Thanks so much for your continued help.
Due to timezone differences (I'm in Australia) I've actually already tried all of the above (although I didn't create a new user - I just went into one of the other user accounts, opened Mail and created three smart mailboxes none of which worked).
So yes, it does appear to be system wide. I have no idea what's brought this on. All of my smart mailboxes were working fine.
I didn't previously worry about the screenshots as all of my smart mailboxes weren't working, so it wasn't a case of one or two not working properly, they all show nothing. Below is a screenshot of one of them:
As you can see, even the most basic smart mailbox doesn't work.
😟
I will have to tackle this again tonight when I get home from Work (Monday again). But if you have any other suggestions in the meantime that'd be great!
Thanks!
🙂
Joe.
I'm assuming you are running 10.9.5 Mavericks. Check under About this Mac.
OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 Update (Combo)
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1760
Running the combo updater can refresh your system files. This is a fairly quick and painless option. Certainly don't hurt to try.
If you still have problems....
Boot into the Recovery Drive by holding down Command R when restarting. Use OS X Recovery Disk Assistant to reset Your files and folder permissions.
See steps here:
http://www.needhelp4mac.com/2013/11/use-os-x-recovery-disk-assistant-to-reset-yo ur-files-and-folder-permissions/
Note it's difficult to know exactly when it has finished so give it some time. You should see Reset when finished.
(Fair disclosure: Needhelp4Mac is my site. I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from links on my site..)
If this fails, let's look at upgrading you to Yosemite. Because of your issues we should consider doing a clean install. In addition, please
download EtreCheck and paste results here for help troubleshooting.
http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
Hi again
So I'm home and determined to try and resolve this. Something new I have noticed is that I think the Finder is affected. I have just noticed that the Downloads folder no longer displays dates in the Date Added column.
Anyway, the OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 Update (Combo) probably won't work as I'm already running OS X 10.9.5, so I suspect that the installer won't find a HD it can install on. That said, I'll give it a go.
I have already tried repairing permissions using Disk Utility, but will give your suggestion of using the Recovery Drive a go.
Will report back as soon as I'm done.
Joe.
Ok, so I was right about the Combo updater - wouldn't install on my system.
So I tried all your other suggestions (well, except for installing Yosemite) and no go, although I'm not sure that resetting my file and folder permissions worked properly (I waited 15 mins and still didn't get the 'reset' button back again, so I just continued on with the rest of the steps).
Here is my Etrecheck results:
EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
Report generated 23 March 2015 9:59:21 pm AEST
Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck
Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.
Hardware Information: ℹ️
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)
iMac - model: iMac11,2
1 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 CPU: 2-core
12 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 0/DIMM1
4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM1
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
ATI Radeon HD 4670 - VRAM: 256 MB
iMac 1920 x 1080
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.9.5 (13F1066) - Time since boot: 0:12:30
Disk Information: ℹ️
ST3500418AS disk0 : (500.11 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (190.97 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5680H
USB Information: ℹ️
ASMedia AS2105 1 TB
EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Digital Media (disk2s2) /Volumes/Digital Media : 999.86 GB (274.31 GB free)
Samsung M3 Portable Samsung M3 Portable 2 TB
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
iMac 2TB TM Backup (disk1s2) /Volumes/iMac 2TB TM Backup : 2.00 TB (753.92 GB free)
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
INNO TECH USB to Serial
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Anywhere
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox
[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.3.20) [Click for support]
[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.3.20) [Click for support]
[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.3.20) [Click for support]
[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.3.20) [Click for support]
/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.usboverdrive.driver.hid (3.1 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
/Library/Extensions/USBOverdrive.kext/Contents/PlugIns
[loaded] com.usboverdrive.driver.bt (3.1 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.usboverdrive.driver.hid.safe (3.1) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_netpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.orderedbytes.driver.ControllerMateFamily (4.6.0 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.squirrels.airparrot.framebuffer (3 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.squirrels.driver.AirParrotSpeakers (1.7 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.techsmith.TACC (1.0.2 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.ups.driver.UPSVendor (1.0.0d1) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_netpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins
[not loaded] com.belcarra.iokit.netpart.panther (1.6.3) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/Belcarra.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plug-Ins
[not loaded] com.belcarra.iokit.usbpart.panther (1.6.3) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions/2.2.0/RemoteControl.USBLAN_usbpart.kext/Contents/Plu g-Ins
[not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.panther (1.6.2) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions/ControllerMate.kext/Contents/PlugIns
[loaded] com.orderedbytes.driver.CMUSBDevices (4.6.0 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.orderedbytes.driver.CMUSBKeyboard (4.6.0 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.orderedbytes.driver.CMUSBPointer (4.6.0 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.orderedbytes.ControllerMateHelper.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.parallels.mobile.prl_deskctl_agent.launchagent.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist [Click for support]
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.netputing.handyPrintSystemDaemon.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.parallels.mobile.dispatcher.launchdaemon.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.parallels.mobile.kextloader.launchdaemon.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.quark.quarkupdate.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.teamviewer.Helper.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.startup.plist [Click for support]
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[failed] com.acronis.monitor.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.parallels.mobile.startgui.launchagent.plist [Click for support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist [Click for support]
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
DVDAuthorizeHelper Application (/Users/[redacted]/Library/Application Support/Helper/DVDAuthorizeHelper.app)
Wondershare Helper Compact Application (/Users/[redacted]/Library/Application Support/Helper/Wondershare Helper Compact.app)
USBOverdriveHelper Application (/Library/PreferencePanes/USB Overdrive.prefPane/Contents/Resources/USBOverdriveHelper.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Check version
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 9.5.5 [Click for support]
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.8 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8
User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 [Click for support]
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
1Password
Open in Internet Explorer
Video Converter
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player [Click for support]
Quark Update Preferences [Click for support]
USB Overdrive [Click for support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 499.25 GB Disk used: 308.27 GB
Digital Media: Disk size: 999.86 GB Disk used: 725.55 GB
Destinations:
iMac 2TB TM Backup [Local]
Total size: 2.00 TB
Total number of backups: 36
Oldest backup: 2015-03-11 08:48:55 +0000
Last backup: 2015-03-23 10:17:51 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 2.00 TB < (Disk used 1.03 TB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
2% WindowServer
1% fontd
1% hidd
0% AppleSpell
0% com.apple.WebKit.Networking
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
180 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent
168 MB Mail
168 MB Safari
129 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
90 MB com.apple.WebKit.Networking
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
7.36 GB Free RAM
3.94 GB Active RAM
692 MB Inactive RAM
892 MB Wired RAM
421 MB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
Mar 23, 2015, 09:47:43 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-23-21 4743_[redacted].crash
Mar 23, 2015, 09:47:31 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-23-21 4731_[redacted].crash
Mar 23, 2015, 09:46:19 PM Self test - passed
Mar 23, 2015, 08:59:14 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-23-20 5914_[redacted].crash
Mar 23, 2015, 06:06:37 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-23-06 0637_[redacted].crash
Mar 23, 2015, 06:06:36 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-23-06 0636_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 07:18:59 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-19 1859_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 07:09:35 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-19 0935_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 08:32:46 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-08 3246_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 08:32:35 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-08 3235_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 07:33:06 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-07 3306_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 07:33:05 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-07 3305_[redacted].crash
Mar 22, 2015, 07:32:55 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.netputing.handyPrintProDaemon_2015-03-22-07 3255_[redacted].crash
Anyway, I'm gonna try the whole reset of my files and folders again and leave it a lot longer this time and see what happens.
Joe.
PS. Thanks again for all your help!
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (190.97 GB free)
I see a lot of cleanup needed, but with all the issues you are having I think the simplest thing would be to do a clean install of Yosemite. You have ample space to setup a test Yosemite partition. While you don't have the space to do a full Yosemite restore, you do have ample space to get started and test Yosemite. If you have an external drive that we could use to clone your current install, that would be the best option.
See instructions here:
Create an OS X Mavericks Partition scroll down to the section : Not enough free space on drive?
You need to leave enough free space for the current install. Make the partition for the Yosemite install no larger than 150 GB.
Download and install Yosemite on the partition.
Do not use migration on your new Yosemite.
First step is to add you Mail accounts and test.
If you are happy with results, we can move your most important data over to Yosemite, but you will have to have a second drive or backup of the Mavericks data so we can clone over your top partition with Mavericks.
Move your data to a new User or a new Mavericks partition
Note: these articles also work for Yosemite. (Fair disclosure: Needhelp4Mac is my site. I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from links on my site.)
You can contact me on Skype using the same name I use here. I might not see your replies here in a timely manner.
Hmmm, with the exception of Virtual Box and Handy Print, both of which I no longer require, I can't really see anything else that needs cleaning up. Do you see major problems in my EtreCheck report?
I have to admit I'm hesitant to do the upgrade to Yosemite. This is the 'family' computer with 5 user accounts and I think most of the others don't deal with change very well, so I was waiting for the new 21" iMac with Retina display to be released before migrating everyone across to Yosemite. Plus I have concerns about some of my critical 3rd party software running on Yosemite (checking Roaring Apps has not instilled me with a lot of confidence), and the fact this is a mid-2010 iMac (albeit with 12GB RAM).
All that said, your suggestion has given me an idea. I may download Yosemite and install it on an external drive and test it on this computer for responsiveness etc to determine how feasible a Yosemite upgrade may be. That's not something I will tackle until the weekend though. LOL
In the meantime, anything else you can suggest? I appreciate you have already spent a lot of time trying to help me with this, and don't expect you to spend any more time doing so. And to think originally I thought it'd be a quick fix.
😕
Joe.
Not being able to run the combo updater is concerning. Another option would be to boot into the recovery drive and select the reinstall OS X option. This is similar to the combo but is more complete. It also takes much longer since it will download the Mavericks installer.
Boot into the Recovery Drive by holding down Command R when restarting.
Select Reinstall OS X. This process should not damage your data but it's always advised that you backup first.
MORE INFO ON WHY RUNNING COMBO FIXES ISSUES
Apple updates available from the Software Update application are incremental updates. Delta updates are also incremental updates and are available from Apple Downloads (software updates are generally smaller than delta updates). The Combo updates contain all incremental updates and will update files that could have become corrupted.
Combo updaters will install on the same version as they're applying--no need to roll back or do a clean install.
"Delta" updaters can only take you from one version to the next. For example: 10.9.4 to 10.9.5. If somehow the 10.9.4 is missing something it should have, and that something isn't changed between 10.9.4 and 10.9.5 it will still be stale after the delta update.
Creating the second Yosemite partition on your internal drive (you could make it smaller) would give you a better test for speed. Booting from an external is much slower.
As long as your email is IMAP you can test in Yosemite without having to worry about keeping your data in sync with your current install.
Ok, well, after going through all your posts I decided that maybe you were implying that Spotlight wasn't working. Not sure if that's what you were getting at, but I did some checking and sure enough Spotlight wasn't working. None of the usual tricks could get it to work either. Even trying to use the
sudo mdutil -a -i on command in Terminal didn't work (I got a Spotlight server is disabled message).
So I did a bit of digging and came across the following option to use in Terminal:
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist
I entered the above, hit Return and sure enough Spotlight is now indexing. It still has ages to go, but even after 10 minutes items started to reappear in my smart mailboxes. Now I'm happy again!
🙂
So, for some reason, Spotlight indexing just stopped working and that had all sorts of consequences. If only I knew what stopped it.
I also have a suspicion that all my file and folder permissions are out of whack, and since I could never get them to reset using your earlier suggestion, I'm going to look for another solution. I know this may result in Spotlight having to re-index again, but I'm convinced I have a permissions problem.
Anyway, I'm marking the above tip as having helped me because I'd never come across using the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant to reset your file and folder permissions and thought that was a handy tip. Not to mention your patience and perseverance in trying to find a solution for me.
Thank you so much!
Joe.
User File Ownership - Reset see post by Linc Davis
Thanks for sharing the Spotlight Terminal fix for Mail.
Another option if Eric's link fails to fix is to move your data into a new User via the Shared folder. It doesn't require you to work with the base OS X files. Other than being careful that you don't fill up your drive (it copies data when moved) it's fairly painless. I give special instructions on the User's Library. This is usually where most of the problems are located.
Move your data to a new User or a new Mavericks partition
http://www.needhelp4mac.com/2014/06/move-your-data-to-a-new-user-or-a-new-maveri cks-partition/
(Fair disclosure: Needhelp4Mac is my site. I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from links on my site..)
Apple Mail smart mailboxes no longer work
