Mozilla Filters

I am using Mozilla 1.7.3 and the Junk Mail and message filters don't want to work. What can I try to fix this problem. I have the following settings:
Account: rdoc2
Enable junk mail controls
Do not mark messages as junk mail if the sender is in my address book:
Personal Address Book
Move incoming messages determined to be junk mail to:
Junk folder on rdoc2
When I manually mark messages as Junk:
Move them to the Junk folder.

Message filter
Folders for rdoc2
Junk enabled
Filter named junk
Match any of the following:
Body contains Viagra
Move to folder Junk on rdoc2
Set Junk status for Junk

When I set this up it never made its own Junk folder so I create one for the account.

It has been running for about two weeks and it isn't working.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

I would not count on things to work, but if I understand correctly you set things up, and there was no Junk folder, which you created yourself.
I have had some problems with the Junk folders, although never like yours. The only time I did not see a Junk folder, and the controls were outside the program, it was with IMAP accounts. Myrealbox can be set up as an IMAP account. In such cases, the only certain way to get it to do anything has been to send to Trash.
The filters are the trickiest. If they don't work if set to the body, it is news to me. I , generally, set filters to some words in the subject. And, I have seen a variety of tricks used by spammers, like:I have two e-mails with nonsense subject, but listing Viagra for sale. I have had Vi'agra, V-I-A-G-R-A in subjects, and they won't work, being different words. In doubt, remove the account, from the Mail and News wizard, and set up another identical one. You will have to get the mail from the old account to the new one.
But, please, tell us the type of account you have.

 

West you wanted to know what type of account that I have, it is a p3p account I believe and it is cable with Comcast. If you need any other information I will gladly supply it.
I have the junk icon on the toolbar but no, Mozilla didn't give me a junk folder I had to make it.
Would it be better if I tell the Junk control to dump the junk files in the trash and delete the junk folder I made? Thanks!

 

RDOC2,

There is no Junk folder until a "Junk" message is received. Mozilla then creates the Junk folder. In your shoes, I would start again.

Rather than set up a filter for Viagra, when the first Viagra message is received, after starting over, mark it as Junk. Then click on Tools | Run Junk Mail Controls on folder. The Junk folder will be created and the message place in that folder. Continue to mark these messages as Junk, remembering to also mark the "good" messages as "not Junk ".

I only use message filters now to move Newsletters to their appropriate folders. By manually marking Junk and not Junk, I have my Junk Mail well trained. It takes a few weeks to accomplish, but once done, it's terrific!

Ramona

 

Ramona when you say start all over than I assume you want me to delete the junk folder that I have created and do away with the Viagra filter? Than after that when Viagra mail arrives I mark it as Junk and than run the Junk mail controls on the Inbox? Anything else that you want me to do? Thanks

 

As Ramona said you will not get a Junk folder until the program detects Junk. It is very rare that this does not happen, in fact, probably unheard of, because the tendency of the controls is to label almost anything as Junk.
One thing which you do not say is how you have set up your Junk Folder. You should set it that you don't mark as Junk whatever is in your Personal Address Book, to be delivered to the Junk folder, and not stay there over one or two days (it is your choice). If you select to have all your manually selected junk sent to the Trash folder, it may be ok, because, as I said before these people change the words ever so slightly making the Junk folder do its thing. Try to disable your filter, delete the folder which you created and then choose manually a message to be Junk, and see if a Junk folder will be created, as Ramona said.
I assure you that you can't win setting up filters. It is so much easier to select the message as junk. Very few filters works. One of them is "meds "

 

Yes, that is exactly what I meant, and I should have made it clearer:

Delete the Junk folder you created
Delete ALL filters

When the first SPAM is received, mark as "Junk ", then run the Junk Mail Control on the Inbox on which the SPAM was received. Your Junk folder will then be created. It shouldn't be necessary to run the Junk Mail Control on the Inbox after the initial SPAM message is received. Do this for all your Mail Accounts.

When "Good" mail is received, mark as "Not Junk "

Marking the "Good" messages is as important as marking the SPAM. As Westside suggests the settings are also important. See: Screen Shot of Junk Mail Controls.


Ramona

 

Ok I guess I must try to keep the Viagra, viagra and the VIAGRA emails out of my regular mail by marking them as Junk and go on for another two weeks and see if the Junk controls will learn to put them in the Junk folder. It appears that everyone feels that the filters just don't work as well. Thanks to all of you I understand it better now and will follow all of your tips or suggestions.

Ramona you are the first reply that said to manually run the Junk mail controls. Prior to your suggestion I was marking them as Junk and dragging them to the Junk folder. However after I manually ran the Junk mail controls it starting working correctly all by itself. Thanks much.

 

RDOC2,

Good that you understand now. The Bayesian Junk Mail filters are the best of the best, and I can think of few reasons to use the Mail filters again.

It may take longer to "train" the Junk filter, so do be patient... I thought you might also be interested in this Tutorial on using the Junk Mail Control:
http://www.mozilla.org/start/1.5/extra/using-junk-control.html

Ramona

 

Thanks Ramona it is appreciated.