Mozilla 1.7.3 Msg: This folder is being processed.

Hi,
I am having the same problem that others are having: I get the msg, "This folder is being processed. Please wait...

I have Windows XP with current security fixes but not SP 2, Mozilla 1.7.3, Norton System Manager 2004, virus definitions up to date, Adware shows no spyware, also have SpyBlaster & SpySweeper.

I have had it off and on for the past 4-6 weeks and then I could get mail. Usually it worked after rebooting, recycling DSL modem but that may just have been coincidence. So then yesterday and today I couldn't get email at all.
As I search on Internet and on BBS, I found that turning off email scanning for Norton, that may help. Which I did, rebooted and then it worked. I then was able to compact my inbox which I couldn't do before. My question is how come this is happening and what can be done to prevent it?

Thanks much,
Ken

 

I don't know if you saw some replies of mine. I have only one answer which was given me over five years ago. Do not scan Netscape mail.
Really, it does not serve any practical purpose, and it causes problems to boot.
If you have set up Netscape/Mozilla to have javascript turned off in Mail, and do not use preview, you cannot get a virus which is activated by just opening mail.
As for attachments, you must use some wisdom, as well as having updated virus definitions.

 

Thank you for your prompt reply.
I have Mozilla 1.7.3. I have some questions.
Could I get some help in how to turn off Javascript in Mail?

How do I turn off preview? I am familar being able to do that in Outlook Express but I have not seen a way to turn off preview in Mozilla or Netscape.

If I turn off email scanning in Norton 2004, how can I detect virus in attachments except by visual exam? That concerns a lot. Seems like Norton AV would then only be used when I load files from media or download files from the Internet.

This problem just came up a few weeks ago and has gotten worse. Is there no other solution except to run with email turned off? Or am I missing something?

Thanks,
Ken

 

Javascript, in Mail, is turned off by default in your Preferences|Advanced|Scripts and plugins. There is a check mark in Navigator, and none in Mail and News.
As for Preview, in Mail , see that you have View|Show/hide|Message Pane unchecked. If checked, click again. Norton should scan files as they are downloaded, and opening an attachment is like downloading. If I decide to open an attachment, I also scan the downloaded file. However, a well updated AV program will catch the virus when the attachment is first opened.
So, you can see that the first concern is to keep the virus definitions up-to-date. The mail is scanning, is totally unnecessary, and potentially dangerous to your Mail Inbox. And, Norton, though one of the best if not the best AV is notorious for its actions on Netscape Inbox.
I cannot tell you what to do, but I am very suspicious of attachments, even from people which I know. And, once, I could tell that a friend of mine got hit by a virus, by an e-mail which was sent, with very unusual text, and unlikely attachment. Just relax and be careful, at the same time.

 

Thank you for the information. I see how turning off the Preview - I had looked for it in Preferences but not in View. I also turned off Java for Mail which was turned on.
I also found that *.msf files were not excluded on Norton. I had excluded Inbox earlier but the .msf files was not there. Exclude is done by Options | Auto Protect | Exclusions

Thank you much for your help,
Ken
So I have run almost a day without any problem.

 

Ken,
I hope that things will keep working ok. And, remember that Java and Javascript are two different things.
I wrote what amounted to nearly a treatise on your problem, and similar ones, without having NAV. So, I appreciate you giving me the way to get to the Exclusions in NAV.
Anyway, my conclusion was that all e-mails are in a single file, thus the problem, and the .msf file was actually looked at, by NAV. It is a crazy thing, and I wonder how other AV programs operate. I contacted a good friend of mine who has McAfee, and its latest version seems to have instituted e-mail scanning. It was considered, by McAfee, to be dangerous, for good reasons. So, they discouraged it, even for OE, or it was not possible to do.

 

Thanks for the reply and info on McAfee. I forgot to mention a default exclusion on Norton is *.dbx (Outlook Express) and *.nch (didn't find that associated software).

I consider this closed and thank you much,
Ken

 

I spoke too soon. This morning I am having the same problem of not being able to get my email - without changing anything from the time I excluded Norton from scanning .msf files.

I cleaned up my inbox, compacted folders successfully but still did not work. By turning off Norton email scanning, I can receive my email. However, I really don't like to do it that way.

Any other ideas? Reinstall Mozilla 1.7.3? Try Thunderbird? ?

Thanks much,
Ken

 

Reinstalling the program will not help. It is a profile thing. Since 1.7.5 is out, you could try it, uninstalling 1.7.3 first, but a new profile is more likely to be the answer. I had a minor problem with 1.7.3 not removing the Junk e-mail after a preset time. So, when I got 1.7.5, I, also created a new profile, and everything is ok, now. I had to copy some files from the old profile, and paste them into the new one, according to Ramona's .
You can also try Thunderbird.

 

Thank you Westside and Broni for your assistance. Good ideas to remember. I just deleted the stuff from my ISP, Verizon. The reference to the web site provides valuable reference on installing, profiles and other areas that I have bookmarked for future reference.

Here is what I have done:
I removed Mozilla 1.7.3 from my Startup folder since I wondered if there was some problem with both Norton and Mozilla starting up at the same time. That seemed to solve the problem. Then as a part of routine maintenance, I did a manual update of NAV 2004 and there was a program update applied also.

So for the past two days I have been working fine. I still will keep this open since once before I thought it was working well but then it wasn't.
Thanks much,
Ken

 

Ken,
let us know if you run into further troubles.
I never thought of the startup idea, although NAV should start with the computer, and it is in the systray.
I don't know what is the significance of having any programs in the startup, unless it is the Startup in msconfig. In such case you must have had Quick Launch on. Quick Launch will speed up the loading of the program by a few or more seconds, and also cause problems.

 

Thanks Westside,
Yes, NAV was in systray and started up automatically - I noticed that it was one of the last, if not the last icon to show up in systray.
As to Mozilla 1.7.3, it was in Startup Folder and in Quick Launch also - I did not check msconfig but I thought anytime in Startup Folder would be placed in msconfig.

I didn't know that having an application in Quick Launch would speed up the loading of the program that was in Startup folder. Interesting.
Thanks much,
Ken

 

Ken,

Even though you don't like disabling the email scanning, Autoprotect will detect any virus, and you are always safe as long as Autoprotect is enabled. See this Symantic KB article: How Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect protects your computer

Here is additional information to adding the .msf extension to exclusions:

This is from another Forum:

The "folder being processed" is almost always caused by a Spam email. As broni suggested, deleting the spam using your ISP's webmail interface usually eliminates the error. Here is an excellent explanation:

Ramona

 

Thanks, that helps to understand the process of handling email. Also the email vs autoprotect is informative.

As to turning off email inbound scanning....What about the occasional virus that maybe in an email body? I thought I remember one happening a couple of years ago. Or am I making that up? Or is that not possible anymore?

Thank you, Ramona,
Ken

 

Ken,
the self-executing viruses will not open if Javascript in Mail is turned off ( it is by default), so this not a Netscape/Mozilla problem.

 

Hi Ken,

It would be highly unlikely, using Mozilla. There are some viruses that are contained in the body of HTML messages, but they occur in OE, or Outlook. E.G., VBS.Neiber.A@mm is a mass-mailing worm that sends itself to all addresses in the Microsoft Outlook Address Book.

This is what the Mozilla FAQ tell us:

Relax, you're very, very, safe using using Netscape, Mozilla, or Thunderbird!

Ramona

 

Thank you for better understanding and reassurance.
Have a good day,
Ken

 

Ken,
in any event you will never be protected unless your virus definitions are not updated, or not updated in a timely fashion.