Tools menu (ALT+T) > account settings > server settings

And change the leave messages on server to something that suits. a week or more is usually enough to recover if your computer crashes, but I tend to remove everything from my providers server as the give me like 20mb of storage.

Thunderbird is an email client. It helps you connect to your email provider's server and manage your email. The providers web mail page is viewing your account on the server. All email has to go through a providers server. Using Thunderbird does not change that.

It is always a good idea to check your account on the web mail site once in a while. Like you discovered you never know what you will find there.

Thank you for the reply.

I always thought that setting was for leaving the messages on Thunderbird.

Thanks again

Thanks for your reply. I have to admit that I really have taken TBird for granted. This is the second "problem" I've had in recent months and when I went to the web mail I realized how much better TBird is - I'd hate to have to go to that web mail every day!

Thanks again

I am running Vista Home Premium and TB 24.5.0. I have started receiving the following message.

"The RETR command did not succeed. Error retrieving a message. Mail server inbound.att.net responded: problem retrieving message."

I use AT&T as my ISP and the problem seems centered around emails on the server that have attachments. I can usually "GET" new messages from TB that do not have attachments. I have tried the solution given by "geomic2" and it does not seem to work.

Also, I have TB set up to check for mail every 5 minutes and this mail for the most part seems to come thru. I have also set up TB to NOT leave messages on the server. This has always worked before.

I can't determine if this is a TB problem or an AT&T problem--but this all seems to have started when AT&T switched to their updated webmail program and I started using TB 24.5.0.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MCAfee anti virus have been causing considerable issues for over a year. ATT give it away so I wonder if the isssue is actually McAfee and not ATT and Yahoo,

In the McAfee product, disable email attachment scanning, actually I would recommend disabling email ascanning entirely as attachments are not the only issue it's email scanner has.

Change the default scanning to programs and documents only.

Then see if the problem goes away.

When I go to AT&T webmail, every now and then, I get a network problem trying to download attachments from the web-based mail--so I suspect this is an AT&T problem as you suggested or McAfee. I even tried using the old Micorsoft windows mail and then same thing happens.

I have NORTON so I will try and disable scanning of email attachments and see what happens.

THX

If the issue is predictable enough, rebooting into Windows safe mode with networking is the most sure way to eliminate or implicate anti virus.

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

Hi, since I had those problems I have made it a regular (weekly) "chore" to go to AT&T server and clear out any and all emails still there - I set the "Leave on server" setting to 2 days - I've also made a point of saving any "important" emails to the "Local Folders" as opposed to just letting them linger in the email, and I've been careful not to let too many unread emails collect without either opening them or getting rid of them... and all was going well until 2 days ago when, I didn't get the dreaded error message, but in one of my "busier" addresses the messages were all messed up - messages transposed, with the wrong titles and in (I think it's) html text...(?) to me "gobbledegook". There were about 5 messages from the day before...could be the problem? Whatever it was I went to AT&T and cleaned everything out and so far the problem hasn't reoccurred.

Further to my post of 5/17/14, I have to report that after a problem free day yesterday, the problem is back with a vengeance today. Wrong emails, NO email under certain titles/subjects, emails in html...etc., I'm wondering if AT&T are deliberately sabotaging email clients in order to drive people to their commercial-saturated site!?! The images are from 5/17/14 but are representative of today's situation.

Any other suggestions, hints, will be much appreciated.

Geomic2

I called AT&T Tech support today.

I was told they are aware of problems with their new version of email from YAHOO.

I even have problems downloading attachments from the web mail version -- usually it is the oldest email in the queue.

The tech told me that when they get enough (???) complaints they will escalate the issue to YAHOO who apparently provides the email programming for AT&T.

My gut feeling is that this is an AT&T issue and NOT a TB issue.

That has been my gut feeling all along...and I have had enough dealings with AT&T "techs" to know not to hold my breath while they do something about it...

@Geomic, those images you posted can be fixed by right clicking and selecting properties and then repair.

That issue is almost certainly your anti virus program "scanning" what it should not, resulting in out of sync updates to Thunderbird.

Thanks Matt,

I haven't had a problem for two days...!!!...and I haven't opened TBird today (trying Opera Mail) but I will definitely try your solution when I do...it'll be great if it were that simple! I use Trend Micro...I'll check into the settings.

Geomic

I have AT&T as my service provider. Even when I used the AT&T webmail , I sometimes get errors related to attachments when I try and download them - this seems to be related to "jpg's" and the scanning at the AT&T level.

Sometimes, deleting the oldest email thru the web solves the problems--other times not.

I still suspect this is an AT&T issue whether with the scanning they do at their end or with the mail pgm itself that is actually a Yahoo pgm (I think).