Deleting messages that have already been deleted

[rustyoakland]

My problem is this: I have downloaded all my mail to Entourage. All
of my older messages were somehow downloaded twice. I deleted the
ones that I didn't want (including both of some of the messages) but
when I hooked up to the server, only one of the messages was deleted.
Now my Deleted Items folder has several hundred messages in it that I
do not want on my computer but I can't get rid of them. My automatic
script to empty the folder works for all messages but these duplicates
and I can't manually delete them. I have checked online but the
messages have been erased from the server, but not from my computer.
How can I get around this and delete these messages?

Thanks!

 

[Adam Bailey]

Now my Deleted Items folder has several hundred messages in it that I
do not want on my computer but I can't get rid of them. My automatic
script to empty the folder works for all messages but these duplicates
and I can't manually delete them. I have checked online but the
messages have been erased from the server, but not from my computer.
How can I get around this and delete these messages?

Do these messages have lines through them, or do they appear normally?

If this is an IMAP server and you are satisfied that the messages are all on
the server, control-click the affected folders in your folder list and choose
Refresh Message List. This will pull the information from the server of
what's /supposed/ to be there.

 

[Rusty]

The messages appear as normal, just like they are waiting to be
deleted but they never go away.

I use POP through my MSN (hotmail) account for this email service. I
have tried to refresh the message list but I don't know if it works
unless I am utilizing the IMAP connection.

 

[Adam Bailey]

The messages appear as normal, just like they are waiting to be
deleted but they never go away.

I use POP through my MSN (hotmail) account for this email service. I
have tried to refresh the message list but I don't know if it works
unless I am utilizing the IMAP connection.

Do you mean you're downloading a third party POP account /into/ Hotmail, and
/then/ accessing Hotmail using Entourage?

Have you rebuilt your database recently?
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/database/rebuild.html

 

[Rusty]

As for the POP, I have it enabled to allow me to download directly to
entourage, sorry for that confusion.

After reading your response I went and rebuilt my database. I have a
copy of my old database but I'm not sure how I get rid of the old
messages that I don't want. I still cannot delete them from either
Identity. This is my first time ever hearing about rebuilding the
database so it is all new to me. How am I to delete those messages in
the Deleted folder now that I have my rebuilt database?

 

[Adam Bailey]

After reading your response I went and rebuilt my database. I have a
copy of my old database but I'm not sure how I get rid of the old
messages that I don't want. I still cannot delete them from either
Identity.

What happens when you try? Do you have a schedule (Tools > Schedules) that
automatically deletes messages from your Deleted Items folder (older than a
certain date), and are these affected?

It might also be worth a try to create a Temporary folder, try moving these
messages into it, and then re-delete them. Anything to, in effect, shake
them loose.

 

[Diane Ross]

After reading your response I went and rebuilt my database. I have a
copy of my old database but I'm not sure how I get rid of the old
messages that I don't want. I still cannot delete them from either
Identity. This is my first time ever hearing about rebuilding the
database so it is all new to me. How am I to delete those messages in
the Deleted folder now that I have my rebuilt database?

Rebuilding your database is a method to repair problems. Messages that won't
delete is one sign of database corruption. If the rebuild works the problem
messages usually just disappear. The fact they are still there after
rebuilding indicates problems in your database that cannot be fixed by
rebuilding.

Since you can still open Entourage, I highly suggest you create a new
Identity and move your current data to the new Identity.

How to create a new Identity:

Under File in the menu bar select to Export --> Items to an Entourage
archive (.rge). Check all options. If this fails, you'll have to use the
MBOX method to save your data.

Take a screen shot of your Account and save it with the password in the name
of the file or write the password down.

Switch Identities under Entourage in the menu bar and create a new Identity.
Do not select to import anything in the original import window. Set up your
Accounts. Use your screen shot to set up your account. Set to Work Offline
under Entourage in the menu bar while you are setting up.

Under File --> Select to import from an archive. Select the .rge file. These
will show up in the Finder window as Main Identity .rge. Drag these folders
to the top of the folder window or under the Inbox.

Next in the Finder open your Identity folder in MUD, copy (hold option key
while dragging) your rules, Mailing List Manager and signature files from
your old Identity to the new Identity. This will keep you from having to
reset them and usually these files are not corrupted.

Back in Entourage, you'll have to open each rule and Mailing List Manager
rule to reset the folder destination.

Uncheck work offline and you should be in a working Identity. Let me know
how this goes.

 

[Rusty]

Thanks for all the advice and help. I ended up moving all the emails
from the deleted folder that would not delete into a temporary folder
and then just deleting the folder. They didn't return to the deleted
items box, so I think everything is taken care of. I'll give it a
little bit and find out if it happens again. Thanks again!

Tristan

 

[Adam Bailey]

Thanks for all the advice and help. I ended up moving all the emails
from the deleted folder that would not delete into a temporary folder
and then just deleting the folder. They didn't return to the deleted
items box, so I think everything is taken care of.

Actually you should see the whole folder as a subfolder of the Deleted Items
folder (look for the triangle). You may now, however, be able to delete the
folder (click on it and hit Delete on your keyboard, then confirm) and
hopefully it will go away.

 

[markg-pearse]

Actually you should see the whole folder as a subfolder of the Deleted Items
folder (look for the triangle). You may now, however, be able to delete the
folder (click on it and hit Delete on your keyboard, then confirm) and
hopefully it will go away.

This is great...I've had this same problem for years. I run OSX, use
Entourage as my mail software and use MSN mail. I've had about 6
emails in my Deleted MSN Folder on Entourage but nothing in my Deleted
Hotmail Folder. I could actually open these emails and read them. I
created a temp folder in my MSN Entourtage account. I then moved
these pesky emails to the temp folder, closed Entourage and went to
Hotmail. In Hotmail, I could see the temp folder, but it was empty!
I then deleted the temp folder from Hotmail, closed Hotmail and re-
opened Entourage. In Entourage, the temp folder was gone, along with
the emails!

Mark