Ubuntu / Thunderbird Mail. Keeping Messages On Server?

[ProDave]

I have a setup issue with thunderbird mail that I don't understand.

Every other mail program I have used on any OS, once you "collect" mail, it stores the messages on your local hard drive in an "inbox" folder and deletes them from the POP3 mail server.

but Thunderbird is not behaving like that. Let me explain.

I have my windoze machine set up so it can LOOK at messages on the server and not collect them until I say so. I do that so I can see if there are any important messages waiting for SWMBO and I can tell her to go and collect them and read them.

I noticed there were some old mails still on the POP3 server. Odd I though. How come they are still there after being "collected". So I deleted them.

THEN SWMBO says "my messages have gone from my inbox" So clearly thunderbird is keepinf "inbox" messages on the server and not transfering them to the local disk.

So I just want thundrbird to work like any other mail program I have used, and when it collects messages, it copies them to a local inbox folder and deletes them from the server.

but how?

 

[steptoe]

too technical for me,  :C

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

Only a guess:

Select the account you want to look at

Click on the line that says "settings for this account" *

Click on "server settings"

I bet you have "fetch headers only" box ticked (That's your choice, but I haven't)

Tick on box "Leave messages on server" (You can tell it how long or when to delete them)

 *Or you can click on the "tools" tab at the top, then click on "account settings" (Then follow from server settings mentioned above)

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

If it helps, I always have my email set to "leave copy on server until i delete it" (or similar words, depending on email client) reason being if you pc crashes, when its set up again you can get all the emails back. (well only the in box ones) Like wise if you change email client, you can get all the inbox emails back again.