diff --git a/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.js b/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.js
index 8b7734df15ae..d266334a8cc6 100644
--- a/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.js
+++ b/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ var gChangeTable = {};
 var gServerURI = null;
 var RDF = null;
 var gSubscribeDS = null;
+var gStatusBar = null;
 
 function Stop()
 {
@@ -55,6 +56,8 @@ var MySubscribeListener = {
 	OnStopPopulating: function() {
 		dump("root subscribe tree at: "+ gServerURI +"\n");
 		gSubscribeTree.setAttribute('ref',gServerURI);
+		// Turn progress meter off.
+      	gStatusBar.setAttribute("mode","normal");	
 	}
 };
 
@@ -73,6 +76,8 @@ function SetUpTree()
 		subscribableServer.subscribeListener = MySubscribeListener;
 
 		subscribableServer.populateSubscribeDatasource(null /* eventually, a nsIMsgWindow */);
+		// Turn progress meter on.
+      	gStatusBar.setAttribute("mode","undetermined");	
 	}
 	catch (ex) {
 		dump("failed to populate subscribe ds: " + ex + "\n");
@@ -84,6 +89,7 @@ function SubscribeOnLoad()
 	dump("SubscribeOnLoad()\n");
 	
    	gSubscribeTree = document.getElementById('subscribetree');
+	gStatusBar = document.getElementById('statusbar-icon');
 
 	doSetOKCancel(subscribeOK,subscribeCancel);
 
diff --git a/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.xul b/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.xul
index 44a7fa27c553..49e65070b9b0 100644
--- a/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.xul
+++ b/mailnews/base/resources/content/subscribe.xul
@@ -112,6 +112,6 @@ Rights Reserved.
 			<progressmeter id="statusbar-icon" mode="normal" value="0" />
 			<spring flex="100%"/>
 		</box>
-		<text id="statusText" class="status-bar" align="left" flex="100%" value="Document: Done"/>
+		<text id="statusText" class="status-bar" align="left" flex="100%" value="this space for rent"/>
 	</box>	
 </window>