How to Reinstall the Macintosh Mail Client
Despite Apple's reputation for simplicity and ease of use, a computer is a computer and things can get bogged down and corrupted, especially for older systems. If your Mail.app appears to be corrupted, the best bet is to do a complete reinstall of the application. The only way to reinstall Apple's default applications is with your computer's included Mac OS X Install disc.
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Instructions
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Insert your Mac OS X Install DVD into your computer. The disc should appear on your desktop or within your Finder sidebar. Double-click to open the disc contents.
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Double-click on the Optional Installs package.
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Click through the Introduction and License. Select your Macintosh Hard Disk as the installation destination. Click "Ok" and you will be taken to the Installation Type.
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Click the arrow next to Applications to unfold a handful of default applications you can install. Select "Mail" by ticking off the corresponding box. You can additionally re-install Safari, iChat, iCal, Address Book as well additional fonts, languages, and drivers. Select "Ok."
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Select "Install" and Apple Mail and any additional software you selected will be reinstalled to your system. Once completed, you may eject the DVD.
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Tips & Warnings
If your original Mail.app became corrupted, you may want to delete the associated Preferences file before reinstalling. This can be found in ~/Library/Preferences, delete the file "com.apple.mail.plist."
