ok, so i forgot to check the box to save all the messages on the server, and everything else is on the server, except my INBOX. this is BAD. i dont have control of the mail server so i cant upset an IMAP server.

However, my web-client which i was using before (web-based mail 3.6) can grab yahoo, gmail, POP3. So, perhaps i can forward all my email (i was trying to setup outlook, not linux, i know, but people here tend to be knowledgable and friendly) to gmail or yahoo, and then download it to my web-based email. i don't know if there is any way to preserve the names of the original senders and dates or anything, so it looks like it did before i deleted everything.

any thoughts on this would be appreciated. thanks.

In what format do you currently have the emails? Exactly where do you want to get them now?

thanks, but i got it. i just used bluebottle.comsince they have an IMAP server and POP3 server, and i uploaded all my INBOX emails to them via IMAP, and then downloaded it from them with my original webbased email (which luckily happens to support POP3) so now theyre all back in the INBOX. theyall have a webmail.dat file attached to them, but i can handle it, im glad to at least have them back. but thanks.