Lost messages - Server problems.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fergus Cooney
  • Start date Start date
F

Fergus Cooney

Hi Everybody,

If you are using Outlook Express* then you'll have had a
few/several/many** occasions when you click on a message only to have it
deleted in front of your very eyes. This is very unfortunate because it is, of
course, a lie - in the sense that when the server recovers, the message is
again aavailable.

The problem, however, is that once OE has decided that the message doesn't
exist it won't try and get it again. So far I have lost many messages this way
and am almost afraid to click on anything.

One workaround is to follow your posts and other posts of interest in
Google Newsgroups. There is a considerable delay, however before messages are
available.

Another, and the one that I am currently using, is to create temporary
identities in OE. By having a different identity set up for the same newsgroup
I get to have a completely separate news store. Often I can view messages
under the temporary identity that I can't in my main. The best part, however,
is that if the server starts playing up, I can simply reset the newsgroup.
This is not an option under my main identity as I would lose my messages and
flags, etc.

One way I use this is to go into the temporary and play clicky. If it's
safe, then I can go back to the main identity and do some proper newsgrouping.

The downside is that there's more involved finding threads that are marked
in the main identity, because every reset of the temporary loses this
information. But it beats having a message crossed out and lost forever.

I hope this is of some use. I hope even more that the powers-that-be find
a cure which isn't worse than the disease. I would put up with the spam if it
meant that reading messages was safe.

Regards,
Fergus

* It may happen with other newsreaders, too.
** Once is too many! :-((

ps. I wonder how many will click on this message just to see it disappear!!
;-)
 
At the moment the microsoft public server is causing so many problems with
this that I have had to stop using it.


OHM
 
Fergus Cooney said:
If you are using Outlook Express* then you'll have had a
few/several/many** occasions when you click on a message only to have it
deleted in front of your very eyes. This is very unfortunate because it is, of
course, a lie - in the sense that when the server recovers, the message is
again aavailable.

I never saw a message more than once, but lots of messages were disappearing.
The problem, however, is that once OE has decided that the message doesn't
exist it won't try and get it again. So far I have lost many messages this way
and am almost afraid to click on anything.

One workaround is to follow your posts and other posts of interest in
Google Newsgroups. There is a considerable delay, however before messages are
available.

Sometimes resetting the group in OE helps.
Another, and the one that I am currently using, is to create temporary
identities in OE. By having a different identity set up for the same newsgroup
I get to have a completely separate news store. Often I can view messages
under the temporary identity that I can't in my main. The best part, however,
is that if the server starts playing up, I can simply reset the newsgroup.
This is not an option under my main identity as I would lose my messages and
flags, etc.

You may want to install Hamster (a news server) [1] and use it with OE
or any other newsreader (I am using gnus now).
* It may happen with other newsreaders, too.
** Once is too many! :-((

ps. I wonder how many will click on this message just to see it disappear!!
;-)

;-)

Footnotes:
[1] <http://tglsoft.de>.
 
Terry Burns said:
At the moment the microsoft public server is causing so many problems with
this that I have had to stop using it.

Terry Burns = One Handed Man?
 
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