I cannot find rebuild folder under properties by right clicking.

Where are you clicking, and what do you see when doing so?

I was right clicking my inbox icon hoping to find the 'rebuild' option under properties in Thunderbird program. Now, 24 hours later I'm thinking I probably got a email virus. I have put all of the corrupted emails into a new folder in my email. I am hoping the damage can be redone/reversed.... but it probably can't. I will run a complete virus scan on the computer today. Any chance my corrupted emails can be salvaged back to original state? I did run a complete computer virus scan yesterday and nothing showed up. I'm not a geek but trying my best. Thank you.

I'm not a geek but trying my best.

How about precisely answering the question(s) being asked:

Where are you clicking, and what do you see when doing so?

Now, 24 hours later I'm thinking I probably got a email virus.

How did you determine that?

I have put all of the corrupted emails into a new folder in my email.

Did that change anything wrt the problematic messages?

I am hoping the damage can be redone/reversed

Even if there is a malicious attachment in an email sitting in one of your folders, there will be absolutely no harm to your computer, as long as you don't open that message and trying to open or run the attachment.

The damage will be done when your anti-virus software will try to quarantine or remove it, and corrupt Thunderbird mail files in the process.

Where are you clicking, and what do you see when doing so?

I right click my thunderbird 'inbox' icon. From the choices offered I selected the last one 'priorities'. Then a box appears and it offers 'folder properties' of 'general information' and 'retention policy'. I had read in mozilla support that an option of 'rebuild' should appear....but it didn't, so I closed that window.

How did I determine I had a virus ?

I am VERY cautious with my email and try to make sure the sender and the email address match. I assumed a virus for lack of another answer.

Did that change anything wrt the problematic messages?

No, they are still corrupted. For instance if the email had a photo originally, now it is full of email addresses and what appears to be computer 'script', that makes no sense to me.

The damage will be done when your anti-virus software will try to quarantine or remove it, and corrupt Thunderbird mail files in the process.

Are you saying I shouldn't run my anti-virus software? Can you suggest what I should do next?

I use Avira as my anti-virus program btw.

When I right-click an Inbox select Properties, I see this. How does yours differ?

Sorry, I don't know how to copy the msg box I get into this reply. What I get is a very small and abbreviated version of what you posted and the window/box that opens is very small in comparison. Can you tell me how to copy and paste this box into my reply if you need to see it? The repair option is not shown on my version. Thank you for your patience.  :-) Again my only options offered are 'folder properties' of 'general information' and 'retention policy'. General information is only for character encoding and retention is to recover disk space by permanently deleting old msgs. That is it, nothing else is shown.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-create-screenshot-my-problem

testing, hope it works

https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2017-10-28-12-46-45-8f8ce3.png

I get boxes more like yours if I run in Safe Mode; I have some add-ons that add extra content to the Properties dialogue. But even in Safe Mode mine still have the "Repair folder" button.

Try making the dialogue larger, by grabbing its bottom edge and dragging.

It won't enlarge any further.

I was going to try a program update and the following box appeared. Any idea what this is? I had tried to update the program a few days ago but I had to go back to what I had because it asked me for my password for email which I supplied and then asked me for my password for my 'device' which I don't have and I don't believe my pc has a password. It would not allow me to go any further in installing the update.

https://support.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/images/2017-10-28-14-00-24-0d560a.png

I think that in that context, "device" wants your Master Password for Thunderbird.

I'd download afresh from here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/all/

Thank you, I'm determining if I should risk doing a new download. Is the 'master password' something that thunderbird assigns? Or is it one that I would have selected? I'm making screen shots of my server settings to make a new download easier for me. Thank you again for your patience..... this is frustrating when you're just a geek in training! lol

just exactly what version of Thunderbird are you using? look on the help menu under about. What I am looking at looks a lot like version 1 and 2. It might also explain why you have missing elements others feel are defaults.

The icon in the top left was developed in 2004 https://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/thunderbird and I think replaced in Version 3 The tabbed user interface which is missing came with Version 3. Repair button came with Version 2 I think, so I guess you are using Version 1.5.

I suggest you reinstall Thunderbird from getThunderbird.com. Your mail will be unaffected by the change, but you will be working with the latest version and get rid of the update error. Version 1.5 has been out of support for about a decade and is considered to be something of a security risk, missing some 10 years of hardening.

It wouldn't hurt to create a backup of your Thunderbird profile prior to upgrading though. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile

Are you saying I shouldn't run my anti-virus software?

Certainly not. But there are some general guidelines wrt anti-virus software and Thunderbird.

Create an exception in your anti-virus software for the Thunderbird profile folder, so that the anti-virus real-time scanner will not scan it. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Thunderbird

Don't let your anti-virus software scan incoming and outgoing messages.

Don't let your anti-virus software scan attachments.

Don't let your anti-virus software intercept your secure connection to the server.

Remove any add-ons your anti-virus software may have installed in Thunderbird.

Keep it working. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keep_it_working_-_Thunderbird

And last but not least, backup your Thunderbird profile on a regular basis. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile

My goal today is downloading to the new program. I thought I had my settings to update but it looks like that didn't happen. I'll post later with an update. Thank you for all your support everyone.  :-) Wish me luck!

I now have Thunderbird 52.0 loaded. Yeah!

I had moved the corrupt emails into the local folders 'inbox' with hopes to run repair and perhaps get my emails back. Upon opening the newly installed thunderbird all of those emails are gone and nothing is in the local folders inbox. I'm kind of surprised as the rest of my mail is as it was before the update. I guess I thought the local folders would work as a storage area for me......no such luck. Oh well, I'm now free of my old email. dang

Thank you all for helping me. Two thumbs up for an easy Thunderbird update. I thought I would have to enter all of the server smtp etc. info which was freaking me out. Nice that Thunderbird didn't ask me for any of that.

Thank you all again.