This week I was installing RAM on a Microsoft Windows 10 computer for a business client at their location. After I finished the job, the computer was faster than before my visit. Before I leave any client location I ask if there is anything else they need. Today my client had an on-going issue which has been irritating them form a while. My client called technical support for their email, but ran out of time before they got any help.
My client has two computers they use in different locations of their building. When they read their email on one computer the messages older than 2 weeks disappear for some reason. The other computer is fine when viewing email – no messages disappear. I started investigating this computer and asking questions of my client. They use Chrome web browser to view their email from their business account. I searched the email settings and saw nothing related to removing mail after a certain date. I also checked the view settings and found nothing. I tried another web browser on this first computer and couldn’t find any emails older than two weeks. I was stumped so more questions were asked.
I moved to the second computer to see if I could find any clues and my client said the used an icon on the Windows 10 computer to open the mail program. This is the computer where all the emails appear. I looked for the program and expected to see a web browser icon and instead found Microsoft Outlook! My client confirmed that this is the program he uses on the second computer for email. This changes everything because Microsoft Outlook handles email messages differently than web mail in a browser.
Outlook usually removes the email message from the email server when it is read and stores it locally on the computer. This contrasts with web mail in a web browser which doesn’t download it off the server onto the local computer; It leaves the messages on the mail server. I searched in Outlook for the setting which was interfering with their email. I finally found it under File-Account Settings-Account. Email Tab- Pop3-Change -More-Advanced-Delivery. Found a checkbox for “Leave a copy of messages on server” and it was checked. So that is good. Underneath a box was checked that said ” Remove from server after 14 days”. This was it! I unchecked the box and we’ll wait to see if the problem is solved. (But I’m fairly certain it is)