Is an Email Client the answer? Please help.

Hollypopuk · Jan 26, 2011

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some advice. My problem is as follows. I use Hotmail email, my partner has my email password which is fine as he often needs to access it to check paypal emails etc. Recently however he has started deleting emails before I read them and wiping them from my deleted box. Now I'm wondering if it's possible to have an email client that will download my mail and hold onto it even if he deletes it from my hotmail so I can see it. If not an external email client then maybe a server I can stream my mail through as such? I was considering Thunderbird but I'm not sure if it has that capability, or if anything does make this possible?

Is there perhaps a client that will download the email as it's pushed onto the server but not remove them if its deleted thought my webmail account?

Any advice or opinions much appreciated. I have of course asked him NOT to delete things but it hasnt had any effect

DavidGP · Jan 26, 2011

Hi

This is a difficult-ish one as in the main if you delete hotmail emails they get deleted perminently as it doesnt work like many HTTP email services with "leave copy of emails on the server" option in email clients, I just tested this again with my hotmail account usinging Thunderbird to delete an email and then logging online to Hotmail and seeing if its still there, well sadly it wasnt.

But an option I could suggest barring anyone elses thoughts on this is to create yourself a new Hotmail account (dont give password out) and then in the one your having the delete issues, is to login online to Hotmail and click options, then click Email Forwarding and then click Forward your email to another email account and then add that account address into the box and click Save.

This should automatically forward all emails from your main email account to this secondary one, so you can access that account online to check for any missing ones.

I wouldnt suggest using an email client as in Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail, Outlook etc as your partner would have access to that client, unless you create a secondary Basic User account for them and leave yourself as Admin (create a password for the Admin account)

What Windows version and Service Pack are you using btw?

handygal · Jan 26, 2011

I like that solution a lot.

I had to go look in hotmail because my mail service would forward the email and not put on in the original box.

In hotmail options there is a line that says: Keep a copy of forwarded messages in your Windows Live Hotmail inbox.

Sounds like an ideal, reliable and discreet option. Only potential issue i could see if that your partner can get to the options too and turn it off again.

The only way around that is to make the partner their own box and copy it to them instead. Change your password and let your partner work out of their own box.

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Is an Email Client the answer? Please help.

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