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Newly added email account, disappears after restarting Thunderbird.

  • 27 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by tbarry

firefox662
firefox662
more options

After using Thunderbird for many years with a couple of email accounts, over the last few days I have been trying to add a new account.

Using the Auto Config option, the account appears to be set up OK, and I have been able to send a test email to another email address from the newly added account which is received OK, but when I close Thunderbird and reopen it, the newly added account has completely disappeared. I have tried setting up the new account manually, but with the same result.

I would add that I have added the new email in other clients without any problems.

I have not included any screenshots, because I don't think they would help. I do have them if it would help, but the first one shows that the newly added account is present, and the second screenshot (after restarting) Thunderbird shows that it isn't.

Any suggestions please.

After using Thunderbird for many years with a couple of email accounts, over the last few days I have been trying to add a new account. Using the Auto Config option, the account appears to be set up OK, and I have been able to send a test email to another email address from the newly added account which is received OK, but when I close Thunderbird and reopen it, the newly added account has completely disappeared. I have tried setting up the new account manually, but with the same result. I would add that I have added the new email in other clients without any problems. I have not included any screenshots, because I don't think they would help. I do have them if it would help, but the first one shows that the newly added account is present, and the second screenshot (after restarting) Thunderbird shows that it isn't. Any suggestions please.

Chosen solution

I recall there was a user who had several prefs-NNN.js files and had problems with saving settings. I think that once there are more than a certain number of these files, TB stops adding to the current prefs.js, which would explain why your account disappears. Delete all the old ones, with TB closed, except for a few of the most recent, and of course don't delete prefs.js.

If you prefer to create a new profile, that can be done as described above with Profile Manager, or from Help/Troubleshooting, about:profiles. It will be stored by default in the ...Roaming//Thunderbird/Profiles folder.

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (20)

christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
more options

Please post your Troubleshooting Information. At the top right of the Thunderbird window, click the menu button , then select Help > Troubleshooting Information. Press the "Copy text to clipboard button" and paste the information into your reply.

Please indicate which one is the troubled account.

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
more options

Thanks for the prompt reply. The email account which is not appearing in Thunderbird is administrator@deecox.com, but all the folders are present on the server (with my test emails). 

 Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 68.8.0
   Build ID: 20200504155042

   Update Channel: release
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/68.8.0
   OS: Windows_NT 6.1

   Launcher Process: Enabled
   Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
             Disabled
   Remote Processes: 0
   Enterprise Policies: Inactive
   Google Location Service Key: Missing
   Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
   Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
   Safe Mode: false

 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false

   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

   account6:
     INCOMING: account6, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

 Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days

 Remote Processes

   Type: Count

 Extensions

     Name
     Version
     Enabled
     ID

       Amazon.co.uk
       1.1
       true
       amazon@search.mozilla.org

       Bing
       1.0
       true
       bing@search.mozilla.org

       Chambers (UK)
       1.0
       true
       chambers-en-GB@search.mozilla.org

       DuckDuckGo
       1.0
       true
       ddg@search.mozilla.org

       Google
       1.0
       true
       google@search.mozilla.org

       Twitter
       1.0
       true
       twitter@search.mozilla.org

       Wikipedia (en)
       1.0
       true
       wikipedia@search.mozilla.org

       Google Contacts
       0.7.12
       false
       {BDD92442-0534-4D6F-A966-BAB7D561D781}

       PrintingTools
       1.3.0
       false
       {5e9999c2-ba1d-44b6-bcee-5b30ce37d3b0}

 Security Software

   Type: Name

     Antivirus:
     Antispyware:
     Firewall:

 Graphics

     Features
     Compositing: Basic
     Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: none
     WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000014035)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path EGL_KHR_client_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_debug EGL_ANGLE_explicit_context 

     WebGL 1 Driver Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE (Intel(R) HD Graphics Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0)
     WebGL 1 Driver Version: OpenGL ES 2.0 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926)
     WebGL 1 Driver Extensions: GL_ANGLE_client_arrays GL_ANGLE_depth_texture GL_ANGLE_explicit_context GL_ANGLE_explicit_context_gles1 GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_blit GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_multisample GL_ANGLE_instanced_arrays GL_ANGLE_lossy_etc_decode GL_ANGLE_memory_size GL_ANGLE_multi_draw GL_ANGLE_multiview_multisample GL_ANGLE_pack_reverse_row_order GL_ANGLE_program_cache_control GL_ANGLE_provoking_vertex GL_ANGLE_request_extension GL_ANGLE_robust_client_memory GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt3 GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt5 GL_ANGLE_texture_usage GL_ANGLE_translated_shader_source GL_CHROMIUM_bind_generates_resource GL_CHROMIUM_bind_uniform_location GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgb GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgba GL_CHROMIUM_copy_compressed_texture GL_CHROMIUM_copy_texture GL_CHROMIUM_sync_query GL_EXT_blend_func_extended GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_color_buffer_half_float GL_EXT_debug_marker GL_EXT_discard_framebuffer GL_EXT_disjoint_timer_query GL_EXT_draw_buffers GL_EXT_float_blend GL_EXT_frag_depth GL_EXT_instanced_arrays GL_EXT_map_buffer_range GL_EXT_occlusion_query_boolean GL_EXT_read_format_bgra GL_EXT_robustness GL_EXT_sRGB GL_EXT_shader_texture_lod GL_EXT_texture_compression_bptc GL_EXT_texture_compression_dxt1 GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc_srgb GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_format_BGRA8888 GL_EXT_texture_rg GL_EXT_texture_storage GL_EXT_unpack_subimage GL_KHR_debug GL_KHR_parallel_shader_compile GL_KHR_robust_buffer_access_behavior GL_NV_EGL_stream_consumer_external GL_NV_fence GL_NV_pack_subimage GL_NV_pixel_buffer_object GL_OES_EGL_image GL_OES_EGL_image_external GL_OES_compressed_ETC1_RGB8_texture GL_OES_depth32 GL_OES_element_index_uint GL_OES_get_program_binary GL_OES_mapbuffer GL_OES_packed_depth_stencil GL_OES_rgb8_rgba8 GL_OES_standard_derivatives GL_OES_surfaceless_context GL_OES_texture_border_clamp GL_OES_texture_float GL_OES_texture_float_linear GL_OES_texture_half_float GL_OES_texture_half_float_linear GL_OES_texture_npot GL_OES_vertex_array_object OES_compressed_EAC_R11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_R11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGB8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_sRGB8_alpha_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_alpha8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_texture
     WebGL 1 Extensions: ANGLE_instanced_arrays EXT_blend_minmax EXT_color_buffer_half_float EXT_disjoint_timer_query EXT_float_blend EXT_frag_depth EXT_shader_texture_lod EXT_sRGB EXT_texture_compression_bptc EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic OES_element_index_uint OES_standard_derivatives OES_texture_float OES_texture_float_linear OES_texture_half_float OES_texture_half_float_linear OES_vertex_array_object WEBGL_color_buffer_float WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc_srgb WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WEBGL_debug_shaders WEBGL_depth_texture WEBGL_draw_buffers WEBGL_lose_context
     WebGL 2 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000014035)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path EGL_KHR_client_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_debug EGL_ANGLE_explicit_context 

     WebGL 2 Driver Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE (Intel(R) HD Graphics Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0)
     WebGL 2 Driver Version: OpenGL ES 3.0 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926)
     WebGL 2 Driver Extensions: GL_ANGLE_client_arrays GL_ANGLE_copy_texture_3d GL_ANGLE_depth_texture GL_ANGLE_explicit_context GL_ANGLE_explicit_context_gles1 GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_blit GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_multisample GL_ANGLE_instanced_arrays GL_ANGLE_lossy_etc_decode GL_ANGLE_memory_size GL_ANGLE_multi_draw
christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
more options

Could you once again post the Troubleshooting Information while you actually do see the new account in Thunderbird?

Is your profile folder write protected in any way? Is the file prefs.js in your profile write-protected?

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
more options

Here is the troubleshooting information as requested, captured when TB was open and showing the folders for the newly added email account, administrator@deecox.com. I also attach two screenshots, one showing the newly added account's folders and the permissions for the TB profile, which is in my dropbox. The other screenshot shows that prefs.js is not read only. Many thanks for looking into this for me. 


 Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 68.8.0
   Build ID: 20200504155042

   Update Channel: release
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/68.8.0
   OS: Windows_NT 6.1

   Launcher Process: Enabled
   Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
             Disabled
   Remote Processes: 0
   Enterprise Policies: Inactive
   Google Location Service Key: Missing
   Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
   Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
   Safe Mode: false

 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false

   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

   account6:
     INCOMING: account6, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

   account7:
     INCOMING: account7, , (imap) imap.1und1.de:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , smtp.1und1.de:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

 Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days

 Remote Processes

   Type: Count

 Extensions

     Name
     Version
     Enabled
     ID

       Amazon.co.uk
       1.1
       true
       amazon@search.mozilla.org

       Bing
       1.0
       true
       bing@search.mozilla.org

       Chambers (UK)
       1.0
       true
       chambers-en-GB@search.mozilla.org

       DuckDuckGo
       1.0
       true
       ddg@search.mozilla.org

       Google
       1.0
       true
       google@search.mozilla.org

       Twitter
       1.0
       true
       twitter@search.mozilla.org

       Wikipedia (en)
       1.0
       true
       wikipedia@search.mozilla.org

       Google Contacts
       0.7.12
       false
       {BDD92442-0534-4D6F-A966-BAB7D561D781}

       PrintingTools
       1.3.0
       false
       {5e9999c2-ba1d-44b6-bcee-5b30ce37d3b0}

 Security Software

   Type: Name

     Antivirus:
     Antispyware:
     Firewall:

 Graphics

     Features
     Compositing: Basic
     Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: none
     WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000014035)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path EGL_KHR_client_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_debug EGL_ANGLE_explicit_context 

     WebGL 1 Driver Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE (Intel(R) HD Graphics Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0)
     WebGL 1 Driver Version: OpenGL ES 2.0 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926)
     WebGL 1 Driver Extensions: GL_ANGLE_client_arrays GL_ANGLE_depth_texture GL_ANGLE_explicit_context GL_ANGLE_explicit_context_gles1 GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_blit GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_multisample GL_ANGLE_instanced_arrays GL_ANGLE_lossy_etc_decode GL_ANGLE_memory_size GL_ANGLE_multi_draw GL_ANGLE_multiview_multisample GL_ANGLE_pack_reverse_row_order GL_ANGLE_program_cache_control GL_ANGLE_provoking_vertex GL_ANGLE_request_extension GL_ANGLE_robust_client_memory GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt3 GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt5 GL_ANGLE_texture_usage GL_ANGLE_translated_shader_source GL_CHROMIUM_bind_generates_resource GL_CHROMIUM_bind_uniform_location GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgb GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgba GL_CHROMIUM_copy_compressed_texture GL_CHROMIUM_copy_texture GL_CHROMIUM_sync_query GL_EXT_blend_func_extended GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_color_buffer_half_float GL_EXT_debug_marker GL_EXT_discard_framebuffer GL_EXT_disjoint_timer_query GL_EXT_draw_buffers GL_EXT_float_blend GL_EXT_frag_depth GL_EXT_instanced_arrays GL_EXT_map_buffer_range GL_EXT_occlusion_query_boolean GL_EXT_read_format_bgra GL_EXT_robustness GL_EXT_sRGB GL_EXT_shader_texture_lod GL_EXT_texture_compression_bptc GL_EXT_texture_compression_dxt1 GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc_srgb GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_format_BGRA8888 GL_EXT_texture_rg GL_EXT_texture_storage GL_EXT_unpack_subimage GL_KHR_debug GL_KHR_parallel_shader_compile GL_KHR_robust_buffer_access_behavior GL_NV_EGL_stream_consumer_external GL_NV_fence GL_NV_pack_subimage GL_NV_pixel_buffer_object GL_OES_EGL_image GL_OES_EGL_image_external GL_OES_compressed_ETC1_RGB8_texture GL_OES_depth32 GL_OES_element_index_uint GL_OES_get_program_binary GL_OES_mapbuffer GL_OES_packed_depth_stencil GL_OES_rgb8_rgba8 GL_OES_standard_derivatives GL_OES_surfaceless_context GL_OES_texture_border_clamp GL_OES_texture_float GL_OES_texture_float_linear GL_OES_texture_half_float GL_OES_texture_half_float_linear GL_OES_texture_npot GL_OES_vertex_array_object OES_compressed_EAC_R11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_R11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGB8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_sRGB8_alpha_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_alpha8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_texture
     WebGL 1 Extensions: ANGLE_instanced_arrays EXT_blend_minmax EXT_color_buffer_half_float EXT_disjoint_timer_query EXT_float_blend EXT_frag_depth EXT_shader_texture_lod EXT_sRGB EXT_texture_compression_bptc EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic OES_element_index_uint OES_standard_derivatives OES_texture_float OES_texture_float_linear OES_texture_half_float OES_texture_half_float_linear OES_vertex_array_object WEBGL_color_buffer_float WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc_srgb WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WEBGL_debug_shaders WEBGL_depth_texture WEBGL_draw_buffers WEBGL_lose_context
     WebGL 2 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000014035)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Is your profile stored on a remote Dropbox server? That's probably the root of the problem.

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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No, the TB profile is in the Dropbox folder which is stored locally on my computer, and only backed up, i.e. copied, to Dropbox servers. But thanks for interest.

christ1
christ1
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The email account which is not appearing in Thunderbird is ***@deecox.com

I don't see a deecox.com account in your Troubleshooting Information where you said the account is visible in Thunderbird.

From your screenshot, in addition to the prefs.js file there's a prefs-1.js and a prefs-2.js file. This isn't normal. So I think something prevents Thunderbird from properly writing to the profile. What that something is, I don't know.

What is your anti-virus software?

Try to start Windows in safe mode with networking enabled.
- Win10 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode
- Win8 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17076/windows-8-startup-settings-safe-mode
- Win7 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17419/windows-7-advanced-startup-options-safe-mode#start-computer-safe-mode=windows-7

Does the problem go away?

Modified by christ1

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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I could reinstal Thunderbird with the TB profile in it's normal default location (not dropbox folder) because I did move it to Drobox probably after the two other email accounts (which are OK) were set up, but I'm worried that I might not be able to add them again in the reinstalled Thunderbird. Its after midnight now, so I will look at this again tomorrow and try rebooting in safe mode as you suggest. Thank you.

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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Avast is my anti-virus, I will try disabling it before I do anything else. And just one further point before I go to bed, you say that you dont see a deecox.account in the troubleshooting info, but if you look at the second screenshot you will see my d**@deecox.com account at the top left, which is working with no problems.

christ1
christ1
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Are deecox.com an email provider, or is it a domain you own hosted by 1and1.co.uk?

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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In answer to your question, DeeCox.com is my domain hosted by 1and1.co.uk, but now trading as IONOS. The server names available are 1and1.co.uk (used for my previous email accounts), 1und1.de as it is a German company, which Thunderbird uses with Auto config, and ionos.de which is now recommended by the company. These servers appear to be able to be used interchangeably. My email accounts are provided as part as my domain package DeeCox.com.

Today, I have tried setting up the new email account, administrator@deecox.com, with my Dropbox paused and Avast internet security paused also. Unfortunately the problem is still there.

I have also set up administrator@deecox.com in Thunderbird on my daughter's laptop computer and apparently successfully, at least the account is still there with all its folders after restarting Thunderbird.

I am therefore going to uninstal Thunderbird from my desktop computer, and move the TB profile out of Dropbox and out of the way somewhere. I will then download the latest version of Thunderbird and let TB Instal the profile folder to its default location. I will then add my original email accounts using auto config, and if they are ok, add the new account administrator@deecox.com.

Thank you for your help and suggestions, and I hope I will not need to trouble you again.

christ1
christ1
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I have tried setting up the new email account ... with ... Avast internet security paused

You really should try Windows safe mode.

I am therefore going to uninstal Thunderbird from my desktop computer

Re-installing the application is not needed.
Profile files are stored separately from the Thunderbird program files. The program files are static and do not change (except when you upgrade the Thunderbird application version). Because we store profile and program files separately, you can uninstall Thunderbird without losing your messages and settings, and if something goes wrong with a Thunderbird update your information will still be available. It also means that you don't have to reinstall Thunderbird in order to delete your information or troubleshoot a problem.

Make sure you're running the latest version though.

I will then ... let TB Instal the profile folder to its default location.

Starting with a new profile is probably a good idea. But again, re-installing the application is not needed. Just create a new profile using profile manager.
https://support.mozilla.org/kb/using-multiple-profiles

Then use profile manager to start Thunderbird with the new profile.

And don't forget to create a full backup of the old profile folder.
https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile

Wrt Avast, see https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_backing-up-a-profile
Avast is know to be problematic with Thunderbird, and had massive privacy issues in the past.
https://palant.info/2020/01/27/avasts-broken-data-anonymization-approach/

The minimum you should do is to exclude the Thunderbird profile folder from being scanned by Avast, don't let it scan incoming and outgoing messages, and don't let it intercept the secure connection to the server.

Modified by christ1

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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As you suggested I tried to start in safe mode but I was unable to get my computer to recognise the F8 key. I tried several times but it may be because my keyboard, which is connected via a cable to a USB port is not online before Windows starts.

Your next suggestion. I created a new profile and selected the option to use the new profile without asking when next starting Thunderbird, but having created the new email account, it still disappears after restarting TB.

I don't know if the NewProfile is being used. I also started TB again, using the profile manager also, which showed NewProfile as the profile which would be used. Perhaps the Troubleshooting data here will show you. The current profile is backed up. 


 Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 68.8.0
   Build ID: 20200504155042

   Update Channel: release
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/68.8.0
   OS: Windows_NT 6.1

   Launcher Process: Enabled
   Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
             Disabled
   Remote Processes: 0
   Enterprise Policies: Inactive
   Google Location Service Key: Missing
   Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
   Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
   Safe Mode: false

 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, false

   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

   account6:
     INCOMING: account6, , (imap) imap.1and1.co.uk:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: , auth.smtp.1and1.co.uk:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

 Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days

 Remote Processes

   Type: Count

 Extensions

     Name
     Version
     Enabled
     ID

       Amazon.co.uk
       1.1
       true
       amazon@search.mozilla.org

       Bing
       1.0
       true
       bing@search.mozilla.org

       Chambers (UK)
       1.0
       true
       chambers-en-GB@search.mozilla.org

       DuckDuckGo
       1.0
       true
       ddg@search.mozilla.org

       Google
       1.0
       true
       google@search.mozilla.org

       Twitter
       1.0
       true
       twitter@search.mozilla.org

       Wikipedia (en)
       1.0
       true
       wikipedia@search.mozilla.org

       Google Contacts
       0.7.12
       false
       {BDD92442-0534-4D6F-A966-BAB7D561D781}

       PrintingTools
       1.3.0
       false
       {5e9999c2-ba1d-44b6-bcee-5b30ce37d3b0}

 Security Software

   Type: Name

     Antivirus:
     Antispyware:
     Firewall:

 Graphics

     Features
     Compositing: Basic
     Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: none
     WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000013295)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path EGL_KHR_client_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_debug EGL_ANGLE_explicit_context 

     WebGL 1 Driver Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE (Intel(R) HD Graphics Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0)
     WebGL 1 Driver Version: OpenGL ES 2.0 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926)
     WebGL 1 Driver Extensions: GL_ANGLE_client_arrays GL_ANGLE_depth_texture GL_ANGLE_explicit_context GL_ANGLE_explicit_context_gles1 GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_blit GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_multisample GL_ANGLE_instanced_arrays GL_ANGLE_lossy_etc_decode GL_ANGLE_memory_size GL_ANGLE_multi_draw GL_ANGLE_multiview_multisample GL_ANGLE_pack_reverse_row_order GL_ANGLE_program_cache_control GL_ANGLE_provoking_vertex GL_ANGLE_request_extension GL_ANGLE_robust_client_memory GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt3 GL_ANGLE_texture_compression_dxt5 GL_ANGLE_texture_usage GL_ANGLE_translated_shader_source GL_CHROMIUM_bind_generates_resource GL_CHROMIUM_bind_uniform_location GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgb GL_CHROMIUM_color_buffer_float_rgba GL_CHROMIUM_copy_compressed_texture GL_CHROMIUM_copy_texture GL_CHROMIUM_sync_query GL_EXT_blend_func_extended GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_color_buffer_half_float GL_EXT_debug_marker GL_EXT_discard_framebuffer GL_EXT_disjoint_timer_query GL_EXT_draw_buffers GL_EXT_float_blend GL_EXT_frag_depth GL_EXT_instanced_arrays GL_EXT_map_buffer_range GL_EXT_occlusion_query_boolean GL_EXT_read_format_bgra GL_EXT_robustness GL_EXT_sRGB GL_EXT_shader_texture_lod GL_EXT_texture_compression_bptc GL_EXT_texture_compression_dxt1 GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc_srgb GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_format_BGRA8888 GL_EXT_texture_rg GL_EXT_texture_storage GL_EXT_unpack_subimage GL_KHR_debug GL_KHR_parallel_shader_compile GL_KHR_robust_buffer_access_behavior GL_NV_EGL_stream_consumer_external GL_NV_fence GL_NV_pack_subimage GL_NV_pixel_buffer_object GL_OES_EGL_image GL_OES_EGL_image_external GL_OES_compressed_ETC1_RGB8_texture GL_OES_depth32 GL_OES_element_index_uint GL_OES_get_program_binary GL_OES_mapbuffer GL_OES_packed_depth_stencil GL_OES_rgb8_rgba8 GL_OES_standard_derivatives GL_OES_surfaceless_context GL_OES_texture_border_clamp GL_OES_texture_float GL_OES_texture_float_linear GL_OES_texture_half_float GL_OES_texture_half_float_linear GL_OES_texture_npot GL_OES_vertex_array_object OES_compressed_EAC_R11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_R11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_signed_texture OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_unsigned_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGB8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_RGBA8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_sRGB8_alpha_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_alpha8_texture OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_texture
     WebGL 1 Extensions: ANGLE_instanced_arrays EXT_blend_minmax EXT_color_buffer_half_float EXT_disjoint_timer_query EXT_float_blend EXT_frag_depth EXT_shader_texture_lod EXT_sRGB EXT_texture_compression_bptc EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic OES_element_index_uint OES_standard_derivatives OES_texture_float OES_texture_float_linear OES_texture_half_float OES_texture_half_float_linear OES_vertex_array_object WEBGL_color_buffer_float WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc WEBGL_compressed_texture_s3tc_srgb WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WEBGL_debug_shaders WEBGL_depth_texture WEBGL_draw_buffers WEBGL_lose_context
     WebGL 2 Driver WSI Info: EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (adapter LUID: 0000000000013295)

EGL_VERSION: 1.4 (ANGLE 2.1.0.8a050090f926) EGL_EXTENSIONS: EGL_EXT_create_context_robustness EGL_ANGLE_d3d_share_handle_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_d3d_texture_client_buffer EGL_ANGLE_surface_d3d_texture_2d_share_handle EGL_ANGLE_query_surface_pointer EGL_ANGLE_window_fixed_size EGL_ANGLE_keyed_mutex EGL_ANGLE_surface_orientation EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base EGL_KHR_gl_texture_2D_image EGL_KHR_gl_texture_cubemap_image EGL_KHR_gl_renderbuffer_image EGL_KHR_get_all_proc_addresses EGL_KHR_stream EGL_KHR_stream_consumer_gltexture EGL_NV_stream_consumer_gltexture_yuv EGL_ANGLE_flexible_surface_compatibility EGL_ANGLE_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_create_context_client_arrays EGL_ANGLE_program_cache_control EGL_ANGLE_robust_resource_initialization EGL_ANGLE_create_context_extensions_enabled EGL_ANDROID_blob_cache EGL_ANDROID_recordable EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_device_creation EGL_ANGLE_device_creation_d3d11 EGL_ANGLE_experimental_present_path

christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
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... my keyboard, which is connected via a cable to a USB port is not online before Windows starts.

That would be the case fpr virtually every keyboard which isn't a wireless one. And the keyboard is supposed to work before Windows starts, otherwise you'd never be able to get to the BIOS or enter a disk encryption password.

Starting Windows in safe mode is the only reliable way to disable anti-virus software, which is the suspect here.

I created a new profile and selected the option to use the new profile without asking when next starting Thunderbird, but having created the new email account, it still disappears after restarting TB.

Do you still see the prefs-1.js, prefs-2.js files being created in the new profile?

I don't know if the NewProfile is being used.

To find out which profile Thunderbird is actually using see
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_how-to-find-your-profile

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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Avast is off.

The Current TB Profile is where I expected it to be - in my Dropbox.

With regard to prefs-1, 2, etc. I have searched the current profile for "prefs-1" but have not found the character string prefs-1 explicitly, other than those starting with prefs-1999 and many upwards.

See screenshot uploaded here.

I am wondering if this problem started when I moved the profile out of its normal location to my Dropbox (a long time ago), but did not have any problem until now because I did not need to add any new mail accounts.

If you do not recommend reinstalling Thunderbird (and I am reluctant to do so because I may not be able to re-add my existing email accounts with which I have no problems), how can I create a new profile (as if installing TB for the first time), and where should it be located by default?

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

I recall there was a user who had several prefs-NNN.js files and had problems with saving settings. I think that once there are more than a certain number of these files, TB stops adding to the current prefs.js, which would explain why your account disappears. Delete all the old ones, with TB closed, except for a few of the most recent, and of course don't delete prefs.js.

If you prefer to create a new profile, that can be done as described above with Profile Manager, or from Help/Troubleshooting, about:profiles. It will be stored by default in the ...Roaming//Thunderbird/Profiles folder.

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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In response to your suggestion I have now discovered that I had 10,000 prefs-nnnnn.js. I deleted them all, leaving only prefs.js, and it has solved my problem. Thanks for that.

I have also discovered that I have 34 x directoryTree and 339 x folderTree. Is this normall?

Thanks for your help.

sfhowes
sfhowes
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There should only be folderTree.json and directoryTree.json. You can delete the other ones, and even folderTree.json and directoryTree.json, as they are automatically recreated when TB restarts (unlike prefs.js).

firefox662
firefox662 Question owner
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Thank you for that information.

As I told you before I deleted 10,000 prefs-nnnn.json leaving only prefs.json. A couple of hours later I opened Thinderbird again and there were 7 prefs-1 to prefs-7, and after a couple of minutes as I sat there looking at the screen another 5 appeared without touching anything and no mail being received or sent. At this moment I now have prefs-1 to prefs-12. What is happening?

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 10 Contributor
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I think the prefs.js file is corrupted, so that TB keeps creating clones. It would probably be wise to create a new profile, add an account, and see if the profile is stable. You can always run the original profile, and transfer data to the new one, if the new one is working properly.

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