Lost all sent emails on AOL

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Have had free web account for years. Never had problems with AOL previously, other than occasional downtime.

Sent emails were present while I was online on my laptop when I logged off several days ago. When I logged on later in the day, all the sent files were gone. I didn't delete them deliberately or even accidentally.

This sort of deletion/activity has never occurred before.

I've not done anything to recover them other than to wait, with fingers crossed, and hope that all would be well soon. Not so. (sigh)

Just now went to AOL Just Answer and asked "what happened?" and "how to avoid this again?"

Now they want a cc # and a "good faith $5 deposit."What can you suggest to prevent this sort of loss again?

Featured Answer

millworkman

9 years ago

Change to another email provider? Gmail from Google or Outlook from Microsoft.

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Comments (11)

azinoh
9 years ago
Sorry...no sympathy for you. If your email is that important it should not be trusted to web mail. Download-install-and learn to use a proper email client (e.g. ...Thunderbird) and configure it (POP3) so that your messages are downloaded to your hard drive. If that is not an option, then copy/paste whatever is important to you into a separate file.
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Terry - that was great - thanks. It completely did what I wanted to achieve. I can easily see if I've gotten new email on my other account without switching software, etc Now a new problem occurred yesterday - before I made those changes - and I have no idea what I may have done to cause it. probably something I did in experimenting with all these different email issues. I had my firefox set up to send links in emails (from my AOL address). But now I'm trying to send my mother a link (for the emergency microsoft update from 2 days ago) - and when I'm in Firefox (and the computer forum thread is open - or any web page is open) - and I go to File - then click send link - it brings up an email form (with my screen name in AOL as the sender - so that party's working) - but a whole mishigosh of info (the link info, perhaps) appears in the space where I should be entering the email address I'm sending it to. I have no idea why that is happening. If I cut and paste that info into the body of the email - and send it to myself to test it - it doesn't appear to be a link to get me to the webpage I want). Seems to me that the webpage link should be referred to in the subject line - and supplied in the body of the email - not some mess of information occuring in the send to line. I tried going to FF tools - applications- and mail to . I have several options to choose from - use AOL software (this appears twice - once with the AOL triangle with "default" in parentheses and once with what looks like a mail page form), and once it says use AOL mail. I think I've tried all three and it still doesn't work. And before I started trying to change my email settings this week, I think there was only 1 or 2 AOL options for mail application in Firefox. Okay - so now I checked all three. On use AOL mail, it gives me the gibberish (somehow related to the webpage I'm trying to send a link for) in the to: line. If I choose use AOL software (default) - with the mail form logo - it goes to AOL software - sets up the email correctly with the information about the link in the subject line - and the to: field blank for me to fill in the recipient. But it wants me to sign on or the send button is faded and I can't click it. If I choose use AOL software (with the AOL logo - not the email logo), it takes me to the AOL software page and says this file may not be supported by AOL. AOL will try to send it as a text file (and if I choose to try, it will tell me the file is too big). So I do I email somebody links? Thanks. Lynn.
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kudzu9
9 years ago
Sorry about the problem, but I have to say that issues like this are what made me give up AOL many years ago and never look back.
Jean
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
As said, this is a first. So, never a reason to quit.

And I should add, I never heard any discussion re using only a "proper email client." Further, we novices need your guidance & help, not disdain for something we weren't aware of.

Even so, thanks for your comments.
mikie_gw
9 years ago
Might look though your other folders. I lost all most current mail once, think I fell asleep with mail open and drag-n-dropped them somehow into another folder. Long time missing until I bumped into them & guesses what probably happened.
jean001a
Original Author
9 years ago
Yes, I did explore other folders. But no luck.

Fortunately, all email in personal folder appears to be intact.
dadoes
9 years ago
E-mail was originally designed to be downloaded OFF the server and permanently-stored local on the user's computer. That's what a mail client program does via the POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) protocol. Users wouldn't leave mail "permanently" on the server any more than postal mail would be left at the US Post Office. The e-mail server (and the Post Office) are to be considered as temporary storage, holding the data until the user downloads / brings his mail home.

Web-based e-mail is a relatively new thing and removes the user from full control over what happens to the data. IMO it's also a security risk. Leaving mail on the server makes it vulnerable to hackers. Anyone who hacks a server gets access to the data on it. GMail, Yahoo, HotMail, etc. servers are much more likely to get hacked than a user's personal computer.
zep516
9 years ago
Possible help here,

https://help.aol.com/articles/email-previously-listed-in-my-mailbox-is-missing
not2bright
9 years ago
Of course, it's always possible to use a desktop client (e.g. Thunderbird) simply as a back-up tool, while still using the AOL web interface for day-to-day email work.

It's too bad AOL doesn't have auto-forwarding (as far as I know), or you could easily have all incoming mail automatically backed-up by sending to, say, a Gmail or Outlook account. Then again perhaps a Gmail or Outlook account could "POP" the AOL account (as long as you'd choose the "leave mail on server" setting, so it doesn't remove it from the AOL inbox). I myself have a FastMail account and it's set to auto-forward to three other free accounts I have, so I don't worry to much about losing emails. :-)
Jennifer
9 years ago
By any chance, did you use your aol mail account on an Apple phone? Asking because my email stays on "the cloud". If so, maybe you can check there.
Jean
9 years ago
No. Don't have such a device. Was on a PC laptop at the time of the loss.

Lost all sent emails on AOL

millworkman

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azinoh

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Lost all sent emails on AOL

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