4698 emails in my inbox!

[#1]

Hi, I have just opened my in box and it is trying to download over 4000 emails into it.  It got up to 124 and then I realised something fishy was going on (I never get more than 100 emails a day).  I've stopped it.  The funny thing is that it says I have 124 new emails in my in box but there is nothing new in there.  Any idea what is going on?  I am up to date on my security software.

[#2]

Welcome to the Forum
You will  have to give us a clue
Are the bounced undelivered?  - A lot of spam is sent with faked from addresses, thes if going to a bad addresses will come to you, this doesnt often happen and normally stops after a few days

[#3]

Actually I have just discovered that the 'new' emails are copies of old emails I've already received.  It seems all of my emails (I'm guessing 4968!) are being redelivered to me with the original dates (which is why I couldn't find them in my inbox as they are dates months ago.  I now have 124 copies of my old emails posted in my inbox as new.  Really weird.

[#4]

Sounds like you're using "POP3" and have the option to "Leave messages on server" ticked.
Your client has essentially forgotten which emails are old, and which are new.
B.

[#5]

Thank you ever so much for replying - what does that mean and do you know what I can do to stop it?  I'm using 'Windows Mail' on Vista. 

[#6]

and by default Windows mail leave a copy on the server which is completely opposite to other clients.. You need to right click on the mail account, select properties and then select the advance tab and uncheck Leave a copy on the server.

[#7]

Does Windows Mail do the same as other clients using POP3 and only only delete the messages from the server (if the options are set that way) when all the messages have been downloaded? If so getting rid of then is going to be fun - not!
I'd suggest you log in to webmail. In options change "Number of messages per page" to something like 250, then on each page use the toggle all and delete. You probably want to click the triangle beside the header on the date column so it displays the oldest messages first. After you have delete messages, in the left hand column click Check Mail and a (Purge) link will appear beside Trash to enable you to empty it.
If you do this for all messages you have already received then go back to Windows Mail and just get the new ones.
Whatever you do don't try using Show All - it will take forever!

[#8]

Quote from: itsme

and by default Windows mail leave a copy on the server which is completely opposite to other clients..

Just checked this and you're right - not that I doubted you of course
You learn a new thing every day!
@bespokenutrition, is it Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail that you're using? If it's the former then you might want to consider upgrading (if that's possible) as the software has since been depreciated in favour of the latter.
The symptoms you're describing sound like Windows Mail is getting it's UIDL numbering muddled i.e. it's 'forgetting' what messages it's already downloaded.

[#9]

Just me being picky, but in that last post "has since been depreciated in favour of the latter" surely should have been "has since been deprecated in favour of the latter"
And just in case you've never heard of deprecate ( a word taht IT techies like to use to show their infinitely superior intellect it simply means to discourage the use of

[#10]

Quote from: eBatch

... in that last post "has since been depreciated in favour of the latter" surely should have been "has since been deprecated in favour of the latter

Yes, it should have been. It's really not my day today!