I have problems with this Thunderbird version locking up the screen and the program while I am typing text or saving messages etc., etc.

'etc., etc.' isn't any useful information. Please be more specific.

What is your anti-virus software?

please send me the older version of Thunderbird so I will not lose my very large Message data base.

It is a little too early to conclude a downgrade will fix the problem. If you're worried about your precious email data make sure you do have a backup of your Thunderbird profile. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb#w_backing-up-a-profile

I also have a Dell Laptop with Thunderbird 38.2.0 installed via this I could correspond with you

This is a web forum, not a mailing list. You don't need email in order to read someone else response to a post or for yourself to post to the thread.

Thank you for giving me the information about backing up my Thunderbird profile, which I did on an USB stick.

What I mean with locking up. I am writing an e-mail and use my mouse to inset text or make spell checking correction. All of a sudden the screen of the Thunderbird e-mail display screen becomes the milky gray and the mouse pointer/bar turns into the rotating little circle from Win 7, like its waiting for something. It doesn't rectify itself. The only way I can get out of this is by pressing the CTRL+ALT+ Delete key, then in the Task Manager closing the Thunderbird down. Sometimes I find after opening Thunderbird again in the Draft folder several files with the same content as the e-mail I was just writing.

As for my Firewall and Virus protection I am using very successfully the "Zone Alarm" program and had never any problems with it.

Gordon

Gorden said

As for my Firewall and Virus protection I am using very successfully the "Zone Alarm" program and had never any problems with it. Gordon

Please refrain from such statements. It is highly probable that it is the cause of your current issues, or at least implicated.

Restart the operating system in safe mode with Networking. This loads only the very basics needed to start your computer while enabling an Internet connection. Click on your operating system for instructions on how to start in safe mode: Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OSX

If safe mode for the operating system fixes the issue, there's other software in your computer that's causing problems. Possibilities include but not limited to: AV scanning, virus/malware, background downloads such as program updates.

Gorden, please post your results and let us know what happened. Thanks