Split from this thread.

With POP account, everything is downloaded off the server and stored on

your computer. It never syncs back to the server.

With IMAP account, everything is always kept in sync with the server,

including the read/replied etc status.

 

That's why your IMAP accounts get individual inbox, that mirror what's

going on on the server, whereas POP accounts are systematically

downloaded in the On My Computer section of the Mac.

 

When you created a new identity, it redownloaded whatever was not

deleted from the POP server, and resented the IMAP folders.

Everything else is not, and cannot be there. It's all in the previous

identity you were using.

A way around that is to go back to the previous identity, export

everything to a .olm archive and reimport the data in the new identity.

          Corentin

 

This is by far the best answer I've received and thank you.  I have one more request.  Can you step me through how to get my folders back, then can you step me though getting my folders being IMAP (which sounds like they're on the server) so I can view what I expect to see from any machine regardless of microsoft, apple, etc.  Also, when creating folders in the future, how do I create IMAP folders to be viewed on any machine as just mentioned?  

Oh, and just so you know, it looks like all of the emails that were in the POP folders that I don't have any more are in my inbox.  Just not wanting to sort them all again as there were about 15 folders!

Again, thank you and look forward to your assistance!

-Lance