RE: Plant Identification, what to do - large messages

Anthony asks how to avoid having an outsized message clog his inbox. He is using Outlook.

I use Eudora, but perhaps other mail programs have a similar setting to the following:

..............Skip messages over xxx K:
Turn this setting on and enter a file size (in Kilobytes) in the text field, and Eudora will not retrieve the message in its entirety if it is over the file size you specified here. These messages are retrieved only in part, which include the first few lines of the message along with a statement that says the message is not complete. This setting can be useful if you have a slow connection. ..................

This is useful because it won't tie up your computer for a long time as it downloads a large message you may not want. You can choose to download it at a convenient time if you decide you do want it.

There is a second problem, though, and that is having the large message sitting in your server's mailbox, filling it entirely, causing all subsequent messages to be bounced, and perhaps causing some of your lists to unsubscribe you automatically.

ISPs often have a limit on the size of message you can send or receive, as well as a total limit on how much you can have stored on their server (your "mailbox"). For instance, here is information about one U.K. ISP: Which?
...............The maximum message size you can send or receive using our system is 5Mb per message. Allowing for headers and body text this means you can send or receive an attachment with an e-mail of approximately 4.2Mb in size.
Your which.net mailbox is a total of 10Mb in size and once this limit has been reached it will reject further messages until you have picked up the messages held on the mail server. ..................

The message you sent, that I am replying to, was only 5 Kb. It was a fairly long message, and you could have a couple of thousand of them sitting in your mailbox without triggering any bounces.

The problem is with attachments, particularly if a large picture is sent, or if a number of pictures are sent in one message. The message that caused problems to some of you was 7394 Kb, or 7.4 Mb. If you had been subscribed to Which?, that message would have been bounced immediately and would not have caused you any problems.

Call your ISP and ask about the limits. You may be able to have a lower limit set on your account.

Diane Whitehead

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