Which antivirus software program are you using?

Gdata Internet Security 2015 includes antivirus protection.

To Azure,

I used TB on a WinXP machine for years without a problem. I had to move to a Win8.1 computer recently and now TB hangs up so often the program is just about useless.

I think the problem has to do with Junk filtering. Try this: open one TB window showing the Inbox; open a second TB window with a different function like Write (an email) or Address Book. With both windows visible, see if TB faints when a piece of junk comes in.

Despite my unchecking every Option in sight, I cannot find a way to stop Junk mail filtering. But I think this is where the problem lies. (Elsewhere on this Forum, other people have complained about the unstoppable nature of the Junk Filter.)

TB didn't hang or freeze when I ran both in safe mode, so I'm not sure that the junk mail option is what's causing the problem.

I also ran TB in XP Pro & Home w/out these problems occurring.

Maybe I'm phrasing my question incorrectly--since it seems that the problem doesn't occur when both Windows & TB are run in safe mode, how do I track down or locate whatever software or software interaction is causing the problem.

As I wrote above, the problem returned--although to the degree it had before, when I ran Win 7 with " basic systems" or whatever the next step from Safe Mode w/network is, still running TB in safe mode.

So it seems to me that it's something that Win 7 classifies as "basic systems" that may at least be a major factor in the problem. I don't know how to discover or determine what that software or software interaction is.

THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING FOR HELP WITH.

It'd be nice if people would read all of what i wrote. I appreciate anyone taking the time to respond . . . but the first response asked what anti-virus software I was using, when I'd stated that my security software (including antivirus software) was Gdata Internet Security in my basic statement. I also said that when I ran Win 7 and TB in safe mode, there was no hanging, etc, even when I typed a long e-mail.

It works in Windows safe mode (with or without Thunderbird safe mode), then the cause of problem is still something extra that is loaded during "normal" Windows startup - before Thunderbird starts. You'll need to determine what that something is. It's often AV or firewall software.

> the first response asked what anti-virus software I was using, apparently I missed it. (I read dozens of posts every day - sometimes you miss something)

I don't know how to "determine what that something is". That's what I'm asking for help with.

As a first step, totally disable or delete (if you can reinstall later) your AV software.

Ok, I'll try that as soon as I have some free time & post the result. Thanks.

What I'll do is turn off the AV part of Gdata, leave the firewall and whatever else is still turned on. The e-mail scanning has already been turned off (had no effect on TB's freezing/hanging up).

W/luck the pc won't be attacked by a virus while it's off.

To Azure,

I think we both have the same problem. I wrote to you two days ago with this suggestion: Try this: open one TB window showing the Inbox; open a second TB window with a different function like Write (an email) or Address Book. With both windows visible, see if TB faints when a piece of junk comes in.

I finally figured out how to stop TB from filtering Junk. For the last few days TB has run without one delay - but I have to manually remove ~150 spams/day. I don't like the trade off, but TB now functions for me.

> ... I don't like the trade off [disabling junk]

Stanley, yes, that is surely a workaround, because even though you have disabled junk processing I am sure that whatever is causing the "solved" slowness is still affecting you in other perhaps imperciptble ways. (I'm pretty sure junk processing is not the ultimate cause)

Please go to your thunderbird profile directory - what is the size of training.dat file?

And, with junk processing enabeled, what happens if you start Windows in safe mode and thunderbird in safe mode?

Dear Wayne,

Thank you for trying to help Azure and me. When you write that I have proposed a "workaround", I agree. I think I am working around some poorly written Junk Filtering code in TB.

You ask what is the size of my "training.dat" file. I assume it is at or close to zero since I "Reset Training Data" a number of times recently with zero positive results.

I have spent a lot of time testing various suggestions. Disabling Ad-Aware, my AV program, Windows Defender and running TB in "safe mode" also did nothing. I am not sure how running Win8.1 in safe mode will help anything, especially when I can see TB croak as soon as a piece of Junk hits the Inbox.

it helped somewhat, it did not solve the problem. There was still slowness. When I did try to send an e-mail, I had difficulty sending it, I had to save the e-mail as a draft, disconnect the modem, etc., and retry maybe 20 minutes later. I don't know if that's connected to the other problems w/TB, the security software or what.

I did not experiment w/typing a long e-mail.

if it is at least partly my security software, what am I supposed to do? I'm paying for it, and I need some kind of security software or so I'm told. I ca't see relying solely on what MS provides, given that I'm not thrilled w/Windows or IE (so why should MS' security stuff be any better? )

And now yet another problem has developed: today TB repeatedly produced the message that the smtp.gmail.com server had failed. That's happening w/just about every e-mail I try to send of a link to an online article I've read and I want to send an e-mail w/a link to the article (not as an attachment, but a link in the body of the e-mail). If I save the e-mail as a draft, then start TB, and send the draft (after clicking on edit) maybe 30 seconds later--somehow there's NOT a problem w/the smtp server.

I have left the e-mail scanner off and the spam filter of the security software. I turned the antivirus back on.

--@Azure-- I am by no means an expert in Gdata, but something others have found useful is to exclude the Thunderbird profile from "on access" scanning by creating an exception

Thunderbird uses very large files (a couple of Gigabyte is not uncommon) for things like global indexing and message storage. If the anti virus program misbehaves and tries to scan these files every time they are updated (get mail, junk filtering etc then they will basically take 10 minutes to do their scan.(scan time between anti virus programs do not vary very much). Thunderbird by that time is probably adding the next lot of mail and the whole thing starts again. So every action is done by one program trying to get access between the others efforts to access the same thing. Like two dogs with a skipping rope, eventually they will cross the yard, but they may go around the clothes line a thousand times getting there.

A similar issue can arise in the temp folder when messages are being "assembled" after you click send. But disabling outgoing scanning is usually a fix for that issue.

--@Stanley-- You are being asked in case the file is corrupt and therefore huge. Clicking reset is not going to fix that, so I suggest you actually have a look.

I don't know how to create an exception. I looked for my profile, there are two, when I looked at the profile listed on the Troubleshooting information page, it showed only one of the defaults.

But I don't know what information has to be included for Gdata to be clear on the file or its location. Or I don't know if I have to type c:/ . . . . to show the path or if I can just type in the file name.

Also, the Gdata firewall now seems to be blocking any attempt to use a link from an e-mail. That is new today. I could not respond to your post by using the link supplied in the e-mail until I disabled Gdata's firewall.

This just gets worse & worse.

But thank you for your suggestion--I'd like to try if it I can figure out how to create an exception correctly (I think I found where to create the exception at least, it seems that Gdata's changed its terminology a bit in the 2015 version of internet security or that's how it seems).

This is not my field (computer tech) and while I most definitely appreciate all the help, I'm unhappy that I need it--that I have to spend so much time messing w/this stuff.

A couple of years ago I had to spend months dealing w/AVG over a netbook (XP) crashing every time i used it. Once/use session. It took months of dealing w/the tech support until I got so pushy I ended up dealing w/someone knowledgeable and in about 3 minutes the person informed me that the new version of AVG had a conflict of some kind w/some bloatware that had come w/the netbook (which I'd had for close to 2 years by then and so of course the software had never caused any kind of problem before). Fortunately it wasn't anything I used or needed so I just uninstalled it.

I still haven't forgotten how frustrated I felt and how much of my time was wasted. Now something similar seems to be happening all over again.

Just explaining why I may seem frustrated & unhappy.

try clicking on the word exception in my last post for instruction on the gdata site. I have never seen the software, hence the link.

it goes here http://help.gdatasoftware.com/b2c/GDIS/2014/en/index.html?410057.htm

The firewall appears to be discussed here http://help.gdatasoftware.com/b2c/GDIS/2014/en/index.html?410057.htm

TGhe discussion here http://help.gdatasoftware.com/b2c/GDIS/2014/en/index.html?410057.htm indicates that there is an option to turn of email archive scanning. so check that as well.

I have to disable Gdata's firewall every time I want to click on one of the links. Until I figured out that's what I had to do, when I clicked on your "exceptions" link, either nothing happened or FF told me it couldn't get to that page. So I looked at the menu/settings pages that Gdata providers for Internet Security 2015. And there's a page for "exceptions" but I don't know how to list the profile there. Just type in the folder name or what.

I'll look at your other links when I have more time and feel like disabling the firewall for a long enough period of time.

Like I said, this is getting really old. I don't know why I paid for Gdata when it seems I can hardly use its features, and Gdata's tech support is not particularly responsive or helpful.

Just checked your first link and it took me to the page of Gdata help I found on my own.

I don't know what is the "complete file name" that that "help" indicates is required. Is it the path? Because I don't know what the path is, i.e, c\directory\subdirectory\filename or whatever. No problem w/DOS, figuring it out w/Windows has been impossible for me.

if it's just writing in the file folder name, I can do that.

Again, I'm asking for help w/what probably seems like basic stuff, but it's because I have found that what worked w/DOS doesn't work w/Windows all too often. So I don't know if it'll work w/Gdata either.

I have read through just about all of Gdata's help stuff but you know what? Sometimes, it's not accurate or what you actually FIND on the settings and menus, isn't what the help menu says should be there. I found that out a year or so ago, mentioned it to Gdata, got no response.

But in this case, I simply don't know the nomenclature that's required.

Just the file folder name? or what? The help menu really doesn't specify, or not to me it doesn't.

@azure

For folder it needs what we refer to as the full path name. In Windows explorer or "my computer", paste %appdata%\thunderbird into the address field at the top, what it resolves to is your path name. See also https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles

Matt or azure, when this all gets sorted out, could add the important details to https://wiki.mozilla.org/Thunderbird:Testing:Antivirus_Related_Performance_Issues -- thanks

@stanleykpatz

> I have spent a lot of time testing various suggestions. Disabling Ad-Aware, my AV program, Windows Defender and running TB in "safe mode" also did nothing. I am not sure how running Win8.1 in safe mode will help anything, especially when I can see TB croak as soon as a piece of Junk hits the Inbox.

And we have a lot of experience giving suggestions.  :)

1. I'm not aware if any problems in many years of junk processing causing performance issues, except where antivirus software is involved. 2. There is no better or easier basic test than starting Windows in safe mode. You may think you disabled everything, but some times that proves to be insufficient. So if you don't want to do that, then I am basically finished here. 3. Question, are your mail accounts imap? or pop?