Mail sent to WELL addresses arrives first at your mailbox on The WELL's mail server, which is called "mail.well.com". When you request your mail, the mail program you use picks up your mail and moves it to a place where that program can display it for you, either on your desktop machine, in your WELL home directory, or on a Web mail site if you use one.

Normally your mail program should delete the mail completely from "mail.well.com" so that your inbox on the mail server will be clear and available to receive and store new mail. But sometimes, either intentionally or unintentionally, your mail program will leave mail on "mail.well.com".

If you have received a message from Helpdesk asking that you reduce the amount of mail you have on The WELL's mail server, you may have questions that we can address in this FAQ.

If there is mail for me why can't I get it?
Maybe I want to see that mail? How can I get it?
How can I be sure my mail program is not leaving mail on "mail.well.com"?
Can you delete all the copies from the mail server for me?
Why is it a problem if I keep my mail on The WELL?

If there is mail for me why can't I get it?

If you have been checking your mail and you get mail from Helpdesk indicating you have too much mail on "mail.well.com", the messages are probably copies that were left by your mail program. Use the instructions below to find the place in your mail program where it is instructed to leave a copy of your mail on the mail server. Change that setting, and email Helpdesk so we can remove the copies that are there.

Maybe I want to see that mail? How can I get it?

When a mail program leaves a copy on the server, it marks it so it won't be downloaded again by the same installation of the program. You can download the copies with a different installation of the mail program, say, on a different machine.

You can ssh to your account and use Pine to download the messages to your home directory on The WELL. You can SFTP the .inbox from your home directory to your desktop machine and install them as a mailbox on your POP mail program. Be sure to delete the messages from your home directory to avoid storage charges.

You can use The WELL's Webmail to download the copies. Be sure to delete the messages from Webmail to avoid storage charges.

WELL technical staff will move large mailboxes aside if mail performance becomes degraded for other users. If that is the case, we will email the owners of the large mailboxes to contact Helpdesk to determine the best way to deal with the mail.

How can I be sure my mail program is not leaving mail on "mail.well.com"?

Find your mail program in the ones listed below and follow the instructions. If it is not listed, take a look at some of the other instructions and you can probably find it on your mail program.

POP Mail programs
Eudora on a PC
Eudora on a Mac
Netscape 6 Mail on a PC
Netscape 6 Mail on a Mac
Netscape 4.7 Mail on a PC or Mac
Outlook Express on a PC
Outlook Express on a Mac
"Mail" on Mac OSX

UNIX mail programs at "well.com"
Pine, WELL Berkeley Mail, etc.

Using a Webmail site
Webmail

Instructions:

Eudora on a PC

1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
2. Select Incoming Mail from the ribbon on the left of the window.
   • Be sure "Leave mail on server" is not checked.
   • Be sure "Skip messages over ... K in size" is not checked.
3. Click the OK button to close the window.

Eudora on a Mac

1. From the Special menu, select Settings. Select Checking Mail from the ribbon on the left in the window.
   • Be sure no box is checked in the Mail Management box.
2. Click the OK button to close the window.

Netscape 6 Mail on a PC

1. From the Edit menu, select Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings....
2. Select Server Settings.
   • Be sure "Leave messages on server." is not checked.
3. Click the OK buttons to close the windows.

Netscape 6 Mail on a Mac

1. From the Task menu, select Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings....
2. Open your WELL account setting. Click on "Server Settings".
   • Be sure "Leave messages on server" is not selected.
3. Click the OK button to exit.

Netscape 4.7 Mail on a PC or a Mac

1. From the Edit menu, select Preferences.
2. Click on Mail & Newsgroups. Highlight "mail.well.com" and click the Edit button.
3. In the Mail Server Properties window, select the POP tab.
   • Be sure "Leave messages on server" is not checked.
4. Click the OK buttons to close the windows.

Outlook Express on a PC

1. From the Tools menu, select Accounts.
2. Highlight your WELL account and click the Properties button on the right side of the window.
3. In the Properties window, select the Advanced tab.
   • Be sure "Leave a copy of messages on server" is not checked.
4. Click the OK buttons to close the windows.

Outlook Express on a Mac

1. From the Tools menu, select Accounts.
2. Highlight your WELL account and click the Edit button on the right side of the window.
3. In the Edit window, select the Options tab.
   • Make sure "Leave copy of each message on the server" is not checked.
4. Click the OK buttons to close each window.

"Mail" on Mac OSX

1. Launch the "Mail" application.
2. From the Mail menu, select Preferences.
3. In the Description column, highlight the name you gave your WELL account and click the Edit button.
4. In the edit mail account window, select the Account Options tab.
   • Check the Delete messages on server after downloading button.
   • Close the POP Alert box by clicking its OK button.
5. Close the Account Options window with its OK button.
6. Close the Mail Preferences window with the red button on its title bar.

Pine, WELL Berkeley Mail, etc.

Pine and other UNIX mail programs will leave a copy of your mail on the mail server only if you have set up a .fetchmailrc file in your home directory. If you have done this, you must download your mail using the UNIX mail program and using your POP mail program. Failure to download mail with both mail programs will allow mail to build up on The WELL's mail server.

To see if you have a .fetchmailrc file, ssh to your WELL account, and at the OK prompt, type ls .fetchmailrc and press enter. If you have the file, its name will be repeated alone on the next line.

If you are not reading your mail in both UNIX and POP mail, you should remove your .fetchmailrc file so mail will not pile up on the mail server. To remove the file, simply type !rm .fetchmailrc at the OK prompt and press enter.

Using a Webmail site

If you use a Webmail site elsewhere to pick up your WELL mail, you must be sure the site is not leaving a copy of your mail on The WELL's server. Such sites include Mail2Web, MailStart, and Yahoo.

Can you delete all the copies from the mail server for me?

We can delete all your mail from the mail server, but we can't delete only part of it. If you want us to delete your accumulated mail from "mail.well.com" you should first check your mail during WELL Helpdesk working hours to download any new mail. Then contact Helpdesk and ask that the remaining mail be removed from the mail server.

Why is it a problem if I keep my mail on The WELL?

If you keep mail in your home directory on The WELL, that is fine. Keep in mind that after 100 MB of files, your account will accrue storage charges. It only becomes a problem for The WELL's mail system if your mail is left on The WELL's mail server and not downloaded to your desktop computer or your home directory.

For information about The WELL or for WELL Customer Support, contact:

WELL Helpdesk
The WELL
101 Spear Street, Suite 203
San Francisco, CA. 94105
(415) 645-9300

email: helpdesk@well.com for more information about The WELL and WELL Customer Support.

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