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Suddenly failing to download emails for 1 account

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 157 views
  • Last reply by Al

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I use Thunderbird to download emails from multiple email accounts and they have all worked fine for years. Suddenly 1 account (Compuserve via AOL) will no longer download new messages. Webmail works fine. Server settings checked and correct. When I ask to get messages it shows a message at the bottom of the app window saying xx messages to download and then quickly says No messages to download and stops. I have run through a series of recommended fixes - run ccleaner, upgrade app, compacting and fixing Inbox folder, deleting global-messages file but nothing works. I've worked out how to get logging to work and have a log file POP3:5 to support this query (I don't have enough knowledge to work out what it tells me).

I use Thunderbird to download emails from multiple email accounts and they have all worked fine for years. Suddenly 1 account (Compuserve via AOL) will no longer download new messages. Webmail works fine. Server settings checked and correct. When I ask to get messages it shows a message at the bottom of the app window saying xx messages to download and then quickly says No messages to download and stops. I have run through a series of recommended fixes - run ccleaner, upgrade app, compacting and fixing Inbox folder, deleting global-messages file but nothing works. I've worked out how to get logging to work and have a log file POP3:5 to support this query (I don't have enough knowledge to work out what it tells me).

Chosen solution

This is usually caused by a corrupted message blocking the download of the others. Access the account in webmail, empty the Bulk and Trash folders, and delete Inbox messages one-at-a-time, starting from when the problem began, until normal downloading to TB resumes.

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All Replies (5)

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Chosen Solution

This is usually caused by a corrupted message blocking the download of the others. Access the account in webmail, empty the Bulk and Trash folders, and delete Inbox messages one-at-a-time, starting from when the problem began, until normal downloading to TB resumes.

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Spot on ! Found the email and removed it. All of the others then download.

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That solved it. Many thanks.

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I've tried this, and it hasn't solved the problem. I've used Thunderbird for 20 years, and this is the first time this has happened. Out of the blue, it simply stopped downloading my emails.

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paulnue56 said

I've tried this, and it hasn't solved the problem. I've used Thunderbird for 20 years, and this is the first time this has happened. Out of the blue, it simply stopped downloading my emails.

All I can suggest (if this is possible) is to access the email account via webmail, create a new folder, move the oldest 10 emails from the inbox to the temp folder, try syncing on Thunderbird. If this doesn't work move the next 10 oldest to the temp folder and repeat. Enventually the troublesome email should end up in the temp folder and those left in the inbox should download. Then its a case of moving those in temp back to inbox a few at a time until the troublesome email causes problems again.