Can message filters cause messages with blank subject and 1969 dates
I have done many things to try to trace why I get messages with blank subjects and 1969 dates. downloaded TB created all new folders moved only persdict and msfFilterRules to the new profile.
At this try
set the option NOT to download messages on startup
went off line and compacted all folders.
emptied the inbox and all subfolders.
Exited TB.
deleted all files under pop.verizon.net except msgFilters rules.
Deleted all msf files for local folders in my profile.
opened TB.
a few times
--With Firefox went to verizon webmail and moved a few messages to the Verizon inbox.
--moved to TB window
-- Clicked <get messages>
-- still received blank messages with 1969 dates
-- deleted those messages
-- emptied trash
went to the filter rules and unclicked all filters that send files to local folders left 2 rules in place (1) if a sender was in my address list send the message to inbox folder called "Known sender" (2) if the subject was NOT a weird string like "&*%$@!+=?><" send the message to inbox folder called "Suspicious" This filter is because there is not an ELSE function in TB it is extremely unlikely that a message would have such a subject. [These two filters should move all messages except junk to the two folders.]
I then tried the above procedure of going to Verizon, moving messages to Verizon Inbox, etc. a few times. I did NOT get the messages with blank subject and 1969 date!!
Questions: (1) Is this just a fluke? (2) From understanding the internals of TB is it reasonable that some now-unchecked message filter(s) had caused there to be the oddball messages? (3) if It is a filter rule, how can I find out which one it is?
All Replies (3)
Sounds more like a corrupt folder: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_:_Tips_:_Compacting_Folders
Do not compact as this may lose emails in a corrupt folder.
First try this: right click on folder and select 'Properties' click on 'Repair Folder' button refresh the folders by collapsing and then reopening This will rebuild the index.
Remove all good emails out of folder.
Delete what you do not want.
Then compact the folder
right click on folder and select 'Compact'
The blank message and 1969 date will be caused when a header is removed or is unreadible. check your filters to see if any thing is to do with a header being modified.
I looked though all the condition specification options I do not see how using header info in a condition specification would change the header info.
I looked at the possible actions on filters. I only see "tag" and "Star" as ones that might change header info.
However, I found out that when I unchecked the first 17 of 19 filters and just had the two I explained above I would sometimes get a message with the 1969 date.
Since then I deleted those two rules and made new versions and moved them to the bottom where the earlier versions had been. I have not had the 1969 messages since!!
I have put a new filter at the top of the list that checks whether the date is before 1/1/971. If teh date is before 1/1/1971 the filter tags the message as important and moves it into the inbox folder named "Suspicious".
I have not seen any 1969 messages since then.
Since the problem was intermittent and because I was not able to create conditions whereby The 1969 dates would or would not occur, the problem may not be 'fixed'. I'll watch it for a while
Meanwhile, I'll continue to manually go though the webmail on Verizon and as a test only download mail that I do not want to save for the long term. Messages I want to keep I'll move messages I want to keep for the long term into foldrs on Verizon. If after a while, I do not get any more of the 1969 messages, I'll move messages I want to keep into the Verizon inbox and download them into TB