How to Delete Stuck Emails that Cannot be Deleted by Normal Methods

[Go Blue]

Just doing a little house cleaning, and I find I have about 400 emails from last October that I cannot delete by any method on my 8800. They are all in the BES account. Those emails have long since been moved to the archive file in Outlook. I guess I hadn't noticed them before because they are all "read" so they don't show up on the unread counter.

There are no other antiques, either in BES or in BIS. I have "Save for 30 Days" selected, and for all accounts, including BES, nothing older than May 2, 2008 is still on the BB except for this group from last October.

I've tried "Delete Prior", I've tried to hold the lower left caps key and scroll to select multiple emails and then select "Delete", I've tried to delete 'em one by one -- nothing will make them go away.

Yes .......... I have checked to see that they are not saved -- the Saved folder is empty. I've tried the ubiquitous battery pull. These things are in there with super glue, and I can't make them go away.

Any other suggestions ??

[naviwilliams]

Only way to get rid of this is to wipe the device, and then reload it, i.e. add it back to BES. Since BES does a backup regularly, you'll get your contacts and the likes back...

[JeffH]

I can't find this info anywhere in the Crackberry forums, but here is a link to a possible fix, from another site.

Lotus Geek :: Unable to delete Blackberry emails? Here's a solution...

If this works for you, please respond so I'll know for future reference.
Thanks,

[ronnie51]

Wait something u doing wrong cause if u get to to the folder that says delete prior and hit delete everything should b out.try deleting each area out too sms emails browser mesgs and call logs. C what haPpens then.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by JeffH

I can't find this info anywhere in the Crackberry forums, but here is a link to a possible fix, from another site.

Lotus Geek :: Unable to delete Blackberry emails? Here's a solution...

If this works for you, please respond so I'll know for future reference.
Thanks,

Thanks JeffH !!

I followed the instructions in the link you posted.

Good news is, it got rid of all the old emails from back in October.

Bad news is, it got rid of all of the new emails too !!

I actually expected it to remove all of the messages, so no surprise and no problem. All BIS messages are gone as well. The only messages left on the device are the call log messages.

Now -- what is still the open question: Will my current messages that are (or maybe were) in my Outlook folder come back, or did this delete them from Outlook? I don't have my office 'puter here with me this weekend, so I won't know that answer until I get in tomorrow morning.

I'm thinking there are 3 possibilities: 1) the current messages will come back, but I doubt that since previously send messages don't sync onto the BB -- they only get sent in real time, and then one of the following 2 possiblities: 2) the current messages are still in my Inbox, and all is well, or 3) the process caused the messages in my inbox to be deleted. If so here's hoping they are in the deleted folder in Outlook, not gone. If they're really gone then we'll just have to do a restore from the Outlook server backup, so nothing's really at risk.

So, the process does indeed get rid of otherwise un-delete-able emails, but there are side effects. I'll let you know tomorrow if the cure was worse than the disease

In any event, this solution is MUCH preferable to a wipe of the device, so good to know there is an intermediate solution.

Thanks again for the lead on a solution.

[JeffH]

If it turns out the side effects are manageable, maybe we can get this process made into a sticky, since it doesn't appear anywhere that I can find in the forums, and naviwilliams obviously didn't know about it.

Let me know what you find tomorrow.

[Go Blue]

Update on the Outlook impact of this solution: Good News !!

All my Outlook emails are intact after this solution. They are on the server, but did not make it back to the BlackBerry. The only way I have found to get them back onto the BlackBerry is to forward them one-by-one back to my Outlook inbox (which also results in a "sent" copy going to the BB as well). This is not a big deal -- there are only a few that I need to resend so that I have a copy with me on the BB when I'm mobile.

FWIW -- none of the BIS emails came back to the BB either, but they are all still on their respective servers as well.

Calendar events were unaffected on the BB or in Outlook. Contacts are intact as well.

So, again -- a MUCH less painful solution than a device wipe and start over approach !!

The only caution I would offer is that if you're about to head out of town on an international trip, and your travel arrangements and itinerary are in an email on your BB, you might want to wait 'till you get back to do this !!

JeffH -- it would be good if we could get this issue and solution into a sticky. I searched this site and several others for a solution without success until you posted your link. THANKS again for finding the simpler and less painful solution !!

[naviwilliams]

Problem
The BlackBerry smartphone user cannot delete email messages. Also, a folder icon is displayed next to new email messages even though the email messages are in the Inbox and have not been filed. These email messages do not appear in the Messages list but are displayed when the Inbox folder is selected from the View Folder menu.
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Cause
The BlackBerry smartphone user's IBM Lotus Domino mail template was refreshed or replaced (does not just apply to Lotus Notes!).
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Resolution
To resolve this issue, perform the following:

Upgrade the BlackBerry Enterprise Server software as follows:
For BlackBerry Enterprise Server software version 4.0, install software version 4.0 Service Pack 7 (4.0.7) or later
For BlackBerry Enterprise Server software version 4.1, install software version 4.1 Service Pack 3 (4.1.3) Hotfix 1 or later
Instruct the BlackBerry smartphone user to complete the following steps:
On the BlackBerry smartphone, click Messages and then display the menu.
Click Options and select Email Reconciliation.
Set the On Conflicts field to Mailbox Wins.
Set the Wireless Reconcile field to Off.
Save the changes.
Wait several seconds, return to the messages options and set the Wireless Reconcile field to On.
Save the changes.
This allows the BlackBerry smartphone user to delete unopened email messages received after the mail template is refreshed or replaced but before BlackBerry Enterprise Server software version 4.1.3 Hotfix 1 is applied.
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Workaround
Instruct the BlackBerry smartphone user to complete the following steps:

Warning: The following procedures will delete either all data or all data and applications on the BlackBerry smartphone. Back up the data prior to wiping your BlackBerry smartphone. For instructions, see KB12487.

Clear the Messages database on the BlackBerry smartphone. For instructions, see KB10167.
Back up the data on the BlackBerry smartphone. For instructions, see KB12487.
Delete all data and applications on the BlackBerry smartphone. For instructions, see KB02318.
Activate the BlackBerry smartphone over the wireless network. For instructions, see the Enabling wireless enterprise activation section of the BlackBerry Wireless Enterprise Activation Release 4.0: Technical Overview white paper.
Turn off Wireless Reconciliation on the BlackBerry smartphone. For instructions, see the Resolution section above.
To rebuild the mail folders, complete the following steps:

Warning: Modifying databases used by the BlackBerry Enterprise Server can cause irreparable damage, resulting in unexpected server behavior or service failure. Back up the databases prior to implementing any changes.

In the Mail Folders view of the State Database, delete all documents for the affected BlackBerry smartphone user except the Inbox folder.
Wait several minutes.
Make sure the BlackBerry smartphone user turns on Wireless Reconciliation on the BlackBerry smartphone.

[douglaswilson]

How about this problem- i deleted all emails and my phone says i have one unopened email. Can you help me get rid of it please? Thanks.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Garz]

Originally Posted by douglaswilson

How about this problem- i deleted all emails and my phone says i have one unopened email. Can you help me get rid of it please? Thanks.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Sounds like you actually saved a email before opening instead of deleting. Check your view saved message folder and see if its there.

[douglaswilson]

Nooooo...... Nothing is saved. I just can not make this icon go away!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Garz]

Originally Posted by douglaswilson

Nooooo...... Nothing is saved. I just can not make this icon go away!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Did you try a battery pull?

[douglaswilson]

Yes- that was the first thing i tried.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Garz]

The last thing I would suggest is wiping handheld. I had to do this when I had a missed call icon that would not go away and worked for me. I would back up data via desktop manager and then wipe handheld. Options > Security Options> general settings > menu > wipe handheld. Then restore you data. I would do a selective restore without any messages restored.

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by douglaswilson

How about this problem- i deleted all emails and my phone says i have one unopened email. Can you help me get rid of it please? Thanks.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Have you tried the procedure that's linked at the top of this thread? It has worked for everyone that's tried it so far. The only downside is potentially losing your emails, and you've deleted them already.