[jbleisure]

I have 2 email accounts set up in Mail - One .Mac and one other.

Is there away for me to archive (and therefor keep a record of all emails)before I delete them from the server.

This will be so I can clear space on the server and still keep a copy of the email on the HardDrive.

Thanks.

[SWFan]

You should be able to just drag each respective mailbox and drop it to wherever on your computer or network. It will make a copy of the mbox which should include copies of all emails.

You can also just go to your ~/Library/Mail/ folder and copy the entire contents which will back up your entire Mail.app (settings and content).

[jrafter]

But the new mail.app does not use the mbox format, does it? Am I right, or have I misunderstood?
John

[jbleisure]

I just tried it. Yes you can drag and drop to the desktop. But then there is no elegant way to view the emails. No subject line.


http://i1.tinypic.com/n3kq2p.png

Is there a way to open the archive and view it as a regular mail view? So I can sift through and view my (archived) messages more easily.

[Tsilou B.]

Wait a moment - do you want an archive of your e-mails to copy that to a backup volume or do you just want to prevent the e-mails from being deleted from Mail when you delete them on the server? If it's the latter, then you can simply create a new local folder in Mail and drag all your e-mails from the inboxes to the local folder. They will be removed from the inbox (and thus, the server), but they will still be accessible from within Mail by selecting that local folder.

[jbleisure]

yes that's what I want to do.

How do I create a local folder in mail?

[jbleisure]

Tsilou B. Sorry that wasn't thought through I just got excited.

Creating a local mail box is obvious. But I have some queries.

When I select all messages (from say my .Mac mailbox) and drag them into the newly created local folder will it move them or copy them there? Will it automatically delete them from the server or do I have to do that some other way.

What about the sent mail? Should I create a separate local folder for the sent mail and do the same thing as with the inbox?

All this is so I can access my archived emails in mail app as there is a finite space on the server - and it will be part of my backup plan as I clone my HD once a week to an external.

[Tsilou B.]

Originally Posted by jbleisure

Tsilou B. Sorry that wasn't thought through I just got excited.

Creating a local mail box is obvious. But I have some queries.

When I select all messages (from say my .Mac mailbox) and drag them into the newly created local folder will it move them or copy them there? Will it automatically delete them from the server or do I have to do that some other way.

When they no longer show up in the inbox, that means they are deleted from the server, too (at least on IMAP and .Mac accounts).

Originally Posted by jbleisure

What about the sent mail? Should I create a separate local folder for the sent mail and do the same thing as with the inbox?

Yep, that's probably a good idea.

[Big Mac]

If you're interested, here's a utility that converts Tiger mail messages into pre-Tiger/Unix style mbox files. Also, concerning drive cloning as a backup strategy, there was a thread on the subject recently and many people were adamant that incremental backups are a far better choice.

[jbleisure]

Also, concerning drive cloning as a backup strategy, there was a thread on the subject recently and many people were adamant that incremental backups are a far better choice.

I use superduper and the smart update function works for me as it mirrors my working HD. If I want to save an earlier version of a document I duplicate it before I begin to change it and work on the copy. So doesn't that mean I achieve the same result but that way I retain control of what earlier files are saved and saveon space. Anyway it works for me.

If you're interested, here's a utility that converts Tiger mail messages into pre-Tiger/Unix style mbox files.

Thank you, I have saved the link and will check it out.

[Mastrap]

MailSteward will do exactly what you're asking for.

From the MS site:

If you get and send large volumes of email that you need to archive and access easily, then you need MailSteward™. It will do the things you need to do, and things you never thought of before, far better than any other solution.

If you are running Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or greater, and you are using the Mac OS X Mail application, or can export mbox files from other email clients, like Entourage and Eudora, then MailSteward™ is exactly what you need.

[jbleisure]

Thanks that looks good.