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message list disappear

  • 8 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 15 views
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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The jpg attached does the best job of describing this. Problem: The message list (not message pane) disappears. I can still select the invisible message, and it will appear in the message pane. But I can't read the list of messages. It's as though the ink is white, and therefore invisible.

For about a month, it only happened on one folder. I thought perhaps my files were too big, so I've been deleting and compacting a great deal. But now a second folder has the same problem.

They are possibly the two largest folders. Or the two oldest. By oldest, I mean they are the first and second folders I ever created.

I have a Win 7/64 op system. Thunderbird v38.6.0. What I have already tried:

  1. I have turned all add-ons off. I have also run it in Thunderbird safe mode. Same problem. No change.
  2. I have compacted these folders and all folders
  3. I have emptied the trash
  4. I have reduced the number of messages by hundreds, even thousands.
  5. And then recompacted.
  6. I have rebuilt the *.msf file by selecting the Repair button on the Properties menu
  7. I have moved all the messages from one folder to another new folder. And they are still invisible.
  8. The msf file for the INBOX folder is 553 KB. The associated INBOX file is 60 MB.
  9. The msf file for the 1 CYN folder is 864 KB. The associated 1 CYN folder file is 255 MB

I have been using Thunderbird since 2007. I'm very happy with it.

So again. The problem is in only 2 folders. One has 854 messages, The other has 1100 ish. I can select and read the message. The message pane has no problem I can see and select a folder. The folder pane has no problem I cannot see the list of messages in a folder. But I can select them blindly. This is the problem.

I am uploading a screen capture of the problem. I am also hoping to upload screen capture of the windows explorer file listings for the msf and similar files.


Thank you.

The jpg attached does the best job of describing this. Problem: The message list (not message pane) disappears. I can still select the invisible message, and it will appear in the message pane. But I can't read the list of messages. It's as though the ink is white, and therefore invisible. For about a month, it only happened on one folder. I thought perhaps my files were too big, so I've been deleting and compacting a great deal. But now a second folder has the same problem. They are possibly the two largest folders. Or the two oldest. By oldest, I mean they are the first and second folders I ever created. I have a Win 7/64 op system. Thunderbird v38.6.0. What I have already tried: # I have turned all add-ons off. I have also run it in Thunderbird safe mode. Same problem. No change. # I have compacted these folders and all folders # I have emptied the trash # I have reduced the number of messages by hundreds, even thousands. # And then recompacted. # I have rebuilt the *.msf file by selecting the Repair button on the Properties menu # I have moved all the messages from one folder to another new folder. And they are still invisible. # The msf file for the INBOX folder is 553 KB. The associated INBOX file is 60 MB. # The msf file for the 1 CYN folder is 864 KB. The associated 1 CYN folder file is 255 MB I have been using Thunderbird since 2007. I'm very happy with it. So again. The problem is in only 2 folders. One has 854 messages, The other has 1100 ish. I can select and read the message. The message pane has no problem I can see and select a folder. The folder pane has no problem I cannot see the list of messages in a folder. But I can select them blindly. This is the problem. I am uploading a screen capture of the problem. I am also hoping to upload screen capture of the windows explorer file listings for the msf and similar files. Thank you.
Attached screenshots

Modified by Matt

All Replies (8)

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The last time I was someone with this, I think they had a corrupted font file in windows.

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Which font would that be? It's not happening elsewhere.

All the message lists use the same font, and they are visible.

If I make a search folder of the invisiable messages, the message list in the search folder is visible!

Don't think this is a Windows font problem.

Problem seems to be in these 2 folders. Originally it was just one folder.

Modified by CGee

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Work around for the time being:

I created a Search folder for each of these folders which contains everything from the original folder. The search operator was "everything after date 1/1/1980' or similar. The Search Folder shows all the messages, and updates automatically when more come in.

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After seeing something elsewhere. Are you using the exequilla add-on to access exchange mail servers?

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No, I am not. Never heard of such a thing.

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Ok, I really do not know what is happening here. but I think some cleaning of cached information might help.

From the help menu select troubleshooting information and then the show profile button. Close Thunderbird.

In the Thunderbird profile delete the following files if they exist

foldertree.dat xulstore.json Virtualfolders.dat Localstore.rdf panacea.dat

Restart Thunderbird

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There is a folderee.json, but no foldertree.dat.

I found the others and deleted them.

There were several versions of Virtualfolders.dat, and I deleted all of them.

I restarted Thunderbird, and had the same problem as before with one new problem.

The name on one of the two problem folders was changed to a scramble of lower case letters and numbers.

Go figure. BTW: I just removed the 'deleted' files. I didn't trash them. In case we want them back.

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Please do this: select the 'problem' folder to see invisible list. click on the far right column choice icon. see image below. Select : 'Reset columns to default'.

report back on results.

Modified by Toad-Hall