Many thanks Thomas R!

Thanks for your good hints. I had another go at it last night and luckily it turned out to be less dramatic than I expected and ultimately it was partly related to a user error and easy to fix.

I initially thought that the unusual settings I detected were related to the use of the wrong (older) identity. PM is started through a command line option loading the correct identity. I assumed that the PM start icon could have been recreated manually or replaced by the default one through a Windows System Restore which I believe had been done in the past. However, all command lines were still correct. So who knows who changed the settings ;-)

The messages in the inbox were actually not deleted but I found that the sorting order for the inbox was accidentally set to "Sort unread before read" ... which should normally be detected easily. However, the inbox contained close to 700 messages ... waiting to be sorted into folders ... and who checks the end of that list ;-)

I also had searched for specific test emails which I also assumed to have ended up somewhere in that substantial folder tree - as you suggested. However, as all the emails were still in the inbox, nothing was found ;-)

The NOD32 AV might have deleted the "Deleted messages" folder and hopefully no other folders. I have defined some exceptions rules for CNM and PMM files.

Many thanks again.

Thomas-M.

I got an alarm call from a family member that his emails just keep disappearing from the Inbox after they have been read and PM restarted.

I could not find them anywhere. While Spamhalter is running emails are not in the spam folder nor have they been moved to any other folder and cannot be found in 'Deleted messages' folder . There is no filter defined as far as I can tell.

I ran a few test.

• Emails are only deleted if they where read and where marked as read.
• Email who have been read in preview remain untouched and 'unread' (as set so in options)
• Unread messages remain untouched. Reverting the read status to unread has the same effect.
• Emails are not deleted if stored in folders and where read.
• All this only happens when PM has been restarted (not during the session).

• Preserve deleted messages until PM closes (ticked)
• Allow read messages to stay in new mail folder (ticked)
• 'Deleted messages' folder persists between sessions (ticked)
• 'Name for default mail folder' is empty but 'Allow read messages to stay in new mail folder' is ticked.

> I got an alarm call from a family member that his emails just keep disappearing from the Inbox after they have been read and PM
> restarted.
>
> I could not find them anywhere. While Spamhalter is running emails are not in the spam folder nor have they been moved to any other folder
> and cannot be found in 'Deleted messages' folder . There is no filter defined as far as I can tell.

If there are no filter then they are being moved though it appears that they may also have a folder missing from the folder listing.  As a test make a note of the read mail in the new mail folder and then close it.  If the message shows up missing then do a search of all folders for this message.  I suspect that you will find it in a folder.  If so the hierarch.pm has been corrupted, probably by the A-V software.  

Try  the following procedure.  This has worked for several others to restore
the functionality of the  message folders:   

1.  Use Help | About Pegasus Mail | Info to determine your mail
    directory.  Exit Pegasus mail.

2.  Rename the file HIERARCH.PM in your HOME mail directory to
    HIERARCH.SAV.

3.  Run WinPMail.  Your HIERARCH.PM will be re-created and should
    start working correctly.

Note:  This will delete any tray structure you have created and it
           will have to be recreated.  The process will not affect any
           mail of mail folders you have, it only affects the display of
           the folders.    

>
> I ran a few test.
> Emails are only deleted if they where read and where marked as read.

Yes, then this move to another folder would happen either with the move unread mail to the default folder or a folder close filter.

> Email who have been read in preview remain untouched and 'unread' (as set so in options)
> Unread messages remain untouched. Reverting the read status to unread has the same effect.
> Emails are not deleted if stored in folders and where read.
> All this only happens when PM has been restarted (not during the session).
> Current settings:
>
> Preserve deleted messages until PM closes (ticked)
> Allow read messages to stay in new mail folder (ticked)

Make sure these are all select for all identities if using identities.

> 'Deleted messages' folder persists between sessions (ticked)
> 'Name for default mail folder' is empty but 'Allow read messages to stay in new mail folder' is ticked.
>
> I am looking after this PC (mainly for PM) and some trouble shooting through remote desktop sharing. When I accessed the PC some settings
> had apparently been altered before (as I do not recall to have set them like that) and I have reset them to the above. Problem however
> remains.
>
> 'Deleted messages' folder was missing which I recreated by deleting a message. I guess that the AV program might have done some damage here
> (NOD32) - need to check AV email settings again.

Make sure that NOD32 is not using auto protect on the Pegasus Mail folders (better to not be scanning any Pegasus Mail directories at all). This is a really good way to lose a whole folder.