[quote user="Warren"]

Interesting suggestion, calsson, but I've been using Pegasus a long time and there are zillions of cnm files.  A search for a missing one would be a futility.

[/quote]

Only new mail messages exist as individual CNM files.  The suggestion was in response to your indication that you could not find your new mail messages and more particularly to establish whether you might have inadvertently created a second new mail repository.

Yesterday I accidentally closed my new mail folder, which had about 200 emails that had not yet been moved to folders. It wasn't deleted, just closed. (I'm using I'm using Windows XP, and it's not in the recycle bin where deleted files go.) But now I can't open it again. My program is set to automatically open the new mail folder at start up, but it seems to be gone. Not knowing what else to do, I upgraded to 4.62, but the new mail folder is still gone, along with its contents. The new version has an icon for "open or re-scan your new mail folder," but that has no effect whatsoever.

So I created a new folder called "New Mail," opened it in its own window, and set that as the default mail folder. But some test messages sent to myself don't appear there -- or anywhere else. . All I can think of is to re-install an earlier version of Pegasus, and hope that none of my other folders will get lost in the process. Does anyone have any suggestions?

More information please. Single standalone  install? A network install? Do you download via POP3 or are you using IMAP?

What is defined as your default folder under Tools, Options? Dis you have the block to allow read new mail to stay in new mail or not?

When you close new mail normally read messages go then to the default folder which is normally main folder (main.pmm). New mail messages are just *.cnm files on drive in your new mail location and new mail is not a real folder like the others but is a visual display of the *.cnm files.

Are the messages missing or is somehow your new mail folder display in and off screen and not visible location?

What version is installed right now and what does the display of Help, About, Info button look like now. Select all and copy to place on clipboard to past into new post.

After you show that display we can further direct what to look for and where and two other things to check having to do with display names of folders and of screen elements and locations in another file on drive.

Have you actually looked or searched for any of the missing messages in the default or main folder currently?

Is any new mail being downloaded and where is that going/displayed? Are there any new *.cnm files being ceated and stored on drive in pmai\mail and below subdirs?

Thanks for responding.  It's a single user installation.  I download via POP3. I've always had my new mail stay in the new mail folder after it's read.  The default folder is named 000.  That hasn't changed, and it doesn't receive the test email I've sent to myself. 

The new messages apparently aren't missing.  The bottom info line of Pegasus says "333 new" which sounds about right, but I can't access them.  The installation now is version 4.62.  Yes, I've looked for the missing messages.  No other folder has enough email to indicate that it's got the missing new stuff, and it's not in any sub-folders.

I haven't downloaded any new mail after my testing showed that those didn't show up anywhere.  I have about a dozen new .cnm files for this month, including  four from yesterday (one is 35 KB, which is too small to be what I'm looking for) and two dated today.  One dated a day earlier is 111 KB in size, which doesn't seem big enough to have over 300 emails in it.

I can make a screen shot of the "About" display, but I don't know how to post it here.  It's the usual pic of a winged horse, and below that is says: Version 4.62 (Win 32) August 11, 2011, build 191.  The buttons say OK, Info, and Credits.  Under "Info" it says:

Pegasus Mail for Microsoft Windows
Copyright (C) 1992-2011, David Harris, all rights reserved
Electronic mail to support@pmail.gen.nz.

WinPMail version: Version 4.62 (Win32), Aug 11 2011, build ID 191
Language resources: Standard UK English resource set
Extension Manager version: 1.14
Operating mode: Standalone
User name and ID: Single-user mode, 0
Windows version: 5.1
Windows flag word: 0
WINPMAIL.EXE directory: C:\PMAIL
Home mailbox location: C:\PMAIL\MAIL\WMS
New mailbox location: C:\PMAIL\MAIL
TMP environment variable: C:\DOCUME~1\Warren\LOCALS~1\Temp
TEMP environment variable: C:\DOCUME~1\Warren\LOCALS~1\Temp
LAN-based SMTP support: N, N, N

[quote user="Warren"]Thanks for responding.  It's a single user installation.  I download via POP3. I've always had my new mail stay in the new mail folder after it's read.  The default folder is named 000.

Pegasus Mail for Microsoft Windows
Copyright (C) 1992-2011, David Harris, all rights reserved
Electronic mail to support@pmail.gen.nz.

WinPMail version: Version 4.62 (Win32), Aug 11 2011, build ID 191
Language resources: Standard UK English resource set
Extension Manager version: 1.14
Operating mode: Standalone
User name and ID: Single-user mode, 0
Windows version: 5.1
Windows flag word: 0
WINPMAIL.EXE directory: C:\PMAIL
Home mailbox location: C:\PMAIL\MAIL\WMS
New mailbox location: C:\PMAIL\MAIL
TMP environment variable: C:\DOCUME~1\Warren\LOCALS~1\Temp
TEMP environment variable: C:\DOCUME~1\Warren\LOCALS~1\Temp
LAN-based SMTP support: N, N, N[/quote]

You got the important report and got it in here fine. No need for a screen shot.

When you ran the installer it found old setup information and now what you have is a mixed mess, part single user, part multi user setup.  Home and New mailbox locations different currently. Be sure to check both c:\pmail\mail and c:\pmail\mail\wms for *.cnm (raw new mail files).

Where are the *.pmm data files and the matching companion *.pmi index files now in \mail and below locations? Those file pairs comprise the messages folders other than new mail. Normally main.pmm is the default location unless something else was entered and saved. You say it was 000 and that certainly was not  by default by winpm-32 or installer.

You need to run PCONFIG executable in c:\pmail location in your setup, to view or set what is really set. It is safe to run and view and exit with or without saving results.

We are going to need assistance from Tom or somebody more familiar than me with straightening out one of these non standard mixed home and new mail location setups which is also not standard defaults of any full clean full install with current versions. All newer versions would have executables in c:\pmail\programs and would have also created \admin default username too. Do you have both \wms and a \admin subdirs now?

When you run Tools, Options and look at default location and attempt to reset it do you see main as one of the choices?

If may also be necessary to recreate state.pmj and/or heirarch.pm files to get everything recognized and all screen elements will need to be resized and saved. That is another subject and directions.

Sorry to say but right now you have a mess plus some former new mail folder messages may have been saved to a non existent filename or folder name which could have caused some loss. Setting and pointing to the desired folder with the GUI tools provided is a very important step and there is really never any reason to select anything other than the default location.

If you are curious you can look at the \defaults subdir to see the backup folders than winpm-32 creates and uses by default. Those are not the ones actually used currently but have counterparts in the real actually used \mail\<user> location.

Are you operating in normal List mode (single pane view) or the three  pane Preview mode? In Preview mode it is possible to have a new mail folder that is behind others and  not seen. Try switching back to the normal List mode and then also check the Window menu on the top main toolbar to see how many and what windows are listed.

I use the three-pane mode.  But I've switch back and forth.  No new mail folder.  I've also minimized that window and there's nothing behind it.  I also tried deleting my newly-created "new mail" folder (it was empty) but the original still doesn't show up.  Still, the bottom info line says "335 new," so they're not lost.  I just can't find them.

 In desperation, I loaded and installed another copy of Pegasus (latest version) and at least that allows me to see my new mail, but this is only a temporary solution.

In Tools, Options, General, Advanced make sure you have the Always block checked.

[quote user="Warren"]

I use the three-pane mode.  But I've switch back and forth.  No new mail folder.  I've also minimized that window and there's nothing behind it.  I also tried deleting my newly-created "new mail" folder (it was empty) but the original still doesn't show up.  Still, the bottom info line says "335 new," so they're not lost.  I just can't find them.

[/quote]

Have you tried to locate them using Windows search facility,  i.e. searching for files with the CNM extension?

Interesting suggestion, calsson, but I've been using Pegasus a long time and there are zillions of cnm files.  A search for a missing one would be a futility.  I'm pleased to report that I got a suggestion privately that solved my problem, which is this:  "With winpm-32 closed please rename hierarch.pm to heirarch.pm.bak and

please also rename state.pmj to state.pmj.bak and then restart winpm-32

to test."

That did the job.  Pegasus automatically re-created those file -- correctly -- and I can now access my new mail again. Ir's in newly-created "New mail" folder. Problem solved (although not really understood).  Thanks to everyone for their help.  This is a great forum.

[quote user="Warren"]Interesting suggestion, calsson, but I've been using Pegasus a long time and there are zillions of cnm files.  A search for a missing one would be a futility.  I'm pleased to report that I got a suggestion privately that solved my problem, which is this:  "With winpm-32 closed please rename hierarch.pm to heirarch.pm.bak and

please also rename state.pmj to state.pmj.bak and then restart winpm-32

to test."[/quote]

You're aware that Jerry already mentioned this in one of his posts to this thread, aren't you?

Jerry had several great suggestions, and because I never really understood the underlying file structure of Pegasus it was a bit bewildering.  I was trying his suggestions one at a time -- carefully. That was the one that finally resolved the problem.  He's fantastic.