display issues with Mail application

i'm having an issue with the Apple Mail application. i had deleted the app, then reinstalled via my 10.4 discs. At that point (and now) it will sometimes not display any messages in the message pane even if the folder on the left states there are messages. sometimes clicking one of the columns to resort will make them reappear, sometimes not. if the issue arises and i go to exit and relaunch, i typically have to force quit. i tried moving the Mail and preferences/mail plist folder/files out of my Library and relaunching and resetting up my acct, same issues occur.

can anyone point me in the direction of fixing this issue?

thanks in advance...