I setup a client with Google Apps and a domain name about a week ago. The goal was to have their Powerbook G4 and iPhone 3G access the same Google IMAP account and stay in sync, and then set their Telus email account to forward all mail to the new Google address.
Once all the IMAP setup was done at the client’s home, and once all the email had been copied out of their Inbox and Sent folders into local folders “On My Mac”, I took a backup snapshot of their Mail folder prior to removing the account from the Apple Mail preferences to leave them with just the sleek new Google IMAP account (removing an account in Mail deletes all the stored email for that account – yikes).
All was well when I left; they had all their emails and life was good.
A few days later, I got an email from the client saying a bunch of their mail was missing. I thought “how could that be? I know I got it all, and spot checked to be sure.”
I went to the client’s office and started digging around in the old mbox files. They had all their mail from what I could see… It did not make any sense.
With some pointed questions about the specific way the client was storing their email, I found that they actually press “Delete” on the messages they don’t need in the Inbox anymore, but never empty their Trash folder, so those messages always come up in Spotlight searches when they need something.
I looked in the Mail backup on my portable LaCie Rugged, and sure enough, there was a Deleted Items mbox sitting pretty at 5.28GB.
Eureka! Saved by the spidey sense backup.
A couple of clicks and an Import… later, and all the messages were back; in a new folder On My Mac called Archive, of course.
