Email

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Email

Postby johnsykes » Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:54 pm

Anyone know why emails occasionally come in in duplications of two three or four? One time yesterday, I got an email 8 times.....all the same....all sent at the same time.

Thanks
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Re: Email

Postby jon » Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:12 pm

Other than the obvious situation of being on someone's mailing list twice, most of the duplicate e-mail issues are caused by the sender or receiver's e-mail software or Internet provider's mail server not receiving the acknowledgment response it expects after sending the e-mail from sender's e-mail software to their Internet provider to the receiver's Internet provider to the receiver's e-mail software. Rather than just requesting acknowledgment again, it sends the message again.

There are time stamps and unique message IDs in the hidden message header that can be used to determine if the problem is at the sender or receiver end.
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Re: Email

Postby johnsykes » Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:37 pm

It only happens occasionlly, but was worried it was a problem with my computer.

many thanks
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Re: Email

Postby Dan Sys » Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:42 pm

Are you sure that you're not just seeing double John? :excited: :excited: :excited: Or maybe triple?
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Re: Email

Postby johnsykes » Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:28 pm

You're a riot Alice.......to the moon Alice. No, Dan, I can't say I was, unfortunately.
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Re: Email

Postby johnsykes » Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:36 pm

I had the computer in to get a new power supply installed about three months ago....and one of the Geek Squad guys warned me the motherboard was getting frayed. I've been hoping I can survive with this computer until my tax refund comes in early March. I just maybe about three weeks away and the machine is fading fast. I've had it since 2004 so figure it's time to bid so long. I was told by the same guy that a motherboard could cost almost as much as a new computer today. I'm not looking for a high end unit.....just one that enables me to write emails just to pee people off with. :violent1:
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Re: Email

Postby PMC » Sat Feb 09, 2013 2:35 am

John,

There is a difference is e-mail storage.

When using Pop3/SMTP (regular e-mail), the mail is deleted after it gets downloaded.

When using the IMAP format, the mail remains on the server, until you specificly mark it for deletion. View it as a backup of your e-mail that is always there, unless you want it deleted.

GMail as example, uses IMAP format by default, but you can set it to be only Pop3/SMTP. Radiowest uses an IMAP format within itself.

If you are accessing your e-mail using both formats, your Pop3 reader will re-read your IMAP mail, since an IMAP download doesn't tell the server to delete the mail.

This effect can give two copies of the mail, but not eight copies.

When e-mail moves, it leaves traces/tracks of info on how it travels from server to server. Every piece of e-mail has `header' information. You can read the header info, by selecting the properties of the e-mail message. Right click on the message in the list and follow the prompts.

The header is filled with details, but you need to know how to read the data layout. Some of the info is very obvious, while some is very cryptic because of using numeric values for the tracking. The tracking occurs so that a response can be sent back to the sender, if the mail is undeliverable.
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Re: Email

Postby johnsykes » Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:06 am

It just seems strange that it would begin to duplicate all of a sudden. It has happened again overnight, only with some regular emails....TSN's recap from yesterday...Abbotsford weather forecast from the Weather Network, etc.
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Re: Email

Postby jon » Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:08 am

If it makes you feel any better, John, I've been getting some duplicate e-mails over the last month. And I've had reports of mine being occasionally duplicated to others, in a manner that makes it look like it is from my end.

ISPs use literally hundreds of individual computers as mail servers, and it is easy for one of them to have this kind of trouble for short periods of time.

As for replacement computers, there have been some good sales lately. I just picked up a "latest model" Windows 8 Dell laptop for $369 with 4GB of memory and dual core processor, rather than try and upgrade my HP netbook that only had 1GB of memory. Only accessory I bought was a $20 cloth case for carrying it. It came with everything else I could possibly think of.
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Re: Email

Postby johnsykes » Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:30 am

Lucky me was given a laptop about three months ago....so now its the desktop that needs retiring. Will be looking seriously once my tax return comes in.
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Re: Email

Postby jon » Sat Feb 09, 2013 2:31 pm

I suppose that you know this, John, but it is sometimes practical to use a laptop for both portable and desktop usage. In my own case, my wife boosts the height of the new laptop on a hutch that had been used for a CRT monitor 20 years ago, and hooks up a keyboard and mouse to a couple of USB ports.

Previously, with the netbook, she had plugged a larger monitor into the netbook, and plugged in a USB mouse to avoid using the touchpad. Because there was then no need to boost the height of the netbook, she used its keyboard.

In John's case, a lot depends on how large the laptop screen is, and how large he needs, versus the connectivity between laptop and external monitor.

In general, however, the situation is reversed from when radiofan and I bought our current desktop machines 5 years ago now. Then, you could buy a nice dual-core Intel processor-based Dell Desktop for $319, without monitor. But dual-core laptops were at least double that price. Now, laptops are cheaper than desktops.
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