Mail Crashes When Creating New Email

Question

Hi... I did a fresh install of OS X 10.3 due to a catastrophic boot sector error. Everything's working again, except Mail. When I click New Mail, it crashes every time. Is is because I messed something up when I tried to import my old mailboxes and preferences? Can I install Mail again and start from scratch?
More generally, how does one re-install a single Mac app. without reinstalling the whole OS?
In the meantime I'm using Thunderbird and it's working Okay.
Thanks!

Answer 1

This could be a Mail.app preference file problem or caused by something else.
FYI - re-installing the Mail.app rarely resolves any problems with the application.
If the account is a POP type account, quit Mail first and using the Finder go to Home > Library > Mail > this POP account named folder (named by the user name and incoming mail server for the account) > Drafts.mbox.
Delete the Drafts.mbox and empty the Trash.
Launch Mail and a new Drafts.mbox will be created automatically by Mail within the account named folder when composing the next message with this account.
If this doesn't resolve the problem, try targeting the Mail.app preference file.
Quit the Mail.app first and using the Finder, go to Home > Library > Mail. Copy the Mail folder and place the copy on the Desktop for backup purposes.
Using the Finder, go to Home > Library > Preferences > com.apple.mail.plist. Move the com.apple.mail.plist file to the Desktop.
Note: Moving the com.apple.mail.plist file out of the Preferences folder will require re-entering all email account information when re-launching Mail.
The only exception to this is if you have a .Mac account which will be recreated automatically and/or any email account created as part of the original computer setup assistant.
Launch Mail and decline any prompt to import mailboxes. After re-entering all email account information, the Mail.app should rediscover the existing account named folders and mailboxes at Home > Library > Mail.
After confirming all mailboxes were successfully rediscovered, you can delete the copy of the Mail folder and old com.apple.mail.plist file from the Desktop.
Test if this resolves the problem.
To re-install a single Apple application from the 10.3 install discs without re-installing the entire OS requires using an application called Pacifist which can be downloaded at this link.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743
If you have upgraded to 10.3.9 and your 10.3 install package includes an earlier version, after deleting and re-installing a single Apple application from the 10.3 install package using Pacifist, you need to download the 10.3.9 Combo Upgrade package and re-install 10.3.9 to get the re-installed application to the current version as of 10.3.9.