This morning I could not load email. Took my laptop to a computer company who discovered that the problem lies with Shaw. the helpline was very busy, when I called I was about number 260 in line, or thereabouts. Eventually I began receiving email in dribs and drabs and can now send and receives, however, I received a lot fewer mails than usual, including mails that I get daily, every morning when I wake up these mails are in my inbox. Are these mails now lost forever? Also, when I go to Shaw webmail on the internet, all the files which are usually only to be seen on my laptop are visible there. I do not like that at all.
If you are #260 in the queue, then you should suspect that many Shaw customers are also trying to call-in to get assistance, which implies that the problem is NOT with your computer, but is something at Shaw's "end".
The computer company who discovered that the problem probably was correct -- Shaw "owns" the problem.
When you were getting "dribs-and-drabs", were you back home, using your own WiFi connection, or were you using one of the many "ShawOpen" free WiFi locations -- many businesses host this service, and it's even available "outdoors" in a few city-parks near me, or were you using the WiFi provided by that computer company?
No, the unreceived messages are not "lost". They are stored on Shaw's computers, until you access them.
That's why you do not "lose" any messages that are sent overnight, when your computer is powered-off.
Shaw WebMail gives you a "preview" of what E-mail that Shaw has been storing for you.
Compare to "peeking" into the mailbox on the outside of your house, but not taking anything out of the mailbox.
If you have not downloaded a message to your laptop, it still is stored on Shaw's computers, as you have observed.