IMAP Folder problem

jimbo45 · 27 Nov 2009

Hi all
Its funny but I seem to always have problems with stuff that everybody else has absolutely no probs with.

I've switched from POP3 to IMAP and now find the whole thing utterly confusing (using Outlook 2007). I don't have zillions of email accounts so all the so called "extra features" of IMAP just seem baffling as I don't need email on a load of computers -- I only ever use one for email and if I'm on another machine I then use RDP to remotely log on.

1) The mail seems to go into the IMAP folder -- is there any way I can get it sent to the Outlook Data file folder automatically or can I at least hide the display the outlook data file folder -- I don't like having loads of folders in the navigation Bar.

(wish Outlook Express was back - simple and rediculously easy).

2) when is data actually deleted off the IMAP server and how is it done. (POP3 removed the mail from the server automatically when you received the mail from what I remember).

3) Trying to move data from the IMAP server folder to the outlook data file manually seems to just "Lose" data -- where does it go -- seems for example to create Yet another subfolder for example called inbox under the main inbox tree -- totally crazy.

So basically what I'd like to do is

1) Data from the server should go straight to the outlook data file inbox folder
2) what do I do to delete folders from the imap server.

(I was quite happy to stay with pop3 - but the server is changing so no choice).

Funny - but I have no probs with complex things like how OS'es work etc but things like email just baffle me totally -- and as for mobile phones - apart from actually making phone calls anything else I get a 6 year old to do it for me.

Cheers
jimbo

Lee · 27 Nov 2009

Sorry Jimbo, but I only use POP.

And, yes I have notice you have quite a few mishaps, but hay we are all learning something new from them.

richc46 · 27 Nov 2009

jimbo45 said:

Hi all
Its funny but I seem to always have problems with stuff that everybody else has absolutely no probs with.

I've switched from POP3 to IMAP and now find the whole thing utterly confusing (using Outlook 2007). I don't have zillions of email accounts so all the so called "extra features" of IMAP just seem baffling as I don't need email on a load of computers -- I only ever use one for email and if I'm on another machine I then use RDP to remotely log on.

1) The mail seems to go into the IMAP folder -- is there any way I can get it sent to the Outlook Data file folder automatically or can I at least hide the display the outlook data file folder -- I don't like having loads of folders in the navigation Bar.

(wish Outlook Express was back - simple and rediculously easy).

2) when is data actually deleted off the IMAP server and how is it done. (POP3 removed the mail from the server automatically when you received the mail from what I remember).

3) Trying to move data from the IMAP server folder to the outlook data file manually seems to just "Lose" data -- where does it go -- seems for example to create Yet another subfolder for example called inbox under the main inbox tree -- totally crazy.

So basically what I'd like to do is

1) Data from the server should go straight to the outlook data file inbox folder
2) what do I do to delete folders from the imap server.

(I was quite happy to stay with pop3 - but the server is changing so no choice).

Funny - but I have no probs with complex things like how OS'es work etc but things like email just baffle me totally -- and as for mobile phones - apart from actually making phone calls anything else I get a 6 year old to do it for me.

Cheers
jimbo

I have an imap account, Fastmail.fm and I like it. I had it for years.

For question number 1. The mail will go to your inbox, just like POP. You have to indicate that you have POP mail account, when you set up WLM

For question number 2, unfortunately there is only one way to remove the mail from the server. You have to go to the website and erase it. However, if you delete it from WLM, it will be gone from that mail service. It still remains on the Fastmail server, however. This does not create any sort of problem or inconvenience, other than you have to remember to delete it from the server ocassionally; especially, if the email has limits on the amount of gb, you can have on the server at any one time. Fastmail has these limits, so I go to the webite and delete once a week.

I had another poster, who was having a problem with the setting of her WLM and she sent me her settings and with a few messages, back and forth, I got her mail service to work. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to send me a personal message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I will not be available, starting tomorrow for the next 3 weeks.

I truly wish you the best of luck and hope that you enjoy IMAP. Incidentally, the one benefit of IMAP is that you can download your mail and if you are away from your computer you can access your email from any computer that is available.

DC187 · 27 Nov 2009

I personally find Outlook irritating to use with IMAP servers, I much prefer to use Thunderbird for that job.
However I'll try and answer some of your questions:

1) It would be best for your mail to reside on the IMAP server, that way it isn't kept locally on your machine. In most cases servers are regularly backed up, end user machine either don't get backed up at all or is done infrequently.

2) When you delete and email on an IMAP server in Outlook, Outlook puts a line through the message. You then need to Purge the items marked for deletion. The following article explains how to manually purge deleted items and automatically purge deleted items: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ou...804201033.aspx

3) If you do indeed want your emails stored locally then you can change the default delivery location, to do this: In Outlook clikc Tools > Account Settings > Email Tab
Click on the Change button and Change the delivery location to Personal Folders and then Click OK out of the dialog boxes.
Follow these steps to download full items rather than just the message headers: http://turtleflock-ol2007.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!C1013F1F9A99E3D8!159.entry

I hope this helps you on your way.

James

Barman58 · 27 Nov 2009

Hi Jimbo,

To try and put things into terms that you, (and I ) understand ....

If you treat the IMAP account as a remote location which you have mapped to your machine, all the files (emails) are held on the remote storage and you then edit, copy, and delete these remotely - Deletions have a safeguard in that you need to confirm them.

If you need off-line access to your emails you can set-up your client to maintain a local synchronised cache.

Outlook does have some differences with how it manages IMAP and POP3 accounts - the stopper for the way I work is that it insists on an individual inbox for each account.

If you wish to keep these IMAP mails in your normal personal folders you will need to Move then on receipt from the IMAP to the Personal folders by use of a rule _ just basically "if a mail arrives move to ...." but you can of course expand this to tag and organise mails at the same time.

I actually have gone back to POP3 but leave the mails on the severs to provide backup - once every day or so I go on-line and archive the mail using the web interface.

There is no way that I know to Hide the IMAP folders

JerometheGiraff · 01 Aug 2012

jimbo45 said:

Hi all
Its funny but I seem to always have problems with stuff that everybody else has absolutely no probs with.

I've switched from POP3 to IMAP and now find the whole thing utterly confusing (using Outlook 2007). I don't have zillions of email accounts so all the so called "extra features" of IMAP just seem baffling as I don't need email on a load of computers -- I only ever use one for email and if I'm on another machine I then use RDP to remotely log on.

1) The mail seems to go into the IMAP folder -- is there any way I can get it sent to the Outlook Data file folder automatically or can I at least hide the display the outlook data file folder -- I don't like having loads of folders in the navigation Bar.

(wish Outlook Express was back - simple and rediculously easy).

2) when is data actually deleted off the IMAP server and how is it done. (POP3 removed the mail from the server automatically when you received the mail from what I remember).

3) Trying to move data from the IMAP server folder to the outlook data file manually seems to just "Lose" data -- where does it go -- seems for example to create Yet another subfolder for example called inbox under the main inbox tree -- totally crazy.

So basically what I'd like to do is

1) Data from the server should go straight to the outlook data file inbox folder
2) what do I do to delete folders from the imap server.

(I was quite happy to stay with pop3 - but the server is changing so no choice).

Funny - but I have no probs with complex things like how OS'es work etc but things like email just baffle me totally -- and as for mobile phones - apart from actually making phone calls anything else I get a 6 year old to do it for me.

Cheers
jimbo

I have a similar problem with IMAP. I'm using the IMAP type for two of my accounts. I'll download the mail, close the program, open the program after :20 minutes and the mail has be magically deleted. I like the mail client, I don't like this. I can't figure it out.