Vanishing Emails in Outlook 2003

[Simon W]

I'm using Outlook 2003 for email.

If I click the Send/Receive button the notification area near the clock indicates the number of incoming messages. This is always greater than the number that actually arrive in the inbox.

For instance the notification area might say Receiving message 1 of 10 but only five new messages arrive in the inbox.

Does anyone know the answer to this? As far as I know there are no junk email or spam filters set up.

[JohnDotCom]

Outlook 2003 will Automatically filter out junk in its database.
Have you checked your Junk EMail Folder?

[BMC123]

as will BT yahoo's mail filter at source, (maybe others as well) I was wondering where some of my notification emails were going until I logged onto my BT internet mail through the home page (most email companies let you do that these days) and lo and behold there they all were, marked as spam. :shrug: I advise people these days to occasionaly check thier emails via their ISP's main website, just to see if there are any missing ones. sort of more or less what John says up there, except on thier site.

[Simon W]

Outlook 2003 will Automatically filter out junk in its database.
Have you checked your Junk EMail Folder?

The Junk Email folder is empty John. In fact I've never seen any messages inside it. (I'm not sure if it means anything but the folder icon has a little 'no entry' sign).

Brian - I just checked the ISP website (Tiscali) and there are no messages in the spam folder.

[GreyGhost]

Just a suggestion to see what is occurring. Before opening your email tool. Log on to your Webmail, count the mails waiting in there.
Then open email tool and download, see if there is any difference in what shows in webmail and what arrives on you machine.

[Simon W]

Good thinking GG.

Just tried your idea and ISP website said 10 new emails, so did Outlook's inbox. Doesn't tell us much on this occasion though since none of the 10 were junk. Will keep trying.

[Jürgen]

The Junk Email folder is empty John. In fact I've never seen any messages inside it. (I'm not sure if it means anything but the folder icon has a little 'no entry' sign).
The little red sign is standard for the junk folder, Simon.

Maybe Outlook deletes any mails which are considered as junk. You can check this by doing the following, although I don't know the exact description of the menu items of the English version, so I'm guessing a little bit.

Extras -> Options -> Settings (first tab) -> Junk-E-Mail (first button) -> Options (fist tab) -> the second to the last choice should corresponded to "Delete mail identified as junk definitely and don't move into the junk folder" or so.

[Simon W]

Ah, that could be it Juergen.

In Outlook (English version) - Tools/Options/Junk Email button - this box was ticked: Permanently delete suspected junk email instead of moving it to the junk email folder. Also, the Low Filtering option was ticked.

I've unticked both of them, so in theory some emails should start arriving in the Junk folder.

[JohnDotCom]

Its handy now and then to check the junk mail folder as some do slip through.
If junk arrives in In Box just mark it Junk and from then on goes straight to Junk Folder, the Option to Permanently delete Junk and Deleted Posts on Exit can also be Handy sometimes to prevent Build up.
Depends how many EMails you get a Day, I average about 250 upward.

[Simon W]

Nothing like 250 per day John.

I was just wondering if this PC had been 'got at' - i.e. emails being redirected before they reached the inbox.

[JohnDotCom]

I think as you stated you found your problem.
They shouldn't set these things at such a high level as they don't know what you want.
A lot of my Mail is Junk, and advertisers sending details and new products etc.
Airlines offering Tickets at special Prices etc all linked to Company work,
and also this last week over thirty odd begging letters from Charity people for Company to make Christmas Donations.
We pick our Charities each year with Staff so all those are now junk or Bounced back!

[Simon W]

Not sure yet John. Since changing the settings in Outlook, the inbox has received exactly the same number of messages as shown on the send/recieve notification area.

[Simon W]

Hmm.

Just tried it again and Outlook's send/receive indicated 14 emails being downloaded but only 10 arrived in the inbox.

Outlook's junk email folder is empty and there are no junk/spam messages on the ISP's website.

So where did the other 4 emails go? :o

(Virus-scan says no viruses).