# Zombie emails **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757 "2010-05-17T14:01:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/1 "2010-05-17T14:01:16Z")
This is really bugging me. Spam email arrives in Outlook. I delete it and close Outlook (auto purge upon closing). Start Outlook up again, it’s baaaaack. How does this happen? How can I make it stop? Usually, after deleting emails twice, they don’t return again, but I shouldn’t have to do this. I’ve tried deleting the spam, then going to the deleted folder and hitting delete again, with the same result. And another thing while we’re at it: Google has suddenly decided that it needs to translate every word I mouse over into Spanish. How do I turn off this annoying feature? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/2 "2010-05-17T17:02:02Z")
Okay, I got rid of the translator problem, but still could use advice on the zombie email thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/3 "2010-05-17T17:10:06Z")
Don’t know about the google problem, but regards the zombie mail, do you have outlook configured to keep a copy of mail on the server ? Otherwise your just deleting it locally. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/4 "2010-05-17T17:29:10Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Don’t know about the google problem, but regards the zombie mail, do you have outlook configured to keep a copy of mail on the server ? > > Otherwise your just deleting it locally. > > Declan I just spent some time trying to figure out where and how to configure that, but no luck. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/5 "2010-05-17T18:18:54Z")
Dumb question, but are you sure it’s not just being sent again? Are the timestamps the same? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/6 "2010-05-17T19:39:16Z")
> [@arseNal](#): > > Dumb question, but are you sure it’s not just being sent again? Are the timestamps the same? Yeah, same emails. What a PITA. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/7 "2010-05-17T20:24:59Z")
I was mislead by the thread title. I thought you got the same e-mail I did, from some zombie prince in Africa who needs me to hold on to some brains he wants to send to the US. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/8 "2010-05-18T03:24:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I just spent some time trying to figure out where and how to configure that, but no luck. It’s in the E-mail Accounts “More Settings”, Advanced tab, delivery. A check box for “Leave a copy of messages on the server”. You should perhaps check the box that says “Remove from server when Deleted from ‘Deleted Items’” if you are going to leave a copy on the server. This applies to Outlook 2003, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/9 "2010-05-18T13:54:28Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > It’s in the E-mail Accounts “More Settings”, Advanced tab, delivery. A check box for “Leave a copy of messages on the server”. You should perhaps check the box that says “Remove from server when Deleted from ‘Deleted Items’” if you are going to leave a copy on the server. > > This applies to Outlook 2003, BTW. Found it, but the box is not checked. Perhaps this is a glitch for Outlook 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/10 "2010-05-19T00:10:58Z")
Do you have Outlook synchronized to a Gmail account? I have this happen occasionally due to a glitch when it syncs. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/11 "2010-05-19T13:25:17Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Do you have Outlook synchronized to a Gmail account? I have this happen occasionally due to a glitch when it syncs. No. I guess I can live with it. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-emails/539757/12 "2010-05-19T13:43:40Z")
May I make the classic recommendation of shooting the mail in the head? You have to destroy the brain. /gotnothing