Emails vanished from my inbox

All my old emails have vanished from my inbox. How can I get them back?

The problem started when I couldn't access my email box and kept on getting this message: "Configuration warning. An error occurred reading the startup configuration file. Please contact your administrator. SyntaxError: missing; before statement.... "

I called my ISP and one of the technicians said I had a corrupt file, and he renamed the pref.js file as prefs.old, after which I could again get to my inbox when I couldn't before. But when I got there this time, all the previous emails were gone. Only new ones were there.

Again, I called my ISP and another technician said the old emails are gone forever since I had renamed the file. He said if I go back to the old file, prefs.js, I would continue having the same problem and would not be able to get to my inbox although all the old emails are still there.

I am a beginner and need step-by-step instructions - where to click, what to fill out and where, etc. - so that I can recover or restore all my old emails. I have more 900 of them and I want to save all of them.

 

Welcome to the Forum, godfrey!

Hi godfrey,

Do your still get the Startup Configuration Warning: Syntax Error?

Also, are you using Windows XP, and Netscape 7.1? I need just a bit more information, and then we will retrieve your messages.

Thanks!

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

Thank you very much for your response.

I don't get the "Configuration Warning. An error occurred reading the configuration file" anymore because the prefs.js file was renamed prefs.old. After it was renamed pref.old, I was then able to access my email box. But all the old messages were gone when I go there. Only news ones showed up.

Before then, when I was getting the warning, I couldn't even sign in; my username and my password were rejected as invalid. But after the file was renamed, I continued to use the same name and password without any problems, except for the old messages which had disappeared by then.

I use Windows ME and Netscape 7.0.

Best regards,

Godfrey

 

Godfrey,

In the Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings | Server Settings:
Ensure the the "Local directory" field points to the correct path of your Profile location. For Windows ME, this would be:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename\Mail\mailaccount

Close Netscape
Navigate to your Mail Account folder located here:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename\Mail\mailaccount

Delete all files with an MSF extension. Don't delete the files without the MSF extension, as they contain your Mail.

Also delete the registry.dat file, located here:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla

Start Netscape
The Profile Manager will prompt for a new Profile
Use the same name as the current Profile
If your Profile name is "godfrey ", then enter "godfrey" again.

Post back with results...

Ramona

 

I followed your instructions, step-by-step, and lost everything! I can't even get or send emails anymore as I used to. I upgraded to Netscape 7.1 to no avail. This is what I get now when I try to get or send messages: "Could not connect to server mail.altelco.net; the connection was refused. "

It has nothing to do with the email settings. I have checked those over and again, together with my ISP technicians, but nothing works. I don't know what to do, and they don't know what to do.

Any suggestions?

Don't send me any emails - won't do any good since I can't access my mail box. I'll read your reply right here. And it's an emergency! I have to get in there.

Godfrey

 

Hi godfrey,

The error you're getting "Could not connect to server mail.altelco.net; the connection was refused." is a server error, not a Netscape error. It suggests either an error in the Mail & Newsgroups settings, your firewall blocking access to your server, or possibly your AntiVirus program blocking access. Disable both your firewall and your antivirus program. See if you can connect without either of them. If you can, then add one at a time to discover which is the culprit.

If no joy:
When you view your Mail Account folder with Windows Explorer:
C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\profilename\xxxxxxxx.slt\Mail\MailAccount
Open the Inbox file (without the MSF extension) with WordPad. Scroll to the last message in the file, to ensure it is the most current date which you received mail. If your messages are there, then you can recover the Mail by creating a new Profile.

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

Thank you very much for everything you're doing to help me. As I said earlier, I don't know much about computers.

How do I disable the firewall? Concerning the anti-virus program, I use one provided by my ISP and can disable that very easily.

And I hope I can get all the all emails back. I lost more than 900. I don't know if there's a way to get them out of the inbox and back into the folders. All my folders are empty. But I'll get back in touch with you on this one after I start getting and sending messages. That's the first hurdle I have to clear.

Hoping for the best,

Godfrey

 

godfrey,

What firewall do you use? If there is an icon in your system tray, right click the icon, and there is most likely a choice to exit the firewall. I use ZoneAlarm, and that option is in the right click menu. Once you've checked to see if either the firewall, or the antivirus programs are prohibiting your Mail, then be sure to enable them.

Did you see your Mail when you looked in your altelco folder, using Windows Explorer? If so, did your mail account folder look similar to this:
altelco.net
altelco-1.net

What I need to know is which of the above, or similar, folders contained your mail?

I also found several altelco.net Help pages:

http://www.altelco.net/install/checkme.html
http://www.altelco.net/faq.html
http://www.altelco.net/install.html

You can access your Mail through the altelco Web interface:
http://www.altelco.net/cgi-bin/mmstdod.cgi

Let me know about the Mail Account folders, and which one contains your Mail. I'm going to be gone most of the day, but will check in again later this evening...

When you open Mail & Newsgroups, what path does the Local directory field contain? Look here:
Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings | Server Settings
Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the path. It will look similar to this:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\username\*.slt\Mail\altelco.net

Copy the path and post it here for me, please.

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

There's no firewall icon in my tray in the lower right; in fact, I know nothing about firewalls. And there's no mail in my folder(s).

Fo whatever reason or reasons, I have several folders; I don't know if they were automatically created because I had saved a lot of emails - more than 900 - all of which are now gone. But when I clicked on the inbox, I found out that it has emails in there and it took a long time to open up. Can I somehow get them out of there and back into my email folders where I can read them?

The email folder in my local directory is mail.altelco-3.net. The rest are: 1, 2, and others without any digit(s).

And here is my local directory:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408\mail.altelco-3.net

I, again today, contacted my ISP support team and got this response: "Get into your email account. Then click on Remove Account. Then click on New Account and set it up again. "

But I'm afraid that I'll lose all my previous and current emails if I do so; won't I?

I don't know if the altelco.net help sites will be helpful or not; I'll check into that later on, if nothing else works. I would say, so far, I have had no success seeking help from my ISP technicians
to solve this particular problem although they have helped me with others in the past.

And concerning the web site where I can read my emails - I have not been there yet - is there a way I can forward (or export from there) my messages to another email address where I can save them?

Thank you for helping.

Godfrey

 

godfrey,

We're almost there, and we will retrieve your email, if it is on your hard drive.

What is the name of that file in your Mail Account folder that contained the mail, and took a long time opening. It should be similar to:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\username\*.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net
Did you look at the mail in the folder, and did you recognize it as your lost mail?

What I need from you is the exact file name as it appears in the path, i.e., mail.altelco.net, mail.altelco-1.net, or mail.altelco-2.net. We know that mail.altelco-3.net is the new account and does not contain your 900 messages. I can't help you retrieve your mail until I know the file name.

Yes, but first things first....

By "local directory" do you mean what you are viewing on the hard drive in your altelco.net folder?

Whoa! There's a big part of your problem. Your Local directory path should be pointing here:
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\username\*.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net

Have you looked in the:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408\mail.altelco-3.net
folder, and if so, did you open your Inbox and see if your current Mail is actually there. If not, do so and let me know. We need to get that Mail folder out of the GRE folder and into your Mail Account Folder.

Sorry for all the back and forth, but I need specific details so I can get all your Mail back to the current account.

Thanks!

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

There are no emails in my folder as it's currently named. I double-clicked on it, and got nothing; right-clicked - nothing.

In an attempt to identify the right folder, I followed the path I have taken before with my ISP technicians - I remember the steps - and double-clicked all the way: My Computer---Drive C---Windows---Application Data---Mozilla---Profiles---godfrey---pakeway6hwy.slt---Mail---to all the folders to see if there's any mail in there, starting with:

Local Folders, which had the following icons, together with the contents: Drafts (0 bytes); Sent (0 bytes); Templates (23.6KB); Trash (0 bytes); Unsent Messages (0 bytes).

Local Folders 1: Drafts (0 bytes); Inbox (74.7MB); Sent (0 bytes); Templates (23.6KB); Trash (0 bytes); Unsent Messages (0 bytes).

Local Folders 2: Drafts (0 bytes); Sent (0 bytes); Templates (23.6KB); Trash (0 bytes); Unsent Messages (0 bytes).

Local Folders 3: Drafts (0 bytes); Drafts.msf (1.35KB); Sent (0 bytes); Sent.msf (1.35KB); Templates (23.6KB); Templates.msf (2.59KB); Trash (0 bytes); Trash.msf (1.35KB); Unsent Messages (0 bytes); Unsent Messages (1.32KB).

mail.altelco.net: Drafts (5.24KB); Drafts.msf (1.68KB); Inbox (74.7MB); Inbox.msf (291KB); popstate.dat (64 bytes); rules.dat (27 bytes); Sent (120 MB); Sent.msf (417KB); Templates (0 bytes); Trash (38.3MB); Trash.msf (2.33MB); Unsent Messages (0 bytes).

mail.altelco-1.net: Drafts (0 bytes); Inbox (143KB); Inbox.msf (5.91KB); popstate.dat (64 bytes); rules.dat (27 bytes); Sent (0 bytes); Templates (0 bytes); Trash (77.4KB); Trash.msf (8.78KB).

mail.altelco-2.net: Drafts (0 bytes); Inbox (0 bytes); Sent (0 bytes); templates (0 bytes); Trash (0 bytes).

mail.altelco-3.net: Drafts (0 bytes); Inbox (4.06MB); Inbox.msf (13.9KB); popstate.dat (64 bytes); rules.dat (27 bytes); Sent (5.86MB); Sent.msf (28.2KB); Templates (0 bytes); Trash (1.16 MB); Trash.msf (135KB).

Now, which is which? The one that's heavily loaded? I assume. And where did all those folders or files - the extra ones - come from anyway? I didn't create them. Are they automatically created when you have lots of emails? One - mail.altelco-2.net - has nothing in it. What's doing in there?

And I don't know why my local directory differs from the rest. We have four email accounts on the same computer. And here are the rest of the directories, besides mine listed first:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408\mail.altelco-3.net

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\bjpalmer\ogdyxlh6.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net


C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\panafbks\h5sxhnsx.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net


C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\napress\u3lr4q08.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net

Although I did before, I could no longer get or send or even access my email page when I had this local directory:

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pake6hwy.slt\Mail\mail.altelco-3.net

I changed it to mail.altelco.net, ommiting the 3, to no avail. So I went back to the old profile; still did no good. I then upgraded Netscape to 7.1 hoping that it would help slove the problem; still got nowhere with all this.

It was also after I downloaded Netscape 7.1 that my local directory changed to what it is now. When I asked one of my ISP technicians if this is what could be causing the problem, he said no; I simply had a new directory because I had downloaded Netscape 7.1. Yet, all the other directories for the other email accounts on our computer have remained the same; and so have their ports: 110. Mine has changed to 995. Whenever I change it to 110, hoping this will solve the problem, it goes right back to 995. And that's what it is right now.

Another ISP technician said the port has changed from 110 to 995 because we use Nitro Dial, the accelerator, or whatever you call it, to speed up internet connection and downloading web pages. How come the rest haven't changed if that's the case? They still use 110.

What's next?

Hoping for the best, and praying hard,

Godfrey

 

godfrey,

Even though you said you had done this, I would like for you to try it again.

The Profile that you listed:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net
appears to contain your original messages.

Open the Mail window, and highlight your account name
Click on: Server settings
Scroll down to "Local directory" field
Delete the current path
C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408\mail.altelco-3.net

Enter this path:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net
Be careful of typo's as the field is unforgiving.

Close Netscape, then restart
Open the Mail window - can you view your mail?

Ramona

 

Hi godfrey,

One thing I need to clarify, is that the above post assumes that you are still using the godfrey Profile name, and that the salted (*.slt) folder name is the same as listed above....

If the above workaround doesn't work, then try this:

NOTE: This workaround also assumes that you still have the same profile as before this problem occurred (i.e assumes that you didn't create a new profile but simply reset the current one, godfrey, using the same salted folder).

Close Netscape and Quick Launch
Back up the entire Profile folder (Delete the Cache folder first)
C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles

Move the entire Mail folder under the
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail
directory, to a temporary folder. (Assuming this IS the correct Profile and salted folder.)

If you don't have a Backup folder, now would be a good time to create one. If you don't know how, please don't be embarrassed to ask.

Start Netscape
Ensure you are not connected to the Internet
Open the Mail Window
Next: Highlight the Mail Account
Click on: View settings for this account
Click on: "Remove" tab
Now: Setup your mail accounts again
Check the "Server Settings | Local directory" path to ensure it points to:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net
Exit Netscape

From the copy of the Profiles folder that you moved to a temporary or Backup folder:
Copy the entire Mail folder from:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail
directory, and paste it into the newly created Mail account. Allow it to overwrite the contents of the newly created Mail folder.

Restart netscape and your Mail will be accessible again. If there IS a new profile then the same workaround is still possible.

If you get this far, then we will worry about the rest of the mail.altelco-1 through 3.net folders, and the mail.altelco-3.net folder that is in the GRE folder. This is a very strange happening...

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

I did exactly as you told me to, and am back to where I was: The heading, "Inbox for Godfrey," is gone, replaced with "Mail & Newsgroups. "

Therefore changing the directory has not solved the problem; at least not yet. I simply deleted what was in there and typed in the other one.

And I have not changed my profile or created a new one. I'm going to try what you have asked me to do next but want to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing, little as I know about computers.

When you say "Delete the cache folder first," how do I do that? And which one is that? Where's it? I need step-by-step instructions before I mess up.

Also, does it make any difference if I simply type in the directory instead of pasting it in? And when you say "allow it overwrite the contents of the newly created mail folder," what exactly does that entail? And what do I have to do?

The rest of the instructions will be easy to follow.

Thanks.

Godfrey

 

Hi godfrey,

This is difficult without actually being able to view your folders, but I just want to ensure that you do have this Profile folder, and that you see it in Windows Explorer, in this location:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail\mail.altelco.net


You never confirmed whether or not the mail.altelco-3.net Mail Account folder which is located here:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408\mail.altelco-3.net
contains Mail? I need to know this, and if it does not, then we need to rename or delete that mail.altelco-3.net Mail Account folder.

Did you try any of the other Mail Accounts, mail.altelco-1.net or mail.altelco-3.net? If not try them too, before going on to the next workaround. Not the one in the GRE folder, only the folders in the C:....Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt\Mail folder.

The Cache folder is located in the *.slt folder:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt

It definitely makes a difference. You're copying the entire contents of your Mail. Typing does nothing, as you would have no content, i.e., folders, messages, etc.

When you do the copy and paste of the Mail folder, you will be copying the Mail Folder from the backup, into the salted (*.slt) folder, which already contain files with the same name. So you will be overwriting those files, with files of the same name. Windows will issue a dialog window:

Confirm Folder Replace
The folder already contains a folder named Mail.....

Click on the "Yes to All" button, which confirms that you do want to overwrite the existing files.

So you will open your backup folder and right click on the "Mail" folder
From the menu select: "Copy "
Next: open the salted folder (*.slt) here:
C\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\godfrey\pakeway6hwy.slt
Right click the pakeway6.slt folder
From the menu select: "Paste "
You will then get the Confirm Folder Replace dialog.

Please let me know if you have more questions. Most importantly, make a backup of the Profiles folder before doing any editing. That's a copy and paste as I outlined above.

If you have no success then you will need to create a new Profile.

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

I clicked on the "Remove" tab under Mail Account, set up the Mail Accounts again, and am back in business, getting my emails again. But I was unable to create a temporary folder. So, I guess I lost all the old emails when I removed the account, didn't I? I used the same username and had no problems.

Whatever the case, even if I lost all the previous emails, I may be able to get them back in the future using some software they have on the market - "search and recover" from iola.com, and others elsewhere - to recover lost files including deleted emails, and may be even those in lcosed accounts although I'm not quite sure about that. But they claim they can recover or retrieve anything that's on your hard drive. Is it true? I got all this from download.com when I was looking for this kind of software and typed in "repair files," since I had a corrupt file; and "recover files." They have free trial versions.

But even if I don't get back my emails, I would like to say that you have helped me a lot and would highly recommend you to anyone facing the same kind of nightmare I have been through, and much more.

I wish you all success in life and God bless you.

Best regards,

Godfrey

 

Hi godfrey,

Don't give up now gofrey, your email is still there. It's on your hard drive, in the mail.altelco.net Mail Account folder.

To create a temporary folder on your hard drive do this:

Open Windows Explorer
In the left pane
Highlight the C:\ which is your root directory
In the right pane right click
Select : New
Select: Folder
A flashing blue rectangle will be available, which says: New Folder
In that field type in "Backup" or whatever you wish to name the folder

Now you can go to the Profiles folder, right click, and select: Copy
Next go to the Backup folder, right click, and select: Paste
Now you have a backup of your Profile

Here is your Mail:
mail.altelco.net: Drafts (5.24KB); Drafts.msf (1.68KB); Inbox (74.7MB); Inbox.msf (291KB); popstate.dat (64 bytes); rules.dat (27 bytes); Sent (120 MB); Sent.msf (417KB); Templates (0 bytes); Trash (38.3MB); Trash.msf (2.33MB); Unsent Messages (0 bytes).

All you have to do now is close Netscape and Quick Launch
Open Windows Explorer
Open the above mail.altelco.net Mail Account folder
Rename the Inbox file with NO MSF extension to OldInbox
Do the same for Drafts to OldDrafts, Sent to OldSent, etc.
Do not rename the files with the MSF extension, only those without the MSF extension.

Next:
Copy the renamed files and paste them into the New Mail Account Folder.

Now open Netscape, and the renamed Mail folders will be viewable in the left pane. You can now view your lost mail.

The first thing I would do, is Compact your folders, as those files are much too large.

To compact your folders, open Mail & Newsgroups
Click on: File | Compact

I would also suggest that you delete the mail.altelco.net folder which resides here:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\mozilla.org\GRE\1.4f_2003062408

Post back with any questions you might have and good luck!

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

Exactly where is Window Explorer? Does this have to do with the other browser? Whenever the term Explorer is used, it reminds me of IE.

I want to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing before I go any further.

Thanks.

Godfrey

 

godfrey,

When you click on "Start | Programs | Windows Explorer," this opens your file manager for Windows. You can also right click the Start Button, and select: "Explore ".
I can see how it can be confusing as the Microsoft Browser is called Internet Explorer.

Ramona

 

Thanks, Ramona. I'll see what I can do.

I have also noticed that my mail folders seem to be automatically generated, for whatever reason(s) unknown to me. In addition to the plain mail.altelco.net, I have numerically-designated ones ranging from mail.altelco-1.net to mail.altelco-5.net. Can some of the empty ones be used - I don't know how - as temporary folders? mail.altelco-4.net is empty all the way through; I clicked on the other icons in it and found nothing - just 0 bytes and 0 everywhere else.

Godfrey