More questions re: .msf files

What are these .msf files, and why do they crop up again after being deleted? Using Mozilla, I've discovered that if my mail doesn't download right away, they're the usual suspects. And the usual answer is just to close Mozilla, open Windows Explorer to navigate to the mail folders and delete the .msf fles. When I reopen Mozilla, all will be well.

It's no big deal, but what's really going on here?

 

bentley,

The MSF files are summary files created by Netscape/Mozilla/Thunderbird. When loading the mail, these files give Netscape/Mozilla/Thunderbird the header information. Your actual messages (including all headers) are stored in the file with no extension (unix format). These MSF files can be safely deleted, and are regenerated on restart of the Browser. They frequently become corrupt, and this is why it is the first suggested workaround when a Mail problem exists.

Some of the first indications of trouble are:
- Mail or news headers are downloaded but nothing is viewable
- Lost count of how many news/mail messages are unread
- Other strange phenomenon

These files are especially prone to damage if you are running Quick Launch.

Ramona