625953 - Inbox deleted while TB in compacting folders mode and try to delete a message in inbox

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 674742

(MailNews Core :: Database, defect)

Description

[Ozi Bob]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 5.1; Trident/4.0; GTB6.5; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 2.0.50727)
Build Identifier: Thunderbird 3.1.4

This problem has been reported in various user forums but seems to be attributed to other causes. Bugzilla #116443 and 585603 DO NOT address the problem.

It seems to me that the "delete" command is being stored and then applied to the current FOLDER rather than the originally selected file once the compact routine completes.

In my case (and I believe others on the forum) was not related to antivirus software or other interactions. It was specifically while TB3.1.4 was in "Compacting Folders" mode and an attempt was made to delete a file in the Inbox folder. The "folder?file? busy" (can't recall exact dialog) message appeared as it had done many times previously, however this time when compacting completed, the Inbox was empty. Inbox file was reduced to zero as indicated in other posts and bug reports.

After this disaster, I was also in auto upgrade mode and am now running TB3.1.7. Consequently the Error Console was reset and I can not find anything. See my thread from the forum at http://getsatisfaction.com/mozilla_messaging/topics/all_inbox_messages_deleted?utm_content=topic_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=reply_notification

This is a CRITICAL problem.

Regards...Bob Ecclestone



Reproducible: Didn't try

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Initiate file delete in Inbox while "Compacting" is in progress
Should get "Busy" dialog
2.
3.



Running default settings in TB except Courier font in Compose
ZoneAlarm Free
PC Tools Antispyware with Antivirus
Firetrust MailWasher Pro 2011
Windows XP Pro SP3

Comment 1

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Sounds same problem as bug 498814 or bug in dependency tree for bug 498814.
See also dependency tree for meta bug 498274.

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I'm inclined to agree it's a duplicate - there isn't much about compact that hasn't already been reported.

Ozi, is there a worthy bug in the dependency trees mentioned in comment 1?

Comment 3

[Ozi Bob]

Hi Wada and Wayne,
Thank you very much for being part of the development and/or bug buster team for Thunderbird. I am inclined to agree that this is a duplicate bug report.
I must say I had problems finding references to this problem intially.

Some comments if I may.
1) Firstly, I am not a code cutter, just a user who has done a very little coding a very long time ago when i86 clock speeds of 16MHz were state of the art.
2) If I am reading the bug trees correctly, this problem seems to have been initially seen in TB 1.x.x.
3) The problem is very intermittent although Wada seems to have been able to reproduce it at will(?).
4) I am not convinced the problem is initiated by the operation of some other non-TB routine or program, but rather is a bug within TB initiated by (say) trying to delete a file that is in the folder being compacted OR is in the default folder at the time, Inbox in my case.
5) It may be a subtle internal TB timing issue, which makes it appear that some other program is causing the problem due to that program issuing a higher priority interrupt during execution of the critical TB code. Higher clock speeds and more multi-tasking is the reasoning behind this comment supported by the fact that the problem goes back to TB 1.x.x.
6) Some folks (like Wada) seem to have spent a lot of time on this problem. Perhaps it is time to dump the entire Compact routine and start a rewrite from scratch, with manual operation only initially. The code could prompt a recommendation to initate a Compact, but not do it automatically. It just seems there is a very subtle hook in the (old) code somewhere.
7) What ever the cause, changes should be made now (TB 3.1.8??) to back up the Inbox in a recoverable format and that backup only deleted by manual confirmation the next time TB starts if the Compact routine considers it has completed sucessfully in the previous instance.
8) I have disabled Auto Compact completely in TB 3.1.7

Hope this helps. Cheers...Bob

Comment 5

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(In reply to Ozi Bob from comment #0)
> Build Identifier: Thunderbird 3.1.4

As I wrote in bug 498814, "Inbox file size=0 by Compact due to interfere(file open of Inbox) by other software" doen't occur if Tb 3.1 or later. It was Tb 2 and early builds of Tb 3.0xpre only problem. 
If "open Inbox file by Compact of official release of Tb 3.0 or later" is interfered by other software's read/write open of Inbox, different problem surely occurs(unable to copy/move mail to the folder, unable to o Compact, unable to do Repair folder).

Re-opening.

Comment 6

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

In bug 498814, it's found that loss of Inbox may occur if "rename nstmp to Inbox" step is interfered by someone even after Tb 3.1. Setting dependency.

Comment 7

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

"Error return code and error handling while doing Compact" was deeply analyzed by  Bug 674742, and problem was fixed.
This bug for "actual folder delete while compacting" is better duped to that bug.