Pegasus Mail & Mercury

(I also posted this problem on the Newsgroup:
 comp.mail.pegasus-mail.ms-windows)

I updated Pegasus 4.21b to v4.41 on a Windows 98 PC. No problem.

The problem is running Pegasus from another PC over my home network. Recent emails are missing. Nothing from 2008. Here are the counts of new mail in the toolbar at the bottom of screen. (But all folders are affected similarly.)

#1 PC with Pegasus v4.41 installed: 967 new, Windows 98SE.
#2 PC connected to #1 by ethernet: 919 new, Windows XP Pro.
#3 PC connected to #1 by wireless: 1191 new, Windows XP Home.

Pegasus is installed on #1 PC in D:\Program Files\Pmail\winpm-32.exe

Mailbox is installed on #1 PC in E:\Mail\Pmail\

On Pegasus's first startup over the network it displayed this
message-box:

"Pegasus Mail has detected that you have previously used an older
versin on this mail box"
[x] Show me what's new  [continue]

On #1 PC with the V4.41 I downloaded 38 emails from POP3 and moved them to a newly-created folder. Everything seems normal on #1, but
over on #2 PC & #3 PC I can't see the folder at all -- much less the 38 files.

What is my problem and how can I fix it. I will appreciate any advice.
Stan Hilliard

How are you mapping those drive letters?

PC1 has drives D: and E: which are probably in the configuration files.  When you run from other PCs those drives won't exist (or point elsewhere).

It's easier on a network to use network mapping in the form '\\server\sharename'.  If you run pconfig.exe and change the paths, then the folders should be found.

PaulW:

... use network mapping in the form '\\server\sharename'.  If you run pconfig.exe and change the paths, then the folders should be found.

I think I already have that. The links to Pegasus from #2 PC and #3 PC are:

"\\Tower\D\Program Files\PMAIL\winpm-32.exe"

 
On #1 PC the Share Name of D: (where the program is) = "D"

On #1 PC the share name of E: (where the mailbox is) = "E"

On #1 PC both partitions have access type = Full 

What else can I do that might make all the mail in the mailbox visible to #2 PC and #3 PC? 

Should I install Pegasus on each PC and try addressing only the mailbox on #1 PC?

What else can I do that might make all the mail in the mailbox visible to #2 PC and #3 PC?

Run pconfig.exe in ..\ Program Files\PMAIL\ and reset the Standalone HOME and NEW mail directory spec to the UNC format as well.  Probably something like \\Tower\E\PMail\Mail\~8 if the mailbox is e:\pmail\mail.

 

 

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team

Thomas R. Stephenson:

Run pconfig.exe in ..\ Program Files\PMAIL\ and reset the Standalone HOME and NEW mail directory spec to the UNC format as well.  Probably something like \\Tower\E\PMail\Mail\~8 if the mailbox is e:\pmail\mail.

I did that. Then on startup of Pegasus it asked me for my username. I have never used a username with Pegasus before. 

What should I do? 

 

Generally speaking if you only have one user and it asks for the username then the path to the new mail directory is incorrect.  Verify the path you entered in pconfig.  

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team

Thomas R. Stephenson:

... if you only have one user ,,,

I did have a spelling error in the path to the new mail directory. Fixing that did not change anything -- still wants username. So I removed the "~8" from the end of the paths (since I didn't understand it.) Now I can see all the mail from #2 PC. So the problem appears to be solved. What is the explanation of this?

Since the issue came up, please define a "username". I am the only real person using these PCs at this time but I might want to give my wife access later. Does the following complicate the matter? I have several email addresses on the POP3 server of my main Internet provider. I also use three providers, two of which I have Pegasus pointing to them -- they being associated with different identities. So the identities determine both the Internet provider and the mailbox within provider.

 
In this situation, what is a "username"?

Is there a better way that I should be configuring Pegasus? 

I did have a spelling error in the path to new mail. Fixing that did not change anything -- still wants username. So I removed the "~8" from the end of the paths (since I didn't understand it.) Now I can see all the mail from #2 PC. So the problem appears to be solved. What is the explanation of this?

You have a really old single-user installation that has the mail in c:\pmail\mail instead of c:\pmail\mail\admin.

Since the issue came up, please define a "username". I am the only real person using these PCs at this time but I might want to give my wife access later. Does the following complicate the matter? I have several email addresses on the POP3 server of my main Internet provider. I also use three providers, two of which I have Pegasus pointing to them -- they being associated with different identities. So the identities determine both the Internet provider and the mailbox within provider.

In this situation, what is a "username"?

 A little background structure.  The older Pegasus Mail single-user setups had the program in  ..\pmail and the mail in ..\pmail\mail.  To add multiple users you had to jump through hoops to convert to the multiuser mode. Here's a glossary entry I had for converting from single-user to multi-user:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- multi --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 These are the procedures for converting from single user to multiuser.  This process assumes that you used the default settings when installing WinPmail in single user mode, therefore the basic directory is c:\pmail and the mail directory is c:\pmail\mail.  

1:  Go to the MSDOS prompt and create a directory for your current mail files and username.  I assume you are using a username of THOMAS.   

    MD c:\pmail\mail\THOMAS

2:  Move your current mail files from the c:\pmail\mail directory to the c:\pmail\mail\THOMAS directory.   

    MOVE c:\pmail\mail\*.* c:\pmail\mail\THOMAS

3:  Edit your pmail.ini file and change all instances of c:\pmail\mail to c:\pmail\mail\THOMAS.  If you have saved your username in win.ini, edit the win.ini file and remove the username line.  

4:  Delete the file c:\pmail\pmail.cfg.  This will remove your current configuration and force WinPmail to go the install process.  

5:  Double click on the WinPmail icon.  Since the pmail.cfg is missing, this will cause WinPmail to go through the install process.  Select the multiuser option.   

6:  You will be asked to about the users.  Add the username THOMAS and any other users you wish.  Make sure you give administrator privileges to at least one username so you will be able to administer to users.  Select close.  

7:  You will be asked to select a username, use THOMAS.  This should now open WinPmail using you old mail information.  You will now have an additional menu item under Address that will allow you to administer your users from WinPmail.  

8:  You now can create an icon for each user with the -i <username> commandline option to enable starting WinPmail without having to enter the username each time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was a pain in the rear so in v4.x the basic installer installed always in the multi-user mode and if there was more than one user it queried for the username.  In the structure the program went into ..\pmail\programs, the pmail.usr file went into the ..\pmail\mail directories and the users mail directory went into ..\pmail\mail\<username> with admin the default single-user username.  The difference shows up in the pmail.cfg by adding the ~8 (~n) to the end of the path structure to tell the program to query the user for the username that will replace the ~8.

 

 

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team

StanH:

Now I can see all the mail from #2 PC. So the problem appears to be solved.

I spoke too soon. All of the files in the new mail folder are displayed on #2 PC, but the files dated later than mid April 2007 are not displayed in any other folder.

Use Help | About Pegasus Mail | Info to verify that all systems are using the same HOME and NEW mail directory spec as specified in the pconfig.  The HOME mail directory is specified in the pmail.ini and it may still be looking at old mail.

FWIW, it really sounds like you have duplicates of your mail directories.

 

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team

Thomas R. Stephenson:

Use Help | About Pegasus Mail | Info to verify that all systems are using the same HOME and NEW mail directory spec as specified in the pconfig. The HOME mail directory is specified in the pmail.ini and it may still be looking at old mail.

Tom, thanks for explaining the Pegasus' mechanism for handling single/multi users.

With [help] I found that the new mail directory was correct but the mail directory was/is still or the old form "E:\" and not "\\tower\E\".

I found PMAIL.INI in the new mail directory dated today. There was also a PMAILINI.OLD dated two days ago. There is what pmail.ini contains:

SECTION: [Pegasus Mail for Windows - built-in TCP/IP Mail]
Directory to place incoming POP3 mail     = E:Mail\Pmail\NewMail
Search mask to locate outgoing messages   = E:\MAIL\PMAIL\*.PMX

SECTION: [General]
Home mailbox location                     = E:\MAIL\PMAIL

SECTION: [Pegasus Mail for Windows - Run Info]
Working home mailbox location    = E:\MAIL\PMAIL
New mailbox location             = \\tower\E\Mail\Pmail\NewMail

SECTION: [WinPMail Identity - sales]
Home mailbox location                     = E:\MAIL\PMAIL
Directory to place incoming POP3 mail     = E:Mail\Pmail\NewMail
Search mask to locate outgoing messages   = E:\MAIL\PMAIL\*.PMX

SECTION: [WinPMail Identity - shilliard]
Home mailbox location                     = E:\MAIL\PMAIL
Directory to place incoming POP3 mail     = E:Mail\Pmail\NewMail
Search mask to locate outgoing messages   = E:\MAIL\PMAIL\*.PMX

... There are seven identities total. I am wondering why pconfig.exe only would have changed one of the many instances of "E:\mail\pmail\newmail" in pmail.ini?

The path that pconfig.exe displays to the mail folder is in network syntax (\\tower\E\mail\pmail) even though it did not make any of those conversions. Does this imply there is something else that should be changed to make pconfig.exe work properly?

Sincerely, Stan Hilliard

Thomas R. Stephenson:

FWIW, it really sounds like you have duplicates of your mail directories.

The PMAIL program directory on Partition D of #1 PC contains a MAIL folder that does not contain any emails. It contains  ADMIN and DEFAULTS  directories. They both contain only files dated 2003.

 #1 PC also contains two partitions (F and Q) that each contain backups of the mail folders from earlier dates.

 Stan Hilliard 

The pconfig.exe changes nothing in the pmail.ini file, you have you make those changes manually to the file.

 

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team

Thomas R. Stephenson:

... you have you make those changes manually to the file.

I made the changes and Pegasus the directories are accessible over the network. Thanks for the help.

Thomas R. Stephenson:

The pconfig.exe changes nothing in the pmail.ini file,

After my original running of pconfig.exe I ran Pagesus and then looked in pmail.ini. The path in pmail.ini to newmail was in network syntax. Am I correct in assuming that pconfig changed winpm-32.exe which in turn changed pmail.ini the nest time I ran Pegasus?

Is there a simple explanation for when I changed the format of the path to the main mailbox from within Pegasus that setting did not persist?

Stan Hilliard 

After my original running of pconfig.exe I ran Pagesus and then looked in pmail.ini. The path in pmail.ini to newmail was in network syntax. Am I correct in assuming that pconfig changed winpm-32.exe which in turn changed pmail.ini the nest time I ran Pegasus?

Pconfig.exe changes the pmail.cfg file telling Pegasus mail where to find the new mail directory of the user and the pmail.ini file.  The pmail.ini file is read to get the HOME mail directory.  If there is a mailbox there when you close the program the new mail directory is saved as the directory you started with but the home mail directory as what was shown in the pmail.ini If there is not mailbox located where specified in the npmail in the the new mail directory is used to find the mailbox.

 Is there a simple explanation for when I changed the format of the path to the main mailbox from within Pegasus that setting did not persist?

All these data are held in memory until the program closes and re-writes the pmail.ini file.

 

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Thomas R. Stephenson
San Jose, California
Member of Pegasus Mail Support Team