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Melody ScottFlag for United States of America

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Thunderbird double emails from Bluehost

Hi, my client runs Thunderbird email client. He recently upgraded to the latest version, and since then he's been receiving double copies of each email.

We solved it for a while by making sure "leave copy on server" was unchecked. But in the last two days he's getting double copies of emails again. He's noticed that emails he had a single copy of the night before receive another copy when he opens Thunderbird in the morning.

Strangely, everything from midnight to 2 AM the last two nights has been doubles. After two AM, they are singles. He has double-checked for me that they are all coming to the same email address.

Any thoughts? Help would be very appreciated!
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Jackie Man
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The info below may be useful for you.

"If it keeps downloading same files, it sounds like the popstate.dat file has gone awol.

The 'popstate.dat' file keeps a record of what has been downloaded. You need to access the Profile folder and delete this file. The Profile folder is a hidden file, so you have to make hidden files and folders visible to see it.

make hidden files visible:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Show_hidden_files_and_folders
Profile folder extra info:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Thunderbird
In Thunderbird

Help > Troubleshooting Information
click on 'Show Folder' button
a new window opens showing your Profile folder
Close Thunderbird now
click on 'Mail' folder
click on the 'mail account name'
scroll down and locate 'popstate.dat' a DAT File.
Delete 'popstate.dat'
close the window - top right X
Open Thunderbird
Thunderbird will create a new 'popstate.dat' file and start to download everything that is in the server Inbox to the thunderbird mail account Inbox. But only the once.

After fixing the popstate file you may have loads of duplicate email messages. You can use this Addon to help remove them:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/remove-duplicate-messages/
remember to compact folders on a regular basis."

Source: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1003849
It could be the popstate.dat file that JackieMan mentions or it could be a problem with acknowledgement.  Each time you send or receive an email, the other end acknowledges it having been handled successfully.  That, for example, is what causes an email to move from the outbox to sent items.  If that handshaking mechanism gets messed up, Bluehost may be thinking that he never actually received the emails and, most often, its at their end.
Avatar of Melody Scott

ASKER

Thanks to both of you!! I'll work on it and let you know the outcome.
Hi- The double emails stopped on their own. Can anyone explain that?  I was just thinking that if the popstate.dat file is corrupted, the problem would continue. Am I wrong?

Would the handshaking mechanism maybe have been fixed at the Bluehost end?  I don't have the same problem, although I use an email address on the same domain.

Thanks for your input!
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Davis McCarn
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Thanks.