prevent checking for new msgs in mozilla 1.7

Hi. How do we stop Mozilla 1.7 mail from checking for new messages? I've done unchecking "check for new messages every xx minutes" under server settings (with empty xx field as well) and I've also tried 'check for new messages every 10000 minutes ", but to no avail.

As soon as a new message comes in, a new-mail notification icon appears, and it even downloads the new message (it downloads the attachments, too) automatically.

Does anyone know how to prevent this from happening? The only solution I've found short of closing the mail software is selecting "work offline ", but then this prevents me from visiting websites.....

By the way, same setting worked perfectly fine with Mozilla 1.6. I did a google search on this site to see if there were similar threads, but didn't find one, so I've created a new thread. Thanks!

 

derekandmoose,

Exactly what action to you want to take place ?
i.e. NO action when mail comes in or what ?

Various actions are created in different places for each account.

Do you have a "user.js" file ?

The more information we have, the better to assist you.

regards:captjlddavis

 

Dear captjlddavis,

Thank you so much for the quick reply. Sorry I wasn't clear, but you are correct: I would like absolutely no action to happen when new mails come in (I want to check for new emails manually).

I don't yet have user.js file, but I know where to create the file. Could you tell me what I need to write in the file?

I don't know if this is useful but the account in question is an IMAP mail server with an SSL. Thanks,

derekandmoose

 

derekandmoose,
Thanks for getting back. I can be of no assistance as far as IMAP is concerned, perhaps someone can come to both our assistance.


As far as user.js - No need as far as I know - I was curious if there could be an overriding entry there - but I guess not.
BACK UP YOUR PREFS.JS FILE
Most settings are visible thru "about:config" file. Filter on biff and see if there are any "user set" values. If so, "Modify - Reset "

Next - Filter on check for "user set" values. If so, "Modify - Reset "

If nothing helps, Restore the back up prefs.js to original location.

Please post back.

 

Dear captjlddavis, thank you for all the help. What's "Modify-Reset "? It seems like "reset" would change the values to the default settings, which is not what I want in some cases (I think default is automatically checking for new messages every 10 minutes). So I've modified some values, but it didn't work. Just for the heck of it, I reset all the "user set" values as well, but that didn't help either.

So for now, I've restored my original prefs.js file.

It's very strange since this has never been a problem with mozilla 1.4 or 1.6 (I didn't use 1.5), but it has been a problem with 1.7....

Any other ideas would be appreciated! thanks.

 

derekandmoose,

Sorry that did not help.
Yes "Reset" is the choice. I said "Modify-Reset" to indicate that you should modify the setting.

I can not replicate this anomaly so I am sort of shooting in the dark.
I really don't know if IMAP functions defferently or not.

Please check in "about:config" - Filter on check_new_mail.
What is the setting ?

As a last resort, try creating a NEW profile and see if that makes any difference.
NEW PROFILE
Just set up the mail section to start. We can always bring in OLD data.

regards:captjlddavis

 

Thank you sooooooo much for trying to help me out.

When I filtered "check_new_mail ", the only thing that showed up was mail.check_new_mail, and this was set to false with default value.

As for other possibly relevent preference names, both mail.check_time
mail.server.default.check_time are set to default value with 10;
mail.startup.enabledMailCheckOnce is user set with true (I think I did reset this once; what is this?); mail.imap.use_status_for_biff is true with default value. I'm not sure what this does, either.

Just because all my account information seems to be under mail.server.server1, I added mail.server.server1.check_new_mail with boolean=false, but this didn't change anything.

My feeling is that if I can somehow prevent the envelop icon from showing up in the notification area, then I think I will be ok. This icon didn't show up with Mozilla 1.6. Is there a place where I can disable this notification?

While reading stuff through in about:config, I did change mail.server.server1.download_bodies_on_get_new_mail to false, so it doesn't automatically download bodies of msgs. This partly solves my problem, but if there is a way to not even download headers, that would be better.

(side remark: I usually check messages using secure telnet, and delete most msgs there; I only keep important msgs for mozilla, and this is why new msg notification is annoying for me, because most of the time I will end up erasing in telnet anyway, esp when they're spam/virus)

Thanks and hopefully we can find some solutions.....

derekandmoose

PS: I haven't done the last resort of creating a new account yet, since I do have reasonable number of msgs in my inbox, but I will keep that in mind.

 

derekandmoose,

I am really at a loss here. Perhaps it is related to IMAP funcitons ?

Hopefuly someone familiar with IMAP can bring some light here.

This is strictly my opinion:

I think that both mail.check_time
mail.server.default.check_time are set to default value with 10 as default settings that are pre selected for time, if you change them then that change is reflected:
e.g.
mail.server.server1.check_time - Value = 15.

mail.startup.enabledMailCheckOnce - so far I have no idea how this works.....believe that it is connected to whether mail server has been polled ?

mail.imap.use_status_for_biff - - I don't have this entry.....

I did find one mention in:

Google Group Search

Bottom line...I am lost as to your problem.....Sorry.

regards:captjlddavis

 

Dear captjlddavis:

Thank you so much for your help. Though my problem is still unsolved, I now know so much more about confiruation of mozilla.

I've done some googling and further looking around in about:config, but it's still not working. I really thought I found the solution when I saw mail.imap.new_mail_get_headers was set to true as default, so I changed to false, but it still didn't work, amazingly.

Is this potentially a bug or is there something in the preference file that has higher priority which is negating my settings? If someone who uses IMAP can help me out, that would be tremendously appreciated.....

derekandmoose

 

Hi derekandmoose,

I have an IMAP account at myrealbox.com, which I had enabled to check for mail every 10 minutes. I just disabled all settings, it does not, however, require SSL. I closed and opened the browser and the setting was retained.

Occasionally preferences aren't retained, and you have to enable, then disable the setting more than once. I wonder if you have tried to do this? I would insert the default 10 minutes first, and then restore the default settings in about:config, since they shouldn't have to be altered. Disable the settings, close Mozilla, then restart. If no joy, enable the settings, close/restart, then disable the settings again, close/restart.

If that doesn't help, then
Close Mozilla & Quick Launch (if enabled)
Backup your Profiles folder
Then Delete the IMAP Account
Add the Account again, and see if the settings work.

Ramona

 

Ramona,

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I had already done checking/unchecking several times and opening/closing mozilla, but I tried again, and again it didn't do me any good.

So I tried deleting the account and recreating, but this brought up the same problems.

Given the state of things, unless I hear any other suggestions, I think I'll go back to mozilla 1.6. I do like the new icons for .html files, but I can get this for mozilla 1.6, no?

One last thing: does biff mean notification message that says something like "your account has 1 new message ", or does enabling biff mean getting this envelop icon in the notification area of the windows? I would like to avoid the envelop from appearing (in fact, I would like to stop mozilla from going to the server and look for new mails, unless I hit Ctrl+T), but I was just thinking maybe this option is not even existent.

Thanks to both of you for your help. I don't know why it worked in 1.6 and does not work in 1.7, though..... sigh.

derekandmoose

 

Been playing with this darn thing and get pretty much the same results as Ramona. disable "check at startup" and "check every xx minuts" and I get no alerts.

"Biff" is the term for the mail checking part of Mozilla.

If you don't want any alert or sound, disable it in:

Edit|preference|Mail & NG|Notification| right panel

Uncheck - Show alert
Uncheck - Play sound

and good luck
Sorry
regards:captjlddavis