Hellooo again Mac users.... :-)

[Catty1]

Okay.

On the Mac at work, we use Entourage email. And yes, we get a lot of spam, but most goes to the Junk folder. A few that don't are sent there manually.

Well, there is this ONE email, clearly marked SPAM, that will NOT leave the inbox. If this was happening in a PC, I'd think VIRUS. But not sure what to do here.

This bit of spam, once highlighted, cannot be budged. No matter WHAT command you hit - delete, move, forward - as soon as it is clicked, the little "download" swirly appears (hourglass on PC)....and it goes ON and ON and ON...you can't do ANYTHING in the email program, and the puter has to be restarted or force quit and booted up to get rid of the 'swirl'.

A buddy suggested I create a separate email account, and move the offender there, and delete the account...but that sucker will NOT be moved.

Any ideas? Solutions?

Thanks!

(PS I did download the Tiger antivirus for Mac, but it didn't seem to install...maybe next time I boot the computer up, it will right itself...)

[prechrswife]

I asked my hubby, the resident expert in Mac things, and he has no idea how to fix that. He suggested contacting Apple about it to see if they can help. I'm curious to see what others have to suggest.

[Grace]

Okay - this is a Microsoft problem, not an Apple one. Try turning Entourage off. Then depress the SHIFT button before turning on entourage. Then try to delete the email.

I have no idea what that swirly thing is, but you only have to force quit Entourage, not the entire OS.

Not sure if this will help, but HERE is a link to an Entourage help page.

If all else fails, call the toll free customer service number (888-285-6247). I've had to call them twice, several years back. Both times I spoke to customer service reps in Canada who were amazingly patient and helpful.

[Catty1]

Thank you, Grace! I'll give that a try!

The "swirly" thing is the same as the hourglass that appears on a PC when something is downloading or opening. This swirly appears in normal opening of large docs, or up/downloads.

It's just that it appears on this one piece of spam whenever a person tries to do ANYTHING to it.

Will give this a shot.

[Hellow]

The first thought that came to my mind: It might be pretty big and the computer is trying to delete it but it takes time.

[Grace]

Thank you, Grace! I'll give that a try!

The "swirly" thing is the same as the hourglass that appears on a PC when something is downloading or opening. This swirly appears in normal opening of large docs, or up/downloads.

It's just that it appears on this one piece of spam whenever a person tries to do ANYTHING to it.

Will give this a shot.

This swirly thing - like a colorful beachball?

[Catty1]

This swirly thing - like a colorful beachball?

Yup! Real purdy!

And Reggie, you may have a point. The iMac they have is older and will support up to 1GB...for some reason, their internet company set up the computer as well...with 763k! But...when I have to wait a HUGE long time for a piece of spam to delete, I get worried about what's in it!

I am going to suggest that they get all their photos offsite to another HD - they have a Bluetooth kind of thing, but I want them to know that if they save the photos offsite, they are being DELETED from the Mac!

They are very intelligent people - with PhDs - but also trust "their" one and only computer tech/web designer, etc.

[Hellow]

And Reggie, you may have a point. The iMac they have is older and will support up to 1GB...for some reason, their internet company set up the computer as well...with 763k! But...when I have to wait a HUGE long time for a piece of spam to delete, I get worried about what's in it!

1GB and 763K of what?

[Grace]

1GB and 763K of what?

RAM, probably.

[Hellow]

Well, that explains the 1GB of memory supported, but the reason it might take so long is because the processor is obviously as old as the computer, so it is stressing the processor.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

The "swirly" thing is the same as the hourglass that appears on a PC when something is downloading or opening. This swirly appears in normal opening of large docs, or up/downloads.

I'm not sure about your problem, sorry. I just wanted to comment on the "swirly"... it's a pinwheel! I hope you get things worked out.

[Catty1]

Grace is right, Reggie - the iMac itself will support 1GB of RAM, but the people who set it up installed only 763k

This is a work computer for a national/international development organization. There are tons of amazing photos and many documents going back years.

So...I will check with Utilities to see the kind of RAM the iMac has, as they have a few old Macs in the basement...which just might have some RAM worth taking!

Thanks for all your thoughts, folks!