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Thunderbird Suddenly Can't Connect to Internet (Latest Version - 45.4.0)

  • 5 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by nrf91

nrf91
nrf91
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It was working fine last night. Booted PC today and was getting an error from a program I no longer use (Samsung Kies) so I uninstalled that program. Loaded Thunderbird to check my email and I get an error message that it can't connect to the internet and suggests I check Proxy/Firewall settings. Checked Firefox to make sure my internet connection was working for other programs and it's working fine.

I don't have a proxy setting as far as I know. Thunderbird wasn't listed in the Windows Firewall so I added it and checked the boxes. Still won't connect. Tried reinstalling and still getting the same error message. Went to Help/About to try clicking the links there to see if they connected to the Mozilla website. Those links also return an error message and won't connect to the internet.

I tried turning Windows Firewall off completely. Also tried rebooting several times. Tried loading Thunderbird in it's safe mode. Same errors. Thunderbird still won't connect to the internet.

No clue what to try next. Thanks for the help.

It was working fine last night. Booted PC today and was getting an error from a program I no longer use (Samsung Kies) so I uninstalled that program. Loaded Thunderbird to check my email and I get an error message that it can't connect to the internet and suggests I check Proxy/Firewall settings. Checked Firefox to make sure my internet connection was working for other programs and it's working fine. I don't have a proxy setting as far as I know. Thunderbird wasn't listed in the Windows Firewall so I added it and checked the boxes. Still won't connect. Tried reinstalling and still getting the same error message. Went to Help/About to try clicking the links there to see if they connected to the Mozilla website. Those links also return an error message and won't connect to the internet. I tried turning Windows Firewall off completely. Also tried rebooting several times. Tried loading Thunderbird in it's safe mode. Same errors. Thunderbird still won't connect to the internet. No clue what to try next. Thanks for the help.

Chosen solution

After 2 system restores, the second one a failure, Thunderbird is magically working again.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (5)

Tonnes
Tonnes
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I don't have a proxy setting as far as I know.
I’m afraid Thunderbird has though. :)

How are they set up in Thunderbird, and can you set to them to No proxy if it’s set to Use system proxy settings? By "connect to the internet", do you mean sending/receiving mail, or viewing web content? Does content in the Add-ons tab get loaded, especially when you click Get more add-ons?

nrf91
nrf91 Question owner
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I mean Thunderbird can't get or send email from any of my four accounts. They all get the same error message. It also cannot connect to Mozilla's website using the links on the Help/About menu.

Per your suggestion, I found the Options setting for proxy server and it's set to "No proxy". I tried the Get More Add-Ons option and get the following message:

Server not found

services.addons.mozilla.org could not be found. Please check the name and try again. 

   Check the address for typing errors such as ww.example.com instead of www.example.com
   If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection.
   If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Thunderbird is permitted to access the Web.
nrf91
nrf91 Question owner
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Chosen Solution

After 2 system restores, the second one a failure, Thunderbird is magically working again.

Tonnes
Tonnes
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Thank you, this is valuable info. There was clearly a general connection issue. I am aware of Kies using a USB driver, but never heard of this causing networking issues (not to say Kies caused it, but it does have other flaws.)

Could you mark your own post as solution, perhaps in a few days, since the issue may return? If so, please keep an eye on any Windows or other updates.

nrf91
nrf91 Question owner
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Many thanks to Tonnes for your time and suggestions. The problem has not recurred and I'm hopeful it's fixed for now. It appears to be related to the random Win7 crashes that I've been having over the last few months. Would have done a fresh install a while ago but don't want to waste my time on it since I am about to build a new PC.

Not sure if the crashes are caused by a hardware or software issue, but they often lead to random programs not working until I reboot the system. This case seemed different since Thunderbird continued to fail no matter how many times I rebooted. It wasn't until I did the system restore that it worked again.