[pchelpers] Re: outlook express question

Hi Scott and Re-Na

> We went around on this before; she wanted to be able to receive emails

(the same emails)

> on both the laptop and desktop. So... they should BOTH be set to keep
> mail, but to delete after so many days. 

Yes, that was my suggestion. But as i also suggested back then, Re-Na 
*can* regularly and easily empty the *server* mailbox by simply having 
computer B set to not leave on server *if* she makes sure she always 
first checks for email with computer A. If she never checks for email 
with B except immediately after checking with A, there is little chance 
of not also getting everything on A.

The other, 100% sure method is to have the "leave on server" setting on 
both computers but with a number of days high enough to ensure that she 
has a chance to also check (and download) with computer B before the 
emails are automatically removed by the time limit but with a number of 
days low enough to prevent overflow of the *server* mailbox. This method 
sometimes requires either temporarily turning of that setting or 
manually deleting unnecessary, large emails (in the *server* mailbox) 
directly using the webmail if she suddenly unexpectedly receives one 
huge or several large emails that immediately fill up her *server* 
mailbox to the brim.

> If she tends to get huge
> emails, then the inbox on the server might still get full. Many ISPs
> used to have a limit of about 1 meg or so, which is small for people
> who send files around.

As i also said back then, if she has a very low size limit for her 
server mailbox and sometimes can't use computer B (with "don't leave on 
server") to empty the server (because she's somewhere else than where B 
is), she should simply go to the ISP's website and delete any large 
unnecessary emails still there using the delete button *in the webmail*. 
In any case, Re-Na, please try to remember that your ISP is *not* or 
should not be talking about the mail stored in your email programs when 
they say your mailbox is too full.

They may either have badly trained staff or think they're saving staff 
time by offering the "solutions" of either turning off the "leave on 
server" setting or of deleting email in an email program.

They may think they're saving staff time but they're probably actually 
wasting it (and losing customers) by not explaining about the correct 
solutions of a) temporarily turning off that setting (after downloading 
into all email programs or if one only has one computer and/or email 
program) or b) also using a second email program with that setting 
turned off or c) telling people to use the webmail interface to delete 
unnecessary, huge emails.

There is also the very real possibility that they didn't explain at all 
or clearly enough that deleting email in webmail may only move this to 
the webmail's trash. Anything in there will continue to be counted as 
filling up the *server* *mailbox* (there usually isn't a limit only on 
the server's *inbox*). Re-Na may simply need to empty her webmail's 
trash bin.

Re-Na, many people have almost all (non-spam) email they ever received 
stored in their email program, and this is usually no problem even with 
the setting "leave on server", as long as the number of days is low 
enough and one doesn't get too many large attachments every day.

Please consider one or several of these 6 solutions:
1) check whether there is a trash folder in the webmail that doesn't 
empty itself automatically (stuff only goes there when you delete email 
in the webmail). And you *do* have these settings in TB and OE, don't you?:
TB: (leave messages on server) until i delete or move them from Inbox

OE: remove from server when deleted from Deleted Items

2) regularly empty the *server* mailbox using computer B with the 
setting "leave on server" turned off, and only immediately after 
checking for mail with computer A

3) if you're on a trip and can't use computer B to empty the server, use 
the webmail to do this or temporarily turn off the "leave on server" 
setting on A. (BTW, if you're on a trip and using a slow modem 
connection, you can use Thunderbird's handy "fetch headers only" setting 
to not have to wait and pay for downloading huge emails you don't need 
before you get back)

4) If you don't like using the webmail, you can also use Thunderbird to 
remove any individual emails you want from the server: simply 
temporarily move them out of the folder they are in (for example, press 
Delete) and then put them back after checking for mail. I seem to 
remember this didn't work in OE, but there may be a similar trick. I 
think this may work (try first with an unimportant email): save an email 
on your desktop, delete it in OE, check for mail, and then just drag it 
back into OE from the desktop.

5) buy more mailbox space. This may be necessary if, as Scott guesses, 
you may get so many emails with big attachments or a few emails with 
such huge attachments that your *server* mailbox immediately fills up 
even in a few hours. How big is your ISP's limit and how many gigabytes 
of family albums do you get per week?

6) tell people to not send many attachments at once and to not send 
files larger than size X (which can be estimated based on the size of 
the mailbox and the number of large emails you get on average per week)



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