University of Toronto Crest

What's new in the Network Services Group?

services
statistics
projects
policies
software
support
resources
staff

contact us

NSG home

UofT home

Network Services Group Logo

Over Quota on the UTORmail System:
Common Problems with Netscape Messenger

Q. I'm confused! I am using Netscape Messenger and I only have a few messages in my INBOX yet the UTORmail system is telling me that I am over the 20MB quota. How can this be?

A. There are a few possibilities.

  1. Battling Invisible Message Buildup
    The Fix!
  2. Taking out the Trash
    The Fix!
  3. Not the INBOX Afterall
    The Fix!
  4. Total Frustration!! - None of the Above
    Please contact the Information Commons Help Desk - the email address is <help.desk@utoronto.ca>.

BATTLING INVISIBLE MESSAGE BUILDUP

Determining whether or not "invisible message buildup" is the problem and how to fix it. Choose Netscape Messenger 4.05 or Netscape Messenger 4.5 / 4.61

Netscape Messenger 4.05 - Windows 95/98

  • Choose Preferences from the Edit menu.
  • The Preferences dialog will appear. Expand the Mail & Groups category and select Mail Server. Mail Server information will appear on the right side.
  • Is POP3 selected under the Mail Server Type? Is the option "Leave message on server after retrieval checked? If the answer is yes, DO NOT uncheck this option. Instead, click the radio button beside the IMAP option. Click OK. The next time you log in you will see all of the messages that had been invisible.
  • Delete and expunge all messages you are not interested in. Messages marked for deletion show up with red Xs. To expunge these messages, choose Compress Folder from the File menu and then choose Empty Trash from the File menu.

Netscape Messenger 4.5 / 4.61 - Windows 95/98

  • Choose Preferences from the Edit menu.
  • The Preferences dialog will appear. Expand the Mail & Newsgroups category and select Mail Servers. Options associated with Mail Servers will appear on the right side.
  • Under the Incoming Mail Servers section, select the entry that looks most like mailboxX.utcc.utoronto.ca. Click the Edit button. A Mail Server Properties dialog will appear.
  • Click the General tab. Does the Server Type indicate POP3 Server? If yes, expand the drop down menu by clicking on the arrow and choose IMAP instead of POP3 Server.

  • The User Name field should contain your UTORid. If you do not know what your UTORid is, please go to http://www.utorid.utoronto.ca/ and click on "get information". The Mail Server Properties should now look something like this:
  • Click the IMAP tab. Under "When I delete a message", click the "Mark it as deleted" option.
  • Click the Advanced tab. Make sure that the check box beside "Server supports folders that contain sub-folders and messages" is NOT selected. and that the check box beside "Allow server to override these namespaces" IS selected. Click OK. The following message may appear: "To choose which online mail folders are displayed by default in your folder list, select File / Subscribe. Folders left unsubscribed can be subscribed later." Click OK.
  • The main Preferences dialog should still be open - click OK to close it.
  • New icons for mailboxX.utcc.utoronto.ca and Inbox will appear. Double click on the new Inbox icon to open your UTORmail account. You will see all of the messages that had been invisible.
  • Delete and expunge all messages you are not interested in. Messages marked for deletion show up with red Xs. To expunge these messages, choose Compact this Folder from the File menu.

TAKING OUT THE TRASH

Deleting a message is actually a two step process.

  1. Message is "marked" for deletion - it hasn't actually disappeared yet.
  2. Message is "expunged" or permanently removed from the UTORmail account.

If the process is not completed, messages marked for deletion will build up and push you over quota. You are using Netscape Messenger 4.05 or Netscape Messenger 4.5 / 4.61.

Netscape Messenger 4.05 - Windows 95/98

To expunge deleted messages in Messenger 4.05, choose Compress Folder from the File menu. Then choose Empty Trash from the File menu.

Netscape Messenger 4.5 / 4.61 - Windows 95/98

To determine whether or not the Trash can is the cause of the quota violation, take a quick look under your UTORmail icon in Messenger. Is there an icon that looks like a Trash can? (Don't worry about the Trash icon under Local Mail) Double click on the Trash can - does it contain old messages?

 

If the answer to the above questions is Yes, then you need to empty the Trash can. There are two ways to do this: the quick fix or the fix that lasts.

The Quick Fix
Choose Empty Trash on mailboxX.utcc.utoronto.ca under the File menu. Check the Trash can again for old messages - they should be gone now. This is a temporary fix - messages will begin to build again as you delete more messages.

The Fix That Lasts:
How to Configure Netscape for Successful Deleting and Expunging

To prevent future Trash can buildup, you will need to reconfigure Netscape Messenger.

  1. Choose Preferences from the Edit window
  2. Choose Mail Servers from the Mail & Newsgroup category.
  3. Select mailboxX.utcc.utoronto.ca from the Incoming Mail Servers list.
  4. Click Edit. A Mail Server Properties dialog will appear. Click the IMAP tab.
  5. Select Mark it as deleted (It will be removed when I select 'Compact This Folder').
  6. Click OK.

Now - take a look at the Trash can under mailboxX.utcc.utoronto.ca - the icon should have changed from a trash can to a folder. Delete the Trash folder. All deleted messages will now be collected in the local Trash can under Local Mail.

 

How to Delete a Message
Select the message intended for deletion. Click the Delete button on the menu bar. A red
X will appear on the icon representing the message or the message will simply appear to disappear (it actually goes to the Trash).

How to Expunge Deleted Message(s)
Choose
Compact Folders and then Empty Trash on Local Mail from the File menu. All messages marked for deletion will be permanently expunged.

 

NOT THE INBOX AFTERALL

So it wasn't invisible message buildup in your INBOX and it wasn't that the Trash can hadn't been emptied. The remaining possibility is that one or more of your remote folders (i.e. folders kept at the UTORmail postoffice) has grown and the cumulative total of your INBOX AND remote folder(s) exceeds the 20MB quota.

Please check any remote folders. You may move messages to folders under Local Mail or delete and expunge messages you are no longer interested in.

 

Network Services Group links