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Hours: 8:30am-5pm, M-F
Phone: 217-244-4688
Fax: 217-244-4358

Location: 424 Main Library
1408 West Gregory Dr. Urbana, IL 61801 (MC522)

 

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A Known Problem with CITES Express Email

Accessing your CITES Express Email account through a desktop email client (for example, Thunderbird) and the Express Email web interface at the same time can cause some of your messages to be deleted in rare cases.

Although CITES states that this problem occurs only in rare cases, it DOES happen. Please protect your email by following CITES guidelines.

If you accidentally have both Express Email and Thunderbird (or another desktop email client) open at the same time and you lose email as a result, contact CITES immediately for assistance in restoring lost files.

Note that assistance in recovering lost email is a fee-based service.

Library IT staff do not have access to the files needed to restore lost Express Email messages.

Preventive Measures

Do not use the web interface and the desktop client at the same time

Remember to always quit your desktop email application before logging in to the Express Email web interface. Similarly, you should always log out of the Express Email interface before opening your desktop email client. If you have your desktop email client open while accessing your Express webmail, you risk having some of your mail deleted permanently.

Configure desktop client and save emails to H: drive

H: drive is a server-side folder that is backed up nightly and access is limited to the individual. To configure Thunderbird local folders to use H: drive, follow these steps:

  1. Open Thunderbird, go to the top menu and click on "Tools", select "Account Settings..." from the drop down list:

    Tools menu image

  2. Account Settings window pops up. In the left-pane, click on Local Folders.

    account settings

    • On the right side of the window, in the Message Storage box, click on "Browse.".
    • Browse For Folder window pops up, browse to the folder named "email" in H: drive, click on Ok to accept this folder and exit the Browse For Folder window.
    • H:\Email should show in the Local Directory field now. Click on OK and exit the Account Settings window.
  3. You must close out Thunderbird and re-open it in order for the change to the local folders to take effect.
  4. Right-click Local Folders, and choose New Folder.
    • Create a name for your new folder and hit Ok.

      New folder image

    • You can also right-click on the new folder you just created and choose 'New subfolder.' if you want to create a sub-folder.
    • Repeat the above steps until you have created a satisfactory folder structure.

      folder image

Once you have your folders created as you desire, you can simply drag-n-drop messages from your CITES Express account (netid@uiuc.edu) to any of the folders you've created. This will keep your messages in a backed up location and allow you to reduce your quota on CITES Express.

Please note that you won't be able to access your local folders via the Express Mail web interface. If you need to work at home, this drive is accessible remotely by using VPN software and mapping a drive to \\libsys5\NetID$ (see G Drive, H Drive & Library Web Server for more information).