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After upgrade to latest 32-bit version 78.5.0, cannot get POP mail from rcn.com

jamesmerrilljunk
jamesmerrilljunk
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We have Thunderbird installed on two Windows 10 computers accessing the same POP3 server. One of them is running a quite-old version (68.12.1 (32-bit)) while the other is running the latest 32-bit version (78.5.0) that was installed on 11/19/2020 1:38pm as indicated by the newest files in directory 

  "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Mozilla Thunderbird\"

all having that as the timestamp.

There are no messages in the inbox after 4pm on 11/18 on the PC with the new version. When getting messages, it displays a message on the bottom line the ends with "Connected to pop.rcn.com..." and the message stays there seemingly forever, unless you click on something and it goes away. Everything is still fine on the other computer.

I found the instructions for turning on debug mode and did so on each PC. The one with the old version where everything is fine has these messages at the beginning (sorry for odd wrapping):

[begin excerpt] 2020-11-20 20:19:27.806000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 20:19:27.806000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] Initialize() 2020-11-20 20:19:27.864000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Connecting to server pop.rcn.com:995 2020-11-20 20:19:27.864000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] Setting server busy in nsPop3Protocol::LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering NET_ProcessPop3 16 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 1 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 2 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 4 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] RECV: +OK POP3 ready 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 26 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] SendAuth() 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] SEND: AUTH [end excerpt]

The one with the new version has much less; the whole file follows -- [begin entire file] 2020-11-20 19:59:59.380000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.427000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Initialize() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.449000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Connecting to server mail.comcast.net:995 [******** NOTE THIS *******] 2020-11-20 19:59:59.449000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Setting server busy in nsPop3Protocol::LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.512000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering NET_ProcessPop3 0 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering state: 24 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering state: 25 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Clearing server busy in POP3_FREE 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Clearing running protocol in POP3_FREE 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] ~nsPop3Protocol() [end entire file]

The new version is either trying to talk to the wrong server or has placed the wrong message in the log file -- the correct server name is pop.rcn.com and is what shows on the bottom line, but the local message directory is named mail.comcast.net (from things that happened long ago). I've checked the server settings and they are the same on the two machines except for the name of the local message directory.

How can I fix this? If I install the old version on top of the new one (if the installer will let me do so) will things work, or have some of the data files been upgraded in a way that will cause problems for the old version? Or should I wait until there's a new 32-bit version that has this problem fixed? If I try installing the 64-bit version, is there reason to think that it will be better? Might I cause problems by so doing? The software did not suggest installing a 64-bit version as part of the upgrade.

Any information would be of assistance. Should I cross-post this into the bug tracker?

Thank you.

J. Merrill

We have Thunderbird installed on two Windows 10 computers accessing the same POP3 server. One of them is running a quite-old version (68.12.1 (32-bit)) while the other is running the latest 32-bit version (78.5.0) that was installed on 11/19/2020 1:38pm as indicated by the newest files in directory "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Mozilla Thunderbird\" all having that as the timestamp. There are no messages in the inbox after 4pm on 11/18 on the PC with the new version. When getting messages, it displays a message on the bottom line the ends with "Connected to pop.rcn.com..." and the message stays there seemingly forever, unless you click on something and it goes away. Everything is still fine on the other computer. I found the instructions for turning on debug mode and did so on each PC. The one with the old version where everything is fine has these messages at the beginning (sorry for odd wrapping): [begin excerpt] 2020-11-20 20:19:27.806000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 20:19:27.806000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] Initialize() 2020-11-20 20:19:27.864000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Connecting to server pop.rcn.com:995 2020-11-20 20:19:27.864000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] Setting server busy in nsPop3Protocol::LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering NET_ProcessPop3 16 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 1 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 2 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 4 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] RECV: +OK POP3 ready 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] Entering state: 26 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=28991C10] SendAuth() 2020-11-20 20:19:28.206000 UTC - [(null) 2820: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=28991C10] SEND: AUTH [end excerpt] The one with the new version has much less; the whole file follows -- [begin entire file] 2020-11-20 19:59:59.380000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.427000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Initialize() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.449000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Connecting to server mail.comcast.net:995 [******** NOTE THIS *******] 2020-11-20 19:59:59.449000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Setting server busy in nsPop3Protocol::LoadUrl() 2020-11-20 19:59:59.512000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering NET_ProcessPop3 0 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering state: 24 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: I/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Entering state: 25 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Clearing server busy in POP3_FREE 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] Clearing running protocol in POP3_FREE 2020-11-20 19:59:59.527000 UTC - [(null) 13016: Main Thread]: D/POP3 [this=248BFE20] ~nsPop3Protocol() [end entire file] The new version is either trying to talk to the wrong server or has placed the wrong message in the log file -- the correct server name is pop.rcn.com and is what shows on the bottom line, but the local message directory is named mail.comcast.net (from things that happened long ago). I've checked the server settings and they are the same on the two machines except for the name of the local message directory. How can I fix this? If I install the old version on top of the new one (if the installer will let me do so) will things work, or have some of the data files been upgraded in a way that will cause problems for the old version? Or should I wait until there's a new 32-bit version that has this problem fixed? If I try installing the 64-bit version, is there reason to think that it will be better? Might I cause problems by so doing? The software did not suggest installing a 64-bit version as part of the upgrade. Any information would be of assistance. Should I cross-post this into the bug tracker? Thank you. J. Merrill

Modified by Wayne Mery

Chosen solution

Thanks to the "See also" section on the right side, I found this: [[Knowledge Base Article|https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1300809]]

That described an issue with "minimum TLS versions" that turned out to be solution. I do not understand why the new version puts "mail.comcast.net" into the debug log when that's not the server it's connecting to, but that is much less of an issue than "can't get POP mail any more"!

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jamesmerrilljunk
jamesmerrilljunk Question owner
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Chosen Solution

Thanks to the "See also" section on the right side, I found this: [[Knowledge Base Article|https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1300809]]

That described an issue with "minimum TLS versions" that turned out to be solution. I do not understand why the new version puts "mail.comcast.net" into the debug log when that's not the server it's connecting to, but that is much less of an issue than "can't get POP mail any more"!