diff --git a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
index c19f9a859b55..ae2e04db61aa 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
+++ b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ var gPromptService;
 var gLDAPPrefsService;
 var gWindowLocked;
 var gContentChanged;
+var gAutoSaving;
 var gCurrentIdentity;
 var defaultSaveOperation;
 var gSendOrSaveOperationInProgress;
@@ -146,6 +147,7 @@ function InitializeGlobalVariables()
   gCurrentIdentity = null;
   defaultSaveOperation = "draft";
   gSendOrSaveOperationInProgress = false;
+  gAutoSaving = false;
   gCloseWindowAfterSave = false;
   gIsOffline = gIOService.offline;
   gSessionAdded = false;
@@ -286,7 +288,8 @@ var stateListener = {
 
     if (aResult== Components.results.NS_OK)
     {
-      SetContentAndBodyAsUnmodified();
+      if (!gAutoSaving)
+        SetContentAndBodyAsUnmodified();
      
       if (gCloseWindowAfterSave)
       {
@@ -300,9 +303,16 @@ var stateListener = {
           }
         }
         MsgComposeCloseWindow(true);
+      }
     }
+    // else if we failed to save, and we're autosaving, need to re-mark the editor
+    // as changed, so that we won't lose the changes.
+    else if (gAutoSaving)
+    {
+      gMsgCompose.bodyModified = true; 
+      gContentChanged = true;
     }
-   
+    gAutoSaving = false;
     gCloseWindowAfterSave = false;
   },
 
@@ -1876,10 +1886,19 @@ function GenericSendMessage( msgType )
         var event = document.createEvent('Events');
         event.initEvent('compose-send-message', false, true);
         document.getElementById("msgcomposeWindow").dispatchEvent(event);
-
-        gWindowLocked = true;
-        disableEditableFields();
-        updateComposeItems();
+        gAutoSaving = (msgType == nsIMsgCompDeliverMode.AutoSaveAsDraft);
+        // disable the ui if we're not auto-saving
+        if (!gAutoSaving)
+        {
+          gWindowLocked = true;
+          disableEditableFields();
+          updateComposeItems();
+        }
+        // if we're auto saving, mark the body as not changed here, and not
+        // when the save is done, because the user might change it between now
+        // and when the save is done.
+        else 
+          SetContentAndBodyAsUnmodified();
 
         var progress = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/messenger/progress;1"].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIMsgProgress);
         if (progress)