Code? Gibberish? - FineTunedMac

Lately, every once in awhile I will get an email from Amazon or the Post Office (legitimate emails) that look like this: ------=_Part_157486_1353091637.1426588015730
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is a post-only message. Please do not =
respond. Rita Montague has requested that you receive a USPS Tracki=
ng&#0153 update, as shown below. USPS Tracking&#0153 e-mail update i=
nformation provided by the U.S. Postal Service. Label Number: <a hre=
f=3D"https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction.action?tRef=3Dfullpage&tL=
c=3D1&tLabels=3D9400111899562438154208">9400111899562438154208</a> E=
xpected Delivery Date: March 19, 2015 Service Type: USPS Tracking<SU=
P> <table><tr><td width=3D'300' nowrap=3D'false'>Shipment Activity</td><td width=3D'200' now=
rap=3D'false'>Location</td><td width=
=3D'100'>Date & Time</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=3D3>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----------------------------------------
</td></tr>
<tr><td>Departed USPS Facility</td><=
td>PEORIA, IL 61601</td><td>March 16, 2015 11:29 pm</td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Arrived at USPS Origin Facility</td><td=
PEORIA, IL 61601</td><td>March 16, 2015 8:45 pm</td></tr><tr><td>Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility</td>=
<td>PEORIA, IL 61614</td><td>March 16, 2015 7:30 pm</td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Shipment Accepted</td><td>PEORIA, IL 61614</td><td>March 16, 2015 4:07 pm</td></tr><tr><td>Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS</td><td></td><td>March 15, 20=
15 </td></tr></table> Reminder: USPS Tracking&#0153 by email<=
br> Date of email request: March 15, 2015 Future activity will co=
ntinue to be emailed for up to 2 weeks from the Date of Request shown above=
. If you need to initiate the USPS Tracking&#0153 by email process again at=
the end of the 2 weeks, please do so at the USPS Tracking&#0153 web site a=
t http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm Results provided =
by the U.S. Postal Service. Want to Track on the go? You can trac=
k your packages using USPS Text Tracking&#0153 by texting your tracking num=
ber to 28777 (2USPS&#0153) or selecting the Text Update option on our USPS =
Tracking&#0153 site. For more information go to https://www.usps.com/tex=
t-tracking/welcome.htm
------=_Part_157486_135309

Any ideas why this would happen? Other emails from them and others come in just fine.

Rita

There is a LOT of html missing in the code segments you included. Did you by any chance clip off some of the html code in the message? Perhaps between "Content-transfer-Encoding:quoted-printable" and "<font face="? In a properly formatted html page I would expect to see

Code:

<html>

<head>

â€¦and that is just the beginning of the missing html code I would expect to see in a correctly formed page. Since this is coming from two reputable sources I can only speculate that something is happening during the MIME decoding. I have seen this in some elderly versions of OS X and Mail but not in anything as recent as Lion.

Are you using Mail or some other email client?
Have you tried looking at the messages using the online web mail portal?

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

There is a LOT of html missing in the code segments you included. Did you by any chance clip off some of the html code in the message? Perhaps between "Content-transfer-Encoding:quoted-printable" and "<font face="? In a properly formatted html page I would expect to see

Code:

<html>

<head>

â€¦and that is just the beginning of the missing html code I would expect to see in a correctly formed page. Since this is coming from two reputable sources I can only speculate that something is happening during the MIME decoding. I have seen this in some elderly versions of OS X and Mail but not in anything as recent as Lion.

Are you using Mail or some other email client?
Have you tried looking at the messages using the online web mail portal?

Hi:

I just checked with Yahoo Mail and it's working there perfectly, so it's something in my mail program. I use Mail 7.3. I checked and I sent you all of the code that showed up in my email, no clipping.

Also, something weird happened when I signed into Yahoo Mail but that's another subject. I got an invalid certificate message.

I know I was in the actual Yahoo Site, so who knows? Anyway, now what do I do about my MIME?

Thanks.

Rita

Code:

------=_Part_157486_135309

suggests that you didn't get all of the parts

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Code:

------=_Part_157486_135309

suggests that you didn't get all of the parts

It just happened again from our pharmacy. Did I get all the parts? This is all there was. It looked fine on the Yahoo site.

<html lang="en"> <head> <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" /> <title> CVS Caremark Message </title> <style type="text/css"> p {margin: 1em 0;} </style> </head> <body style="margin: 0;padding: 0;background: #fff repeat center top;font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" width="100%" style="background: #fff;padding: 0;color: #666;"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 500px; padding: 0; border: none;"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" style="padding: 5px 0px 2px 0px"> <a href="http://www.caremark.com"><img height="42" width="296" alt="Left logo" src="http://rxhealthalerts.com/CMS-PWCM-2040108-1.png" style="border: none;" /></a> </td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="128" style="padding: 5px 0px 2px 0px"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" bgcolor="#56595C" style="margin: 0;padding: 0 20px;height: 40px" valign="middle"> Your Order Has Shipped </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 500px; border: none; font-size: 12px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="vertical-align: top; padding-top: 10px;"> Dear FREDERICK, The following prescription(s) included in Order #2918819766 shipped on 03/18/2015 via USPS 1st Class: <div class="rx-patient-info"> <div class="rx-patient-list"> <div class="rx-cost-list" style="line-height: 16px;color: #333;font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - Prescription ending in 6333 </div> <div class="rx-cost-list" style="line-height: 16px;color: #333;font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - Prescription ending in 6332 </div> </div> </div> Track Your Prescriptions Online The USPS tracking number for this order is 9202190100006351728422. Click below to track the progress of your prescription shipment. <a href="https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input?qtc_tLabels1=9202190100006351728422"><img alt="Track shipment" src="http://www.rxhealthalerts.com/CMS-PWCM-2037941-2.png" style="border-bottom: 0px solid; border-left: 0px solid; width: 129px; height: 30px; border-top: 0px solid; border-right: 0px solid" /></a> Medication Names are Protected To protect the privacy of members' information, we do not send medication names through email. Full details of all your prescriptions are available through your online account. <a href="http://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/.scr/Login?cmxtarget=DASHBOARD&WT.mc_id=CMP-EMAIL-OS-DASH-LINK">Sign in now.</a> Health Reminder: It's important to take your medication as directed. Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have missed or skipped a dose, or if you have questions about your prescription(s). Thank you for using CVS/caremarkâ„¢prescription alerts. Sincerely, Your Customer Care Team </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 500px; border: none; font-size: 12px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="vertical-align: top;"> CVS/caremark does not operate the USPS website, nor is it responsible for the availability or reliability of its content. This does not imply or constitute an endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by CVS/caremark. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" style="width: 540px; border: none; font-size: 10px;background: #ccc;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="vertical-align: top; padding: 10px 20px;"> Add us to your address book to ensure delivery of important messages. This is an automated message. Please do not reply to this message. The security of your personal information is important to us. Therefore, if you have any additional questions about this email, please sign in to <a href="http://www.caremark.com">Caremark.com </a>and <a href="http://www.caremark.com/wps/myportal/CONTACT_CAREMARK">contact Customer Care</a> to ensure a secure interaction. You may also call the toll-free number on the back of your prescription benefit ID card. <a href="http://www.caremark.com/wps/myportal/TERMS_CONDITIONS">Terms and Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.caremark.com/wps/myportal/PRIVACY_POLICY">Privacy Policy</a> | <a href="http://www.caremark.com/wps/myportal/HIPAA_NOTICE">HIPAA Notice</a> ©2015 CVS/caremark. All rights reserved. Your privacy is important to us. Our employees are trained regarding the appropriate way to handle your private health information. CVS/caremark, Customer Care Correspondence, P.O. Box 6590, Lee's Summit, MO 64064-6590. <a href="http://www.caremark.com">www.caremark.com</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </body> </html><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" align="center" class="footer" style="width: 540px;padding: 20px;border: none;border-top: none;border-bottom: none;font-size: 10px;background: #fff;"><tr> <td class="cell1" style="vertical-align: top;"> Case ID: 144892553 </td></tr> </table>

That looks complete, but run together like that makes it VERY difficult to read and interpret â€” Not your fault or the fault of Mail some developers take out all the carriage returns in html to save a few characters in the download which appears to have happened here.

As I said previously, it has been a long time since I have seen this, but IIRC the problem was finally diagnosed as spurious non-printable control characters preventing the rendering engine from identifying the html code so the message was treated as text and not html. With that in mind I resorted to Google and came up with this Apple KB article you might try. I don't have high hopes in your case, but it is easy enough and might help.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

That looks complete, but run together like that makes it VERY difficult to read and interpret â€” Not your fault or the fault of Mail some developers take out all the carriage returns in html to save a few characters in the download which appears to have happened here.

As I said previously, it has been a long time since I have seen this, but IIRC the problem was finally diagnosed as spurious non-printable control characters preventing the rendering engine from identifying the html code so the message was treated as text and not html. With that in mind I resorted to Google and came up with this Apple KB article you might try. I don't have high hopes in your case, but it is easy enough and might help.

Looked at the article, and you're right. It's no help. I already have HTML checked. I am calling Applecare and if they have a solution, I will get back to you with it. Thanks.

Rita

Does this mean anything?

I copied and pasted Rita's text into both a plain text doc and an e-mail (that I sent to myself), and the doc opened as text in Safari, and the e-mail displayed as text both in Mail.app (when I received it) and on my Verizon e-mail page.

I copied your entire text, opened TextEdit and made a new document. Cmd-T to convert to text format. Pasted. Then added

</html>

to the end. then saved it as "x.html", and opened with safari, and it opened and displayed as I think you were expecting. Was the "</html>" truly missing from your email? that would likely prevent it from displaying inline as html.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I copied your entire text, opened TextEdit and made a new document. Cmd-T to convert to text format. Pasted. Then added

</html>

to the end. then saved it as "x.html", and opened with safari, and it opened and displayed as I think you were expecting. Was the "</html>" truly missing from your email? that would likely prevent it from displaying inline as html.

Here it is again. I'm sure I got all the code this time, if not last time. I called AppleCare and was told there were a lot of complaints in the last couple of days from people with either straight Yahoo Mail or AT&T Mail which is also Yahoo. So, it's being kicked upstairs to see what the problem is. They are supposed to call me back Saturday with a progress report, though I would guess it would take them longer than that to get it worked out.

------=_Part_157486_1353091637.1426588015730
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is a post-only message. Please do not =
respond. Rita Montague has requested that you receive a USPS Tracki=
ng&#0153 update, as shown below. USPS Tracking&#0153 e-mail update i=
nformation provided by the U.S. Postal Service. Label Number: <a hre=
f=3D"https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction.action?tRef=3Dfullpage&tL=
c=3D1&tLabels=3D9400111899562438154208">9400111899562438154208</a> E=
xpected Delivery Date: March 19, 2015 Service Type: USPS Tracking<SU=
P> <table><tr><td width=3D'300' nowrap=3D'false'>Shipment Activity</td><td width=3D'200' now=
rap=3D'false'>Location</td><td width=
=3D'100'>Date & Time</td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=3D3>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----------------------------------------
</td></tr>
<tr><td>Departed USPS Facility</td><=
td>PEORIA, IL 61601</td><td>March 16, 2015 11:29 pm</td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Arrived at USPS Origin Facility</td><td=
PEORIA, IL 61601</td><td>March 16, 2015 8:45 pm</td></tr><tr><td>Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility</td>=
<td>PEORIA, IL 61614</td><td>March 16, 2015 7:30 pm</td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Shipment Accepted</td><td>PEORIA, IL 61614</td><td>March 16, 2015 4:07 pm</td></tr><tr><td>Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS</td><td></td><td>March 15, 20=
15 </td></tr></table> Reminder: USPS Tracking&#0153 by email<=
br> Date of email request: March 15, 2015 Future activity will co=
ntinue to be emailed for up to 2 weeks from the Date of Request shown above=
. If you need to initiate the USPS Tracking&#0153 by email process again at=
the end of the 2 weeks, please do so at the USPS Tracking&#0153 web site a=
t http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm Results provided =
by the U.S. Postal Service. Want to Track on the go? You can trac=
k your packages using USPS Text Tracking&#0153 by texting your tracking num=
ber to 28777 (2USPS&#0153) or selecting the Text Update option on our USPS =
Tracking&#0153 site. For more information go to https://www.usps.com/tex=
t-tracking/welcome.htm
------=_Part_157486_135309

Just an update. I talked to an Apple mail tech several times. He kept calling me back and really trying to find out what was going on. We never could get a straight answer from the Apple engineers either. At first they kept tell me to update and upgrade. I refused as I keep losing features I like when I do that. Anyway, I finally asked the tech if the other people having the same problem had updated and upgraded, and he said "yes." So, I said, "see, it's not that." I cannot get ahold of anyone at Yahoo, so it looks like a lost cause. It's weird how sometimes it's gibberish at the Yahoo site, also. It's becoming more and more often that I get commercial emails in gibberish.

Create a new text file and paste this in. Save as "test.html". Double click to open in Safari (or your default web browser) I just added some header and footer data.

Code:

<html><head></head><body>
<font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>This is a post-only message. Please do not =
respond.<br><br>Rita Montague has requested that you receive a USPS Tracki=
ng&#0153 update, as shown below.<br><br>USPS Tracking&#0153 e-mail update i=
nformation provided by the U.S. Postal Service.<br><br>Label Number: <a hre=
f=3D"https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction.action?tRef=3Dfullpage&tL=
c=3D1&tLabels=3D9400111899562438154208">9400111899562438154208</a><br><br>E=
xpected Delivery Date: March 19, 2015<br><br>Service Type: USPS Tracking<SU=
P>&#153;</SUP><br><br><table><tr><td width=3D'300' nowrap=3D'false'><font f=
ace=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Shipment Activity</font></td><td width=3D'200' now=
rap=3D'false'><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Location</font></td><td width=
=3D'100'><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Date & Time</font></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan=3D3>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
----------------------------------------
</td></tr>
<tr><td><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Departed USPS Facility</font></td><=
td><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>PEORIA, IL 61601</font></td><td><font fa=
ce=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>March 16, 2015 11:29 pm</font></td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Arrived at USPS Origin Facility</font></td><td=
<font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>PEORIA, IL 61601</font></td><td><font face=
=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>March 16, 2015 8:45 pm</font></td></tr><tr><td><font =
face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility</font></td>=
<td><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>PEORIA, IL 61614</font></td><td><font f=
ace=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>March 16, 2015 7:30 pm</font></td></tr><tr><td><fo=
nt face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>Shipment Accepted</font></td><td><font face=3D=
'Arial' size=3D'2'>PEORIA, IL 61614</font></td><td><font face=3D'Arial' siz=
e=3D'2'>March 16, 2015 4:07 pm</font></td></tr><tr><td><font face=3D'Arial'=
size=3D'2'>Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS</font></td><td><font face=3D'Ari=
al' size=3D'2'></font></td><td><font face=3D'Arial' size=3D'2'>March 15, 20=
15 </font></td></tr></table><br><br>Reminder: USPS Tracking&#0153 by email<=
br><br>Date of email request: March 15, 2015<br><br>Future activity will co=
ntinue to be emailed for up to 2 weeks from the Date of Request shown above=
. If you need to initiate the USPS Tracking&#0153 by email process again at=
the end of the 2 weeks, please do so at the USPS Tracking&#0153 web site a=
t http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm<br><br>Results provided =
by the U.S. Postal Service.<br><br>Want to Track on the go?<br>You can trac=
k your packages using USPS Text Tracking&#0153 by texting your tracking num=
ber to 28777 (2USPS&#0153) or selecting the Text Update option on our USPS =
Tracking&#0153 site.<br>For more information go to https://www.usps.com/tex=
t-tracking/welcome.htm</font>
</body></html>

THEN do this in terminal to fix the linefeeds

cat test.html | tr '\n' '#' | sed 's/=#//g' | tr '#' '\n' > test2.html

double clicking test2.html, I get:

This is a post-only message. Please do not respond.

Rita Montague has requested that you receive a USPS Tracking& 0153 update, as shown below.

USPS Tracking& 0153 e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.

Label Number: 9400111899562438154208

Expected Delivery Date: March 19, 2015

Service Type: USPS Tracking& 153;

PEORIA, IL 61601
Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Departed USPS Facility PEORIA, IL 61601 March 16, 2015 11:29 pm
Arrived at USPS Origin Facility March 16, 2015 8:45 pm
Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility PEORIA, IL 61614 March 16, 2015 7:30 pm
Shipment Accepted PEORIA, IL 61614 March 16, 2015 4:07 pm
Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS March 15, 2015

Reminder: USPS Tracking& 0153 by email

Date of email request: March 15, 2015

Future activity will continue to be emailed for up to 2 weeks from the Date of Request shown above. If you need to initiate the USPS Tracking& 0153 by email process again atthe end of the 2 weeks, please do so at the USPS Tracking& 0153 web site at http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm

Results provided by the U.S. Postal Service.

Want to Track on the go?
You can track your packages using USPS Text Tracking& 0153 by texting your tracking number to 28777 (2USPS& 0153) or selecting the Text Update option on our USPS Tracking& 0153 site.
For more information go to https://www.usps.com/text-tracking/welcome.htm

The forum seems to be bugging out a bit for me. I occasionally get errors when posting replies. The replies DO get posted however. Here's what I got this time:

http://vftp.net/virtual1/temp/mfif/502%20-%20BAD%20GATEWAY.pdf

(apparently the "save as pdf" chopped the gator)

Sorry, Virtual1, you're talking over my head!!

I just checked the code you sent and it looks like valid html, so I would expect it to show up in your mail client as I posted above. I just posted the steps I went through to check that in case anyone wanted to play the home game.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I just checked the code you sent and it looks like valid html, so I would expect it to show up in your mail client as I posted above. I just posted the steps I went through to check that in case anyone wanted to play the home game.

Yes, but it hasn't. That's the big mystery.

unfortunately to go further I'd need to see the FULL message. ALL headers from top to bottom. First character of message to last. Your email address and some IP addresses will be in there, you can sub them if you want to but make sure to keep them clear as to their purpose. (change ip addresses to 256.256.256.256 for example, instead of deleting the line it's on)

I'd venture a guess that there's something somewhat nonstandard or unusual about the attachment format that's confusing mail.app

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I'd venture a guess that there's something somewhat nonstandard or unusual about the attachment format that's confusing mail.app

From past experience I would not be surprised if the non-standard bit was an embedded non-ascii character that is tricking the MIME decoder. I ended up finding the character with a hex editor run on the raw text file. The character was apparently being injected at the IMAP server. The ISP updated their server software and the problem never recurred.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I'd venture a guess that there's something somewhat nonstandard or unusual about the attachment format that's confusing mail.app

From past experience I would not be surprised if the non-standard bit was an embedded non-ascii character that is tricking the MIME decoder. I ended up finding the character with a hex editor run on the raw text file. The character was apparently being injected at the IMAP server. The ISP updated their server software and the problem never recurred.

Does that mean I should contact my ISP and ask them to update their server?

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

unfortunately to go further I'd need to see the FULL message. ALL headers from top to bottom. First character of message to last. Your email address and some IP addresses will be in there, you can sub them if you want to but make sure to keep them clear as to their purpose. (change ip addresses to 256.256.256.256 for example, instead of deleting the line it's on)

I'd venture a guess that there's something somewhat nonstandard or unusual about the attachment format that's confusing mail.app

I thought I did copy everything and give it to you. Maybe not the header, just the body of the message. This is happening from several companies like Amazon, a little nursery in my town, the post office and other entities that come into my Yahoo mail. Would a screen shot be better?

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Does that mean I should contact my ISP and ask them to update their server?

I wouldn't tell them to update their server. I have dealt with enough technical support technicians over the years to know that would only make them defensive and they are not the ones empowered to make that decision. I recommend contacting them and giving them specific information on what is happening and I would be prepared to tell them the source SMTP servers the mail is coming from and I would also strongly recommend you try another email client on your Mac just so they won't have a convenient scapegoat in Apple Mail. There are some free email clients in the App Store that you could try. At the present time I am using Airmail from the App Store and I believe they still offer a trial version on their website or you could try the free Mozilla Thunderbird. Both of those are compatible with OS X 10.8.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Does that mean I should contact my ISP and ask them to update their server?

I wouldn't tell them to update their server. I have dealt with enough technical support technicians over the years to know that would only make them defensive and they are not the ones empowered to make that decision. I recommend contacting them and giving them specific information on what is happening and I would be prepared to tell them the source SMTP servers the mail is coming from and I would also strongly recommend you try another email client on your Mac just so they won't have a convenient scapegoat in Apple Mail. There are some free email clients in the App Store that you could try. At the present time I am using Airmail from the App Store and I believe they still offer a trial version on their website or you could try the free Mozilla Thunderbird. Both of those are compatible with OS X 10.8.

OK. I happen to know the owner of my ISP as it is a small operation. He gets his stuff from Hurricane Electric, so I don't know if it would be up to him or them to do something. If I get another email client, I wouldn't be able to incorporate it into Apple mail, right? It would be another icon I would be dealing with? I have no problem with my mail.com emails.

Thanks.

Rita

FWIW: Just a note on (and recommendation of) Mozilla's Thunderbird ...

Ever since the browser and email client combo named Mozilla was split into two â€” Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively â€” I've been using both. Thunderbird can 'incorporate' any other email clients being used; I happen to have 3. It all works as slick as you-know-what through a goose.

Rita the only point is to convince the ISP that the problem is on their end and not on yours. Assuming these are IMAP accounts you can continue to use Mail as well as another email client and the messages will be available in either client. If the problem appears in two different email clients and only on messages coming through the ISPs IMAP server then the problem is undeniably theirs and not yours, Apples, or the senders.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Rita the only point is to convince the ISP that the problem is on their end and not on yours. Assuming these are IMAP accounts you can continue to use Mail as well as another email client and the messages will be available in either client. If the problem appears in two different email clients and only on messages coming through the ISPs IMAP server then the problem is undeniably theirs and not yours, Apples, or the senders.

OK. So, then are you saying I will have to try something else like Thunderbird to see if it happens in both. Then I can tell it's the ISP's fault for my iMap problems? And what about the fact that sometimes it happens at the Yahoo Mail website page and sometimes not even though the mail program shows gibberish? I need ammo before I go in with guns blazing (nicely of course).

Originally Posted By: plantsower

OK. So, then are you saying I will have to try something else like Thunderbird to see if it happens in both. Then I can tell it's the ISP's fault for my iMap problems? And what about the fact that sometimes it happens at the Yahoo Mail website page and sometimes not even though the mail program shows gibberish? I need ammo before I go in with guns blazing (nicely of course).

You will need ammo. I don't know what your ISP's knowledge of anything Apple is but the odds are they know Windows and maybe some direct of Unix but Apple is a foreign language. It is always easier to blame the one you know the least about. This is the standard response in virtually every realm of human endeavor. It is a corollary of what the early Calvinists (that is the Calvinists not John Calvin himself) termed Total Depravity. No matter that you call it, it is human nature.

Originally Posted By: grelber

FWIW: Just a note on (and recommendation of) Mozilla's Thunderbird ...

Ever since the browser and email client combo named Mozilla was split into two â€” Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively â€” I've been using both. Thunderbird can 'incorporate' any other email clients being used; I happen to have 3. It all works as slick as you-know-what through a goose.

I don't know if it will make a difference but I am trying it as an experiment. I do have a little learning curve. I downloaded Thunderbird and put my email addresses in it. I don't want it to be my default email program but it said I couldn't change it from inside Thunderbird. I will have to see how to change it back to Mac Mail because that's what I prefer. I just want to check my gibberish emails on Thunderbird to see if there is a difference when it happens again. Thanks for the idea.

The guy at Apple told me my mail would go onto both mail programs and I could pick which one I would read from then it would automatically be deleted from both when I deleted my mail. That hasn't been the case. It's all going into Thunderbird at the moment which I'm not to happy about.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

OK. So, then are you saying I will have to try something else like Thunderbird to see if it happens in both. Then I can tell it's the ISP's fault for my iMap problems? And what about the fact that sometimes it happens at the Yahoo Mail website page and sometimes not even though the mail program shows gibberish? I need ammo before I go in with guns blazing (nicely of course).

You will need ammo. I don't know what your ISP's knowledge of anything Apple is but the odds are they know Windows and maybe some direct of Unix but Apple is a foreign language. It is always easier to blame the one you know the least about. This is the standard response in virtually every realm of human endeavor. It is a corollary of what the early Calvinists (that is the Calvinists not John Calvin himself) termed Total Depravity. No matter that you call it, it is human nature.

I know what you mean. I've been batted like a ping pong ball from company to company when I have electronic problems. That's why the last time I bought a TV, I bought the sound bar and DVD by the same company so they couldn't send me elsewhere when I needed help.

Okay, I made my Apple (Mac) mail the default by going into my mail program. Whew! I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

Rita

Originally Posted By: plantsower

I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

Thunderbird â€” once you've instructed it to do so â€” only 'taps into' your other email clients and displays your messages, all of which remain on the original servers. The option does exist to delete the messages from the original servers, but you have to select that option (ie, it's not a default). [FYI, just to be on the safe side (as 'backup'), I leave all messages on the original servers and then every so often I log into the them to delete messages I have no use for.]

Originally Posted By: grelber

Originally Posted By: plantsower

I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

Thunderbird â€” once you've instructed it to do so â€” only 'taps into' your other email clients and displays your messages, all of which remain on the original servers. The option does exist to delete the messages from the original servers, but you have to select that option (ie, it's not a default). [FYI, just to be on the safe side (as 'backup'), I leave all messages on the original servers and then every so often I log into the them to delete messages I have no use for.]

Hi:
I'm not quite understanding what you mean by "taps into your other mail clients." I know how to keep it on the server and then remove it. But, I'm not sure what you mean, because when I had Thunderbird up and running, all my mail went into it rather than Thunderbird AND Mail which is what I wanted. Also, in Thunderbird I can barely read the inbox as the letters are so small. I tried downloading the add-on that increase font size but got the message that Safari couldn't open it. Then I downloaded it with Firefox but I don't really like Firefox either. What to do?

I only really want Thunderbird to see if when I get a "gibberish" message in Mail to check and see if it's the Mail program or something else. Honestly, it's not that important. I'm kinda tired of it all.

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Okay, I made my Apple (Mac) mail the default by going into my mail program. Whew! I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

The tech told you that because if you have a properly behaving IMAP account and your client application(s) are properly configured for IMAP you should see all the emails on any number of email client applications on any number of computers and/or devices. I can even delete the account in Mail on OS X or iOS and when I set the account up again, voilÃ¡ there are all the messages and folders just as they had been before I deleted the account. They are not stored on the computer rather they are resident on the IMAP server.

I have both Apple Mail and Airmail on my Mac as well as Apple Mail on my iPhone and my iPad. I can open all of these clients on all of my devices simultaneously and see my entire email stream on each and every one of them. If I delete a message on say my iPad, after a few seconds to a few minutes the deleted message will disappear on all of the other devices and clients. Conversely if I send a message from say Airmail on my Mac within a few seconds to minutes it will appear in the Sent mailbox in Apple Mail on the Mac and on both the iPad and iPhone. The length of time it takes for a given status change to propagate to all the clients and devices depends on the refresh rate set in the various clients.

If Thunderbird, which is a well known and very reputable email client, is actually capturing all the messages to the exclusion of Mail I can only surmise one of two things is trueâ€¦

...either the account is setup in Thunderbird as a POP account
...or the host is a POP server and not IMAP.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Okay, I made my Apple (Mac) mail the default by going into my mail program. Whew! I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

The tech told you that because if you have a properly behaving IMAP account and your client application(s) are properly configured for IMAP you should see all the emails on any number of email client applications on any number of computers and/or devices. I can even delete the account in Mail on OS X or iOS and when I set the account up again, voilÃ¡ there are all the messages and folders just as they had been before I deleted the account. They are not stored on the computer rather they are resident on the IMAP server.

I have both Apple Mail and Airmail on my Mac as well as Apple Mail on my iPhone and my iPad. I can open all of these clients on all of my devices simultaneously and see my entire email stream on each and every one of them. If I delete a message on say my iPad, after a few seconds to a few minutes the deleted message will disappear on all of the other devices and clients. Conversely if I send a message from say Airmail on my Mac within a few seconds to minutes it will appear in the Sent mailbox in Apple Mail on the Mac and on both the iPad and iPhone. The length of time it takes for a given status change to propagate to all the clients and devices depends on the refresh rate set in the various clients.

If Thunderbird, which is a well known and very reputable email client, is actually capturing all the messages to the exclusion of Mail I can only surmise one of two things is trueâ€¦

...either the account is setup in Thunderbird as a POP account
...or the host is a POP server and not IMAP.

OK, good to know. I thought I made sure it was iMap and not POP but I could be wrong. Once I figure out how to enlarge the font on the inbox message subject lines in T-bird (I hope I said that correctly), I may try again. I can't deal with the small font.

Thanks, JoeMikeb

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Okay, I made my Apple (Mac) mail the default by going into my mail program. Whew! I wish my mail would go into both programs at once, though. I guess maybe that's not possible. I can't understand why an Apple Mail tech expert would tell me that it would.

The tech told you that because if you have a properly behaving IMAP account and your client application(s) are properly configured for IMAP you should see all the emails on any number of email client applications on any number of computers and/or devices. I can even delete the account in Mail on OS X or iOS and when I set the account up again, voilÃ¡ there are all the messages and folders just as they had been before I deleted the account. They are not stored on the computer rather they are resident on the IMAP server.

I have both Apple Mail and Airmail on my Mac as well as Apple Mail on my iPhone and my iPad. I can open all of these clients on all of my devices simultaneously and see my entire email stream on each and every one of them. If I delete a message on say my iPad, after a few seconds to a few minutes the deleted message will disappear on all of the other devices and clients. Conversely if I send a message from say Airmail on my Mac within a few seconds to minutes it will appear in the Sent mailbox in Apple Mail on the Mac and on both the iPad and iPhone. The length of time it takes for a given status change to propagate to all the clients and devices depends on the refresh rate set in the various clients.

If Thunderbird, which is a well known and very reputable email client, is actually capturing all the messages to the exclusion of Mail I can only surmise one of two things is trueâ€¦

...either the account is setup in Thunderbird as a POP account
...or the host is a POP server and not IMAP.

Oh, one more thing. If it shows up in all the email clients, what's the point of having one as the default? Thanks.

Rita

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Oh, one more thing. If it shows up in all the email clients, what's the point of having one as the default? Thanks.

Rita

The default client is the one that will launch if you click on an email address or email link pretty much anywhere in OS X. It is just like having a default application for a file.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Oh, one more thing. If it shows up in all the email clients, what's the point of having one as the default? Thanks.

Rita

The default client is the one that will launch if you click on an email address or email link pretty much anywhere in OS X. It is just like having a default application for a file.

OK, Duh! I wasn't thinking.

Thanks.

Rita

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Oh, one more thing. If it shows up in all the email clients, what's the point of having one as the default? Thanks.

Rita

The default client is the one that will launch if you click on an email address or email link pretty much anywhere in OS X. It is just like having a default application for a file.

I just got an email that was a mess in Mail but the same email was fine in Thunderbird! So, it's got to be an Apple Mail problem, right?

Rita

Originally Posted By: plantsower

I just got an email that was a mess in Mail but the same email was fine in Thunderbird! So, it's got to be an Apple Mail problem, right?

Yes and no. Yes there is something in the message that is causing Mail's MIME decoder to fail to function and no there should not be anything in the received message that would cause the failure. As I said previously that was a problem for a while, but it was fixed. In this case it probably is something with your individual installation.

Your signature block indicates you are running Mavericks and Mountain Lion. Is this occurring in both OS versions or just one and if so which one?

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Originally Posted By: plantsower

I just got an email that was a mess in Mail but the same email was fine in Thunderbird! So, it's got to be an Apple Mail problem, right?

Yes and no. Yes there is something in the message that is causing Mail's MIME decoder to fail to function and no there should not be anything in the received message that would cause the failure. As I said previously that was a problem for a while, but it was fixed. In this case it probably is something with your individual installation.

Your signature block indicates you are running Mavericks and Mountain Lion. Is this occurring in both OS versions or just one and if so which one?

Mountain Lion is just on my external hard drive if I need it. The problem is on Mavericks which is on my internal hard drive. Could it be my installation after all this time? I've never had a problem before this. I've had Mavericks almost ever since it came out.

Rita

Originally Posted By: plantsower

The problem is on Mavericks which is on my internal hard drive. Could it be my installation after all this time? I've never had a problem before this. I've had Mavericks almost ever since it came out.

Reinstalling Mavericks would not hurt, but it would be equally easy and cost exactly the same to go ahead and upgrade to Yosemite while you are at it.

Reinstalling Mavericks would not hurt, but it would be equally easy and cost exactly the same to go ahead and upgrade to Yosemite while you are at it. [/quote]

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Quote:

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Edit: Better idea! Try re-running the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Update (Combo); it's a tried and true troubleshooting technique...particularly when nothing else has worked.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Quote:

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Edit: Better idea! Try re-running the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Update (Combo); it's a tried and true troubleshooting technique...particularly when nothing else has worked.

That's a good idea. Maybe I will do that once a day.

Thanks, Artie. It's such a mystery why this is happening.

Have you had your MBP's chart done by a good astrologer?

No. LOL! But, maybe I should get an exorcist.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Quote:

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Edit: Better idea! Try re-running the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Update (Combo); it's a tried and true troubleshooting technique...particularly when nothing else has worked.

I just saw this post. Sorry, late. I don't want to update. It seems every time I do, I lose a feature I like. I know maybe the security wouldn't be as good, but hey, you use Snowy!!

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Originally Posted By: artie505

Quote:

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Edit: Better idea! Try re-running the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Update (Combo); it's a tried and true troubleshooting technique...particularly when nothing else has worked.

I just saw this post. Sorry, late. I don't want to update. It seems every time I do, I lose a feature I like. I know maybe the security wouldn't be as good, but hey, you use Snowy!!

Actually, you already replied to my post in post #34060, Rita.

But I didn't suggest updating...merely re-runing the OS X 10.9.4 Combo, which, as per your sig, you've already run.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Originally Posted By: artie505

Quote:

Yeah, I don't want Yosemite!

Edit: Better idea! Try re-running the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Update (Combo); it's a tried and true troubleshooting technique...particularly when nothing else has worked.

I just saw this post. Sorry, late. I don't want to update. It seems every time I do, I lose a feature I like. I know maybe the security wouldn't be as good, but hey, you use Snowy!!

Actually, you already replied to my post in post #34060, Rita.

But I didn't suggest updating...merely re-runing the OS X 10.9.4 Combo, which, as per your sig, you've already run.

Oh man, I must have been spaced. When I said I should do that once a day, I meant using mountain lion off my external drive to check things. Anyway, how do I re-run Mavericks? I don't know what the means. Thanks. I still think it's weird that Thunderbird opens things fine and Mail does not always. It sounds so much like a mail problem. Tell me how to re-run and I will see if that works. Maybe there is some corruption (you know, like in the gov't.)

Rita

Just follow the link to the Combo that I posted, and run it, same as if it came from the App Store (like you probably did the first time).

Be sure to check Software Update (or its current equivalent) afterwards.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Just follow the link to the Combo that I posted, and run it, same as if it came from the App Store (like you probably did the first time).

Be sure to check Software Update (or its current equivalent) afterwards.

OK, I'm running the update combo at this moment. What happens to the original update combo from before? I may not update because of what I said before that I lose certain functions that they take away. Thanks Artie.

Re-running a Combo just overwrites what was written the first time it was run; it neither takes away nor adds anything, but it often resolves otherwise unaddressable issues.

Hope this works for you Rita!

I agree with you about losing functionality. Many OS X functions get changed without (well publicized) warning, and you never know about them until you trip over them...and it's already too late.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Re-running a Combo just overwrites what was written the first time it was run; it neither takes away nor adds anything, but it often resolves otherwise unaddressable issues.

Hope this works for you Rita!

I agree with you about losing functionality. Many OS X functions get changed without (well publicized) warning, and you never know about them until you trip over them...and it's already too late.

OK, thanks for the explanation. I feel for ya when you may absolutely have to give up Snowy. It's hard parting with a loved one!

Rita

Well, just an FYI. I re-downloaded the combo and no dice. Some email is still coming in as gibberish in Mail but not Thunderbird mail. Boo-hoo!

Rita

I am going t attempt to sum up what has been determined so far.

Thunderbird is successfully decoding MIME that is tripping up Mail. Since Mail and Thunderbird each use their own different MIME decoder and it is possible Apple's MIME decoder is confused by a stray non-ASCII character that Thunderbird's MIME decoder simply ignores.
This problem has appeared in Mail in the past but Apple fixed it.
Since others are not reporting this problem it would appear to be peculiar to Mavericks Mail on your computer.
The failure of Mail's MIME interpreter may be the result of some out of date detritus from a previous version of OS X or a problematic kernel extension, plug-in, or some other apparently unrelated code snippet in your system.
I contend something in your email provider's server is contributing to the situation which makes all this even more difficult to troubleshoot.

I don't know how far you want to pursue this, but here are some thoughts I have had in no particular order.

There is a handy dandy free troubleshooting app Etrecheck that is useful at identifying potentially problematic extensions, plug-ins, etc. You might try running it to see if anything pops up. I know it helped me identify a couple of out of date kernel extensions that were causing me some issues.
I was recently having some inexplicable problems on one of my Macs that at the suggestion of the Genius Desk at the local Apple Store they were cured by flushing all â€” and I do mean ALL â€” of the various cache files in the entire system. That involved going to /System/Library/Caches, /Library/Caches, and ~/Library/Caches and deleting all the files and folders in each of those locations. It might slow things down a bit until all the caches are rebuilt, but who knows it might, just might solve your issue. (It is almost scary how many grow back so rapidly when you do that.)
Escalate the issue by gathering up a couple of sample emails (raw text versions so non=printing ASCII would show up in a Hex editor), a System Report and a careful description of that problem and what you have done to troubleshoot it and contact AppleCare and if necessary be prepared to request the issue to be escalated. The more data you have available the better. Personally I would put all the files in a folder on iCloud so you can share the data with them rather than attempting to email all of that because the files will get LARGE.
In the interim, if you are not too thrilled with Thunderbird you might try Airmail 2. It is available through the App Store. They no longer offer a free trial of the released version, but you can get a free download of the 2.1 beta which I am using and it is very stable. I have come to prefer it to Mail â€” much to my surprise.
If all else fails there is always the nuclear option.
1. Back up everything, cloning is recommended. Gather up any current application install DVDs installation keys etc. Make a list of all your download installs (if they are from the App Store it will remember for you.) Be sure your Keychain, Calendars, Contacts, Photos, Tunes, etc. are all in iCloud.
2. Boot from the Recovery Drive (either option boot of boot holding down âŒ˜R) and erase the Hard Drive then Install Mavericks.
3. Go through the setup routine, but do NOT restore from either the Time Machine or clone backups.
4. Reconnect to iCloud to restore all your passwords and other settings (you might hold off on Mail and set that up completely from scratch â€” just in case).
5. Copy any data files not in iCloud from the clone by drag and drop or from the latest Time Machine backup.
6. Re-install your non-App Store applications â€” ONE AT A TIME and carefully testing Mail after each.
7. Re-install any kernel extensions, plug-ins, anti-malware applications â€” ONE AT A TIME and carefully testing Mail after each.
8. Don't re-install any application, kernel extension, plug-in, etc. UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT.
9. I Hope it does not come to this as it is a pain in the nether regions of the anatomy and very time consuming. Even worse it does not guarantee a fix.

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Well, just an FYI. I re-downloaded the combo and no dice. Some email is still coming in as gibberish in Mail but not Thunderbird mail.

have you tried logging in as a different user, set up mail, and see if the problem persists?

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Originally Posted By: plantsower

Well, just an FYI. I re-downloaded the combo and no dice. Some email is still coming in as gibberish in Mail but not Thunderbird mail.

have you tried logging in as a different user, set up mail, and see if the problem persists?

Yes. No difference. Thanks.

Rita

I don't know how far you want to pursue this, but here are some thoughts I have had in no particular order.

Etrecheck

etc

I ran etrecheck and this is the result. It is Greek to me. Problem description:
My Mail has been coming in as code in my Yahoo email account instead of HTML from commercial websites such as Amazon, my insurance company, the post office and others. It comes in fine in Thunderbird. It also sometimes happens at the Yahoo Mail Website, not just the Mail program.

EtreCheck version: 2.2 (132)
Report generated 5/4/15, 10:13 PM
Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

Hardware Information: â„¹ï¸
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MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 224 - SN = 9G21809N1D3MB

Video Information: â„¹ï¸
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Color LCD 1280 x 800

System Software: â„¹ï¸
OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Time since boot: 14:11:42

Disk Information: â„¹ï¸
APPLE HDD HTS547550A9E384 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (458.52 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS31N

USB Information: â„¹ï¸
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Thunderbolt Information: â„¹ï¸
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Gatekeeper: â„¹ï¸
Anywhere

Launch Daemons: â„¹ï¸
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

User Launch Agents: â„¹ï¸
[loaded] com.shirtpocket.backupbytime.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.shirtpocket.backuponmount-login.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.shirtpocket.backuponmount.plist [Click for support]

User Login Items: â„¹ï¸
iTunesHelper Application Hidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
EtreFeed Application Hidden (/Applications/Etrefeed/EtreFeed.app)
Journler Application (/Users/[redacted]/Downloads/Journler.app)

Internet Plug-ins: â„¹ï¸
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QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.169 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
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GarminGpsControl: Version: 4.1.0.0 Release - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]
googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.40.2.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.8.0 - SDK 10.9 Check version

User internet Plug-ins: â„¹ï¸
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 [Click for support]

Safari Extensions: â„¹ï¸
Ghostery
Subscribe To Feed
Disconnect
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Adblock Plus

3rd Party Preference Panes: â„¹ï¸
RCDefaultApp
Flash Player [Click for support]
Logitech Control Center [Click for support]
Perian [Click for support]

Time Machine: â„¹ï¸
Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU: â„¹ï¸
10% WindowServer
9% thunderbird
4% fontd
0% mdworker(3)
0% aosnotifyd

Top Processes by Memory: â„¹ï¸
565 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(7)
473 MB kernel_task
365 MB Safari
217 MB thunderbird
123 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent

Virtual Memory Information: â„¹ï¸
51 MB Free RAM
3.94 GB Used RAM
0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: â„¹ï¸
May 4, 2015, 12:24:01 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Mail_2015-05-04-122401_[redacted].crash
May 4, 2015, 08:00:35 AM Self test - passed

[ I was recently having some inexplicable problems on one of my Macs that at the suggestion of the Genius Desk at the local Apple Store they were cured by flushing all â€” and I do mean ALL â€” of the various cache files in the entire system. That involved going to /System/Library/Caches, /Library/Caches, and ~/Library/Caches and deleting all the files and folders in each of those locations. It might slow things down a bit until all the caches are rebuilt, but who knows it might, just might solve your issue. (It is almost scary how many grow back so rapidly when you do that.) [*]

[/color]I looked at those cache files (didn't know where to look for the system cache files), and it scared me. I was afraid I would screw something up by deleting them all. I do use OnyX to delete cache files, though.

[color:#000000][color:#660000

[/color]I did all that above with the Apple Mail Tech. We went into it extensively and made copies of stuff and sent it over to Engineering. I can't remember what we did exactly, but he was in my computer helping me get all the info together along with pics of my emails.

In the interim, if you are not too thrilled with Thunderbird you might try Airmail 2. It is available through the App Store. They no longer offer a free trial of the released version, but you can get a free download of the 2.1 beta which I am using and it is very stable. I have come to prefer it to Mail â€” much to my surprise. [*]

[color:#FF0000]I may try the beta Airmail. I really don't care for Thunderbird. The fonts are small and I can't enlarge them even with an add-on plugin. Also, can't get used to their interface.

Back up everything, cloning is recommended. Gather up any current application install DVDs installation keys etc. ????? Make a list of all your download installs (if they are from the App Store it will remember for you.) Be sure your Keychain, Calendars, Contacts, Photos, Tunes, etc. are all in iCloud.
Sorry, I don't like the Cloud. Too easy to hack.[/color]

Boot from the Recovery Drive (either option boot of boot holding down âŒ˜R) and erase the Hard Drive then Install Mavericks.
Go through the setup routine, but do NOT restore from either the Time Machine or clone backups.
Reconnect to iCloud to restore all your passwords and other settings (you might hold off on Mail and set that up completely from scratch â€” just in case).
Copy any data files not in iCloud from the clone by drag and drop or from the latest Time Machine backup.
Re-install your non-App Store applications â€” ONE AT A TIME and carefully testing Mail after each.
Re-install any kernel extensions, plug-ins, anti-malware applications â€” ONE AT A TIME and carefully testing Mail after each.
Don't re-install any application, kernel extension, plug-in, etc. UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT.
I Hope it does not come to this as it is a pain in the nether regions of the anatomy and very time consuming. Even worse it does not guarantee a fix.

[/quote] [/color][color:#CC0000]Wow, that IS a lot of work. I have a SuperDuper backup already. I guess that's a clone backup? Gosh, I hope I don't have to go this far. Too scary and complicated for me. I do appreciate all the instructions, though. And maybe one day they will all make sense to me.

[color:#33FF33]Sorry about the messy color changes.

Rita[/color]