Fredtr said

I am able to use it in Windows safe mode but that is awkward. My computer works fine in regular mode as long as I don't open Thunderbird. Is there a way to go back to the old Thunderbird configuration. I like the program but it's not much good the way it is. I tried to start Thunderbird in its safe mode by holding down the shift key when I started Thunderbird but it didn't come up in safe mode and the computer froze.

With much reading I have solved the problem. I think it was Lightning. I found out how to start in safe mode. I wasn't holding the shift key down long enough before. It seems to be working fine after I disabled lightning. I have a calendar also.

a remote calendar?

Fredtr said

I am able to use it in Windows safe mode but that is awkward. My computer works fine in regular mode as long as I don't open Thunderbird. Is there a way to go back to the old Thunderbird configuration. I like the program but it's not much good the way it is. I tried to start Thunderbird in its safe mode by holding down the shift key when I started Thunderbird but it didn't come up in safe mode and the computer froze.

I don't think that could be the problem because it is a stand alone home computer. The only calendar is on my computer. At the present time it seems to be working okay as long as I start Thunderbird in safe mode. Any ideas how I can further trouble shoot the problem.

I am able to use it in Windows safe mode

This points to anti-virus software being the culprit. Don't let your anti-virus software scan the Thunderbird profile. Don't let it scan incoming and outgoing messages. And don't let it scan attachments.

Perhaps, but it worked fine until the last update, 3.8.0.1. I don't like the idea of not using my virus program to protect my email. If I did that temporarily, is there a way to actually solve the problem so that I can reinstate my virus program. Would Mozilla talk to Bitdefender and come up with a solution in a reasonable amount of time. Or is there somewhere I can get the old version of Thunderbird and stick with it.

is your anti virus scanning your mail? Nortons does not in most cases, even when it indicates it is and it is the market leader.

Contrary to popular belief, and the view sold by the anti virus companies, anti virus scanning of mail is much more trouble than it is worth. They tell you you need it, but if you ask why you will get whole loads of military type excuses about another line of defense and nothing concrete.

Thunderbird does not allow the execution of scripts or flash or any of the other attack vectors used to load malware upon opening a message. It is supposedly technically feasible that opening a remote image could cause an issue. But I am yet to see anything in the wild and until I do I will ignore it.. So getting the mail and reading it is safe. Clicking a link opens in a browser window, your anti virus is already at work there so we will stop looking for a vector there. If you choose to open an attachment first it has to be assembled from text (mime encoded text will never be a risk) and written to your temp folder. Your anti virus scan new disk writes looking for an issue. So it is working there, just the same as if you brought the file on a USB stick or downloaded it from the web so we can stop looking there for a vector. Even more ridiculous is outgoing mail scanning. They have assured you your computer is clean. You have no virus. So where is this infection they are scanning for going to come from. Either your machine is clean or it is not.

In this instance however I would suggest the is is not the mail scanning, but the scanning of files used by Thunderbird as they are opened. Creating a exclusion for the Thunderbird profile folder is probably the best insurance See Bitdefender's instruction for that here

Don't know where your profile is. See here

I change bitdefender to exclude the profile folder. But it didn't solve the problem. So I copied the profile to a memory disk. Installed Thunderbird to my other computer(laptop) and copied my profile to that computer. Then I deleted all the files in the profile on my main computer (desktop), uninstalled Thunderbird then reinstalled it. Then I setup my server and selected for it to download messages. Since my configuration has been to leave messages on the server for 200 days, it downloaded all messages(432). When it got to the last message there was a tone sounded and the computer froze. I've rebooted.

 But then I went to my laptop to check my mail.  It worked for a while then windows crashed.

Woa is me. Hopefully Thunderbird will work in safe mode.

This rather confirms my suspicion that with version 38 some users are crashing/hanging because of sound related to new message notification.

I had this problem also. It hasn't happened since I disabled the new message alerts (not just the sounds, but the popup and tray icon). It was freezing on startup only when there were new messages for it to get when I started it up. At least one of the freezes showed the popup partly drawn on the screen, before the entire computer went unresponsive to everything but holding the power button down. (Running Windows 7.)

Hope this gets resolved soon. Happened for the first time on 15 June, which was also the first time Tbird attempted to do something calendar-related, so I assume there was an update around then?

rcharlie said

I had this problem also. It hasn't happened since I disabled the new message alerts (not just the sounds, but the popup and tray icon). It was freezing on startup only when there were new messages for it to get when I started it up. At least one of the freezes showed the popup partly drawn on the screen, before the entire computer went unresponsive to everything but holding the power button down.

rcharlie, I think your issue is different. I helped someone a couple hours ago with similar symptoms where disabling alerts helped. And then we determined that alerts could be enabled IF we disabled hardware acceleration at tools | options | advanced | general.

rcharlie, Does that make it work for you?

Fredtr, I suggest you try the same as my last post, and let us know if it helps

Wayne Mery said

rcharlie said

I had this problem also. It hasn't happened since I disabled the new message alerts (not just the sounds, but the popup and tray icon). It was freezing on startup only when there were new messages for it to get when I started it up. At least one of the freezes showed the popup partly drawn on the screen, before the entire computer went unresponsive to everything but holding the power button down.

rcharlie, I think your issue is different. I helped someone a couple hours ago with similar symptoms where disabling alerts helped. And then we determined that alerts could be enabled IF we disabled hardware acceleration at tools | options | advanced | general.

rcharlie, Does that make it work for you?

Yes. Or rather, the test message I sent with hardware accel disabled and alert enabled did not crash the computer. Will update if it crashes again.

Disabling sounds and alerts seems to have solved the problem. I'll try to narrow it down to see which is the solution. It seemed intermittent at first but now I'm not sure if it was just a matter of when messages where coming in.

Since Thunderbird update 38.0 my computer freezes as soon as I start Thunderbird.