Mageia forum

I am trying to configure KMail.
I originally tried to setup a IMAP account.
But I could not see any thing on the KMail window. Just a black Screen.

I then set the account up as a POP3. But unfortunately I did not set it to leave messages on the server.
It therefore downloaded everything and deleted them from the server.

I use an IMAP connection on my other computer, so I was 'kinda' counting on the messages being there.

However I still cannot see anything on KMail.
1. How can I at least get KMail to show me the messages it downloaded
2. Get my IMAP connection to show the folders and messages.

I also seem to have hidden the menubar -- how do I get it back as well?

For the menubar, try pressing Ctrl + M. Although a screenshot might help, on what you're referring to as menubar.

Ctrl-M returned the MenuBar -- thank you
now
Why is everything still black ?

Attached is a screen shot of the "Black" KMail Screen

This may not help, but it's what I would experiment with.

Now you have a menu bar, do the menus work?

If they do, I notice you are trying to display a "unified mailbox - Sent". Does the same blackness persist if you use the "Go" menu then "Jump to Folder" and select an ordinary Inbox? Not a unified one.

If the screen remain black and the menus work, and the downloaded emails are important to you, I might consider using "Tools menu - Import/export Kmail data" to export the messages. Then create a new user on your machine, run KMail in that new user and try importing the data into that.

On anything other than KMail I'd then suggest deleting the profile on your original identity and starting KMail afresh.

One of the reasons I gave up using KMail was because it was becoming so tightly integrated with the rest of the KDE PIM components that I'm not even sure that last is possible any more.

Changing to an ordinary inbox did nothing to get rid of the "Black".
I was able to Export the KMail data.
That may help.

What would you recommend other than KMail?

Ok --- I have exported my KMail data.
I would like to transfer it to another Mageia system using a USB 'thumb drive'.
But when I plug it in -- I don't see it -- Am I missing something?

Talking about choices for email clients is a recipe for having scorn poured all over you, even if it's nothing worse.

I use Thunderbird because I understand it.

I don't go for the whole KDE integrated thing, I use KDE because it's "Session Restore" works more comprehensively than anything else I've found.

I really could do with a second, well featured, email client though.

Claws and similar don't work for me. Their way of dealing with html mail leaves a lot to be desired....in my opinion.

I'm trying Evolution now, it may (I don't know) be OK with one email account, but my requirement is to have six in it. It displays email headers OK, but when I click to read, it's taking 30 seconds to display the content of one mail.

KMail won't do GMail for new accounts.

Mailspring requires me to register with them to use it and I'm not too happy with that idea.

What else is there.

I've got every email I've ever received back to year 2000 in Thunderbird so it's handling 200,000 + emails without distress. I see no reason to use anything different.

Now if only I could run two copies of TBird at the same time..........

USB Stick, different question.

However, using Mageia KDE, if I plug in a memory stick, I get a pop up by the clock asking what I want to do with it. There should also be an icon "Device Notifier" that could show it if you missed the notification.

You may have more trouble with KDE than just KMail if you are not seeing that.

If your KDE isn't noticing the insertion of the memory stick, plug it in again and then run the command:

Code: Select all

dmesg

in a terminal. Copy and paste the last dozen lines in a reply so that we can see if the stick is being recognised.

Then it'll probably be possible to mount the stick manually.

Thank you
I was able to:

• Mount the Stick
• Copy the Export (.ZIP File)
• Transfer Export to 2nd System

However when I try to import the ZIP file on the new system.
The Import/Export tool cannot seem to find the file.

Well, it was only a thought.

Here's another one, what happens if you manually unzip the zip file first?

How big is the zip file? Does it seem big enough to hold the quantity of email you should have in KMail?

You may want to add some information.
How exactly did you create your Kmail data export? Did you do it like this https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/pim/pim ... index.html ?
If you did it that way, can you see the contents of yor zip file via Tools → Show Archive Information ?

Also see https://userbase.kde.org/KMail/FAQs_Hin ... machine.29

Found the Zip File -- seems when it got exported and/or copied the .ZIP extension was lost.
Was able to load/import my messages.
Still getting black screen on original machine though.

Well, if you've got any data safe and capable of being restored to a working KMail, my first suggestion, is that if it's valuable make two copies of it stored off machine.

Is the copy of KMail you are importing into on the same physical machine as the broken copy, or on different hardware?

I suppose, what I'm getting round to is suggesting that you uninstall KMail, which appears to only want to take the KMail handbook with it, and then reinstall it. In the hope that it will take its configuration files with it and start afresh. Be careful there though, if it starts talking about taking lots of dependencies with it back out of the situation and think again.

If it doesn't clear the problem then it'll probably be a case of playing "hunt the configuration files", deleting them and starting the setup again.

If you have a second machine that you can experiment on, I'd be happier doing it on that than one that you are using regularly for other work. Save that excitement for if the process works on the experimental machine.

The machine I imported to is on completely different hardware.

I will try un-installing & reinstalling kMail.

Just to see if it uninstalls/reinstalls without difficulty of course.

If it does then perhaps try it on the real machine.........Good Luck.

Before un-installing & reinstalling kmail I'd suggest to simply create a new user account, login as that user account and see if kmail also shows a black screen.

Something I noticed.
On the problematic machine the "Mageia Welcome" application starts upon login.
It also has a Black Window/screen. Could this be related.
My 'good' machine does not start "Mageia Welcom" on login.

I don't want/need the Welcome app.
Maybe it's part of my problem.
How do I prevent it from starting?

I think this is now evolving into a completely different sort of problem.

Rather than a particularly KMail problem it's wider spread than that and I suspect that tackling either KMail or the Welcome screen in isolation are doomed to failure.

However, the Welcome screen is easy to try. If it's not showing on your second machine, you'll find it on the "Tools" menu under "Mageia Welcome". You'll see the check box to stop it appearing is an incredibly small target if you can't see it.

It's a stand alone thing in the list of installed programs and uninstalling it would be easy as would putting it back again. Just search in "Install & Remove Software" for "Welcome".

Has this black window problem always happened on your machine or is it something new?

Could it be tied to something you've installed recently if it's new?

It sounds to me as if it's more likely to be an effect associated with graphics cards/drivers.

What do you have in your machine?

You might be better off abandoning this thread now you've recovered your emails and starting a new one along the lines of "Some windows only show as a black rectangle".

I am going to mark this closed as there are really two issues here.
1. Black KMail Screen
Still on going & will raise a new issue
2. "Lost messages"
I was able to export the Mailbox an load in the messages onto another system
This was the 'important issue' here.