diff --git a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
index 2eed13cb196a..dad0dacaae85 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
+++ b/mail/components/compose/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
@@ -1284,6 +1284,13 @@ function ComposeStartup(recycled, aParams)
         if (attachments)
           for (i = 0; i < attachments.Count(); i ++)
             AddAttachment(attachments.QueryElementAt(i, Components.interfaces.nsIMsgAttachment));
+          
+          if (attachments.Count()) 
+          {
+            var attachmentBox = document.getElementById("attachments-box");
+            attachmentBox.hidden = false;
+            document.getElementById("attachmentbucket-sizer").hidden=false; 
+          }
       }
 
       gMsgCompose.RegisterStateListener(stateListener);
@@ -2163,6 +2170,10 @@ function AttachFile()
       var attachment = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/messengercompose/attachment;1"].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIMsgAttachment);
       attachment.url = currentAttachment;
       AddAttachment(attachment);
+      var attachmentBox = document.getElementById("attachments-box");
+      attachmentBox.hidden = false;
+      document.getElementById("attachmentbucket-sizer").hidden=false;
+
       gContentChanged = true;
     }
   }
@@ -2291,6 +2302,9 @@ function RemoveAllAttachments()
     // Let's release the attachment object hold by the node else it won't go away until the window is destroyed
     child.attachment = null;
   }
+  
+  document.getElementById("attachments-box").setAttribute("hidden", "true");
+  document.getElementById("attachmentbucket-sizer").setAttribute("hidden", "true");   
 }
 
 function RemoveSelectedAttachment()
@@ -2306,6 +2320,12 @@ function RemoveSelectedAttachment()
     }
     gContentChanged = true;
   }
+
+  if (!MessageHasAttachments())
+  {                                                
+    document.getElementById("attachments-box").setAttribute("hidden", "true");
+    document.getElementById("attachmentbucket-sizer").setAttribute("hidden", "true");    
+  }
 }
 
 function FocusOnFirstAttachment()
diff --git a/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul b/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
index a824f914d44a..e89da69e254a 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
+++ b/mail/components/compose/content/messengercompose.xul
@@ -559,8 +559,8 @@
                      onkeypress="subjectKeyPress(event);" />
           </hbox>
         </vbox>
-        <splitter id="attachmentbucket-sizer" collapse="after"/>
-        <vbox id="attachments-box">
+        <splitter id="attachmentbucket-sizer" hidden="true" collapse="after"/>
+        <vbox id="attachments-box" hidden="true">
           <label id="attachmentBucketText" value="&attachments.label;" crop="right"
                  accesskey="&attachments.accesskey;" control="attachmentBucket"/>
           <listbox seltype="multiple" id="attachmentBucket" flex="1" rows="4"
diff --git a/mail/components/compose/skin/messengercompose.css b/mail/components/compose/skin/messengercompose.css
index 4afbd2c077ae..d62ffebd7d76 100644
--- a/mail/components/compose/skin/messengercompose.css
+++ b/mail/components/compose/skin/messengercompose.css
@@ -32,11 +32,11 @@
 /* ::::: tools menu icons ::::: */
 
 .icon-mail16 {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://communicator/skin/taskbar/mail-16.gif");
+  list-style-image: url("chrome://messenger/skin/icons/mail-16.gif");
 }
 
 .icon-addressbook16 {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://communicator/skin/taskbar/addressbook-16.gif");
+  list-style-image: url("chrome://messenger/skin/addressbook/icons/addressbook-16.gif");
 }
 
 /* ::::: primary toolbar buttons ::::: */
@@ -147,6 +147,14 @@
   border-bottom: none;
 }
 
+/* XXX I should really have a selector rule here to select just .listcell-icon objects underneath the attachmentList listbox */
+
+.listcell-icon
+{
+  margin-left: 2px;
+  margin-top: 2px;
+}
+
 #compose-toolbar-sizer {
   border-top-width: 1px;
   border-left: none;