Thunderbird cannot connect to ISP mail server, cannot get mail
Thunderbird, quite suddenly, stopped getting my email; Both on my account and my wife's account at the same ISP. I spent more than two hours on the phone with the ISPs help line trying to resolve this issue. They also use Thunderbird at their help desk, and the agent I talked to was familiar with your program. She (the agent) was not able to replicate the issue on their system. We then tried to set up a NEW email account. I carefully entered all the info needed for a new account, following instructions from the agent, then hit the 'Test' button. I got the following message onscreen: "THUNDERBIRD FAILED TO FIND SETTINGS FOR YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT" The answer to the original issue suddenly became very clear - Thunderbird cannot, or refuses to, connect with the email server, therefore NO EMAIL. We tried everything in her toolkit to resolve the problem to no avail. We finally tried UNINSTALLING Thunderbird (and the Maintaince program). Once Uninstalled, I used the Registry Tool on CCleaner to remove any entries in the registry referring to Thunderbird (there were several), then restarted my computer. I then downloaded and installed a totally NEW Thunderbird program. When I ran the Thunderbird again, I found all my account(s) info was still present, and Thunderbird was still unable to find the server. I'm at my wits end trying to resolve this issue, and REALLY HATE to go back to Microsoft OUTLOOK to get my email. Anybody got any ideas??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. (Signed) Proteus
All Replies (6)
This thread seems to deal with the error message - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1435151 Unfortunately, the poster never marked whether it was a solution to the problem so it may be a dead end - but it may point you in the right direction. If you search for the error message in the search window (top right), you will find many articles and questions that pop up relating to it.
I thought I made things pretty clear - I found the reason Thunderbird cannot get my email (refusal to 'find' my email server). I also made very clear that this was the reason for the failure, but it was NOT the solution. I then went on to explain the many ways that I tried to resolve this issue, but none of them worked. As per your suggestion, I read many of the previous posts complaining of the same issue - over two hundred of them. No, I did not read them all, but enough to show that some few were finally resolved, but most were not, at least not reported as resolved. Since posting my original complaint, and reading what others had done, I tried several more times, using the methods suggested by others, but all attempts failed. Thunderbird will not find my server.
ADDENDUM: I did notice that I do have a fairly new Download (1/6/25) of Thunderbird Setup 128.5.2esr.exe . That may be the one I used to re-install Thunderbird when I attempted to uninstall the program before. Would you suggest I try Uninstalling Thunderbird again? This time I will try to do a better job of uninstalling including manually deleting all folders remaining in the Program files (Mozilla Thunderbird folder) and Program Files (x86) (Mozilla Maintenance Service folder) AND the folder in the ProgramData folder called Mozilla-1de4eec8-1241-4177-a864-e594e8d1fb38 (contains updates info). THEN removing any Registry entries (using Ccleaner). Then restarting my computer and running the Setup program to reinstall Thunderbird. I will wait a few days to hear back from you before proceeding with a REALLY CLEAN Uninstall/Reinstall. This is a rather desperate procedure, but it is the last resort I can come up with on my own. If you have any other suggestions, I'd really appreciate hearing them. Thanks in Advance, Proteus
Thunderbird, quite suddenly, stopped getting my email; Both on my account and my wife's account at the same ISP.
What is your email provider?
What error message do you get?
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.
I carefully entered all the info needed for a new account, following instructions from the agent, then hit the 'Test' button. I got the following message onscreen: "THUNDERBIRD FAILED TO FIND SETTINGS FOR YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT"
I don't see how creating a new account would solve the original problem of not getting mail. In any case, if the new account wizard fails to find the correct settings for your account you'll have to use manual account configuration. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/manual-account-configuration
We finally tried UNINSTALLING Thunderbird
You're almost certainly wasting your time. All your data such as messages, passwords and user preferences, and changes made while you use Thunderbird, are stored in a special folder called a profile. Your profile folder is stored in a separate place from the Thunderbird program, so that if something ever goes wrong with Thunderbird your information will still be there. It also means that you can uninstall Thunderbird and reinstall without losing your settings and data. It also means re-installing Thunderbird will not fix problems in your profile.
I did notice that I do have a fairly new Download (1/6/25) of Thunderbird Setup 128.5.2esr.exe
By now the latest version is 128.6.0esr.
Modified by christ1
What is your email provider? My Email provider is: Reliance Connects (Estacada, OR) Server: mail.rconnects.com Incoming Mail(IMAP) Host: mail.rconnects.com Outgoing (SMTP) Host: mail.rconnects.com Mail Server Ports: 993 imap – incoming – Dedicated SSL port 587 smtp – outgoing – Dedicated STARTTLS
What error message do you get? I don't get any error message, but still not receiving my mail. Wife and I are on the same server. Wife is not receiving email either. I can access my email directly from Reliance (https://mail.rconnects.com/tuxedo/?_task=mail&_mbox=INBOX).
Please post your Troubleshooting Information. I WILL POST THE TOTAL TROUBLESHOOTING INFO ON NEXT REPLY. EXCEEDED 10000 LIMIT IN THIS REPLY.
Application Basics
Name: Thunderbird Version: 128.6.0esr Build ID: 20250107005646 Distribution ID:
Update Channel: esr User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:128.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/128.6.0 OS: Windows_NT 10.0 19045 OS Theme:
Launcher Process: Enabled
Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
Fission Windows: 0/0
Enabled by default
Remote Processes: 8
Enterprise Policies: Inactive
Google Location Service Key: Missing
Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
Safe Mode: false
Memory Size (RAM): 15.9 GB
Disk Space Available: 724 GB
Mail and News Accounts
account2:
INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext
account3:
INCOMING: account3, , (imap) mail.rconnects.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: , mail.rconnects.com:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
account4:
INCOMING: account4, , (imap) mail.rconnects.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: , mail.rconnects.com:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
Libraries
Library
Status
Expected minimum version
Version in use
Path
RNP (OpenPGP)
OK
0.17.1
0.17.1.MZLA.128.6.0esr.botan
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\rnp.dll
OTR
Failed to load. OTR chat encryption will not work.
-
-
-
Calendar Settings
Home
Name
Value
Name:
Type: storage
Disabled: false
Username:
URI:
Refresh Interval:
Read-only:
Suppress Alarms:
Cache Enabled:
iMIP Identity: id2
iMIP Disabled:
iMIP Account:
Organizer Id:
Force Email Scheduling:
Popup Alarms Supported:
Alarms on Invitation Supported:
Max Alarms Per Event:
Attachment Supported:
Max Categories:
Privacy State Supported:
Priority Supported: true
Event Supported:
Task Supported:
Local Time Supported:
UTC/GMT Supported:
Auto-Scheduling Supported:
Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days
Remote Processes
Type: Count
Isolated Web Content: 6
GPU: 1
Utility JavaScript Oracle: 1
Add-ons
Name
Type
Version
Enabled
ID
English United States Dictionary
dictionary
115.0
true
@unitedstatesenglishdictionary
System theme — auto
theme
1.3
true
default-theme@mozilla.org
Dark
theme
1.3
false
thunderbird-compact-dark@mozilla.org
Light
theme
1.3
false
thunderbird-compact-light@mozilla.org
Security Software
Type: Name
Antivirus: Trend Micro Internet Security
Antispyware:
Firewall: Windows Firewall
Legacy User Stylesheets
Active: false Stylesheets: No stylesheets found
Graphics
Features
Compositing: WebRender
Font Visibility Debug Info: Windows Platform
Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: wheel input enabled; scrollbar drag enabled; keyboard enabled; autoscroll enabled; smooth pinch-zoom enabled
WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: outOfProcess: false
inProcess: true
Application Basics
Name: Thunderbird Version: 128.6.0esr Build ID: 20250107005646 Distribution ID:
Update Channel: esr User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:128.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/128.6.0 OS: Windows_NT 10.0 19045 OS Theme:
Launcher Process: Enabled
Multiprocess Windows: 0/0
Fission Windows: 0/0
Enabled by default
Remote Processes: 8
Enterprise Policies: Inactive
Google Location Service Key: Missing
Google Safebrowsing Key: Missing
Mozilla Location Service Key: Missing
Safe Mode: false
Memory Size (RAM): 15.9 GB
Disk Space Available: 724 GB
Mail and News Accounts
account2:
INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext
account3:
INCOMING: account3, , (imap) mail.rconnects.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: , mail.rconnects.com:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
account4:
INCOMING: account4, , (imap) mail.rconnects.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: , mail.rconnects.com:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
Libraries
Library
Status
Expected minimum version
Version in use
Path
RNP (OpenPGP)
OK
0.17.1
0.17.1.MZLA.128.6.0esr.botan
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\rnp.dll
OTR
Failed to load. OTR chat encryption will not work.
-
-
-
Calendar Settings
Home
Name
Value
Name:
Type: storage
Disabled: false
Username:
URI:
Refresh Interval:
Read-only:
Suppress Alarms:
Cache Enabled:
iMIP Identity: id2
iMIP Disabled:
iMIP Account:
Organizer Id:
Force Email Scheduling:
Popup Alarms Supported:
Alarms on Invitation Supported:
Max Alarms Per Event:
Attachment Supported:
Max Categories:
Privacy State Supported:
Priority Supported: true
Event Supported:
Task Supported:
Local Time Supported:
UTC/GMT Supported:
Auto-Scheduling Supported:
Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days
Remote Processes
Type: Count
Isolated Web Content: 6
GPU: 1
Utility JavaScript Oracle: 1
Add-ons
Name
Type
Version
Enabled
ID
English United States Dictionary
dictionary
115.0
true
@unitedstatesenglishdictionary
System theme — auto
theme
1.3
true
default-theme@mozilla.org
Dark
theme
1.3
false
thunderbird-compact-dark@mozilla.org
Light
theme
1.3
false
thunderbird-compact-light@mozilla.org
Security Software
Type: Name
Antivirus: Trend Micro Internet Security
Antispyware:
Firewall: Windows Firewall
Legacy User Stylesheets
Active: false Stylesheets: No stylesheets found
Graphics
Features
Compositing: WebRender
Font Visibility Debug Info: Windows Platform
Asynchronous Pan/Zoom: wheel input enabled; scrollbar drag enabled; keyboard enabled; autoscroll enabled; smooth pinch-zoom enabled
WebGL 1 Driver WSI Info: outOfProcess: false
inProcess: true EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (NVIDIA) EGL_VERSION: 1.5 (ANGLE 2.1.19739 git hash: 419cd2c3213b) 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_ANGLE_direct_composition EGL_ANGLE_windows_ui_composition EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context 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_stream_producer_d3d_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_webgl_compatibility EGL_CHROMIUM_create_context_bind_generates_resource EGL_CHROMIUM_sync_control EGL_EXT_pixel_format_float EGL_KHR_surfaceless_context EGL_ANGLE_display_texture_share_group EGL_ANGLE_display_semaphore_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_ANGLE_image_d3d11_texture EGL_ANGLE_create_context_backwards_compatible EGL_KHR_no_config_context EGL_KHR_create_context_no_error EGL_KHR_reusable_sync EGL_EXTENSIONS(nullptr): EGL_EXT_client_extensions EGL_EXT_device_query EGL_EXT_platform_base EGL_EXT_platform_device EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_d3d11on12 EGL_ANGLE_platform_angle_device_id 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_feature_control
WebGL 1 Driver Renderer: Google Inc. (NVIDIA) -- ANGLE (NVIDIA, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Direct3D11 vs_5_0 ps_5_0, D3D11-32.0.15.6636)
WebGL 1 Driver Version: OpenGL ES 2.0.0 (ANGLE 2.1.19739 git hash: 419cd2c3213b)
WebGL 1 Driver Extensions: GL_AMD_performance_monitor GL_ANGLE_base_vertex_base_instance GL_ANGLE_base_vertex_base_instance_shader_builtin GL_ANGLE_client_arrays GL_ANGLE_depth_texture GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_blit GL_ANGLE_framebuffer_multisample GL_ANGLE_get_serialized_context_string GL_ANGLE_get_tex_level_parameter GL_ANGLE_instanced_arrays GL_ANGLE_lossy_etc_decode GL_ANGLE_memory_size GL_ANGLE_multi_draw 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_lose_context GL_CHROMIUM_sync_query GL_EXT_EGL_image_external_wrap_modes GL_EXT_base_instance GL_EXT_blend_func_extended GL_EXT_blend_minmax GL_EXT_clip_control GL_EXT_color_buffer_half_float GL_EXT_debug_label GL_EXT_debug_marker GL_EXT_discard_framebuffer GL_EXT_disjoint_timer_query GL_EXT_draw_buffers GL_EXT_draw_elements_base_vertex GL_EXT_float_blend GL_EXT_frag_depth GL_EXT_instanced_arrays GL_EXT_map_buffer_range GL_EXT_multi_draw_indirect GL_EXT_multisampled_render_to_texture 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_rgtc GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc_srgb GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic GL_EXT_texture_format_BGRA8888 GL_EXT_texture_norm16 GL_EXT_texture_rg GL_EXT_texture_storage GL_EXT_texture_type_2_10_10_10_REV 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_framebuffer_blit GL_NV_pack_subimage GL_NV_pixel_buffer_object GL_OES_EGL_image GL_OES_EGL_image_external GL_OES_compressed_EAC_R11_signed_texture GL_OES_compressed_EAC_R11_unsigned_texture GL_OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_signed_texture GL_OES_compressed_EAC_RG11_unsigned_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_RGB8_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_RGBA8_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_RGBA8_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_punchthroughA_sRGB8_alpha_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_alpha8_texture GL_OES_compressed_ETC2_sRGB8_texture GL_OES_depth24 GL_OES_depth32 GL_OES_draw_elements_base_vertex GL_OES_element_index_uint GL_OES_fbo_render_mipmap 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_texture_stencil8 GL_OES_vertex_array_object GL_WEBGL_video_texture
WebGL 1 Extensions: ANGLE_instanced_arrays EXT_blend_minmax EXT_color_buffer_half_float EXT_float_blend EXT_frag_depth EXT_shader_texture_lod EXT_sRGB EXT_texture_compression_bptc EXT_texture_compression_rgtc EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic MOZ_debug OES_element_index_uint OES_fbo_render_mipmap 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_provoking_vertex
WebGL 2 Driver WSI Info: outOfProcess: false
inProcess: true EGL_VENDOR: Google Inc. (NVIDIA) EGL_VERSION: 1.5 (ANGLE 2.1.19739 git hash: 419cd2c3213b) 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_ANGLE_direct_composition EGL_ANGLE_windows_ui_composition EGL_NV_post_sub_buffer EGL_KHR_create_context EGL_KHR_image EGL_KHR_image_base
Your server settings look good. Anti-virus software is possibly a problem.
Create an exception in your anti-virus software for the Thunderbird profile folder, so that the anti-virus real-time scanner will not scan it. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_how-to-find-your-profile
Don't let your anti-virus software scan incoming and outgoing messages.
Don't let your anti-virus software scan attachments.
Don't let your anti-virus software intercept your secure connection to the server.
Remove any add-ons your anti-virus software may have installed in Thunderbird.
Modified by christ1
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