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[SOLVED] Thunderbird Emails not Downloading

24K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  wmorri 
#1 ·
Hi this is my first time on this Tech Support, so tell me if I'm asking a common question that the answer can be found elsewhere.
I am using Thunderbird, have since Outlook Express didn't work July 07.
All was working OK, I leave my computer on all the time, connected to internet and Thunderbird on, I went out at 6pm came home around 9pm and my computer had restarted? Maybe there was a power failure while I was out? So I opened up Thunderbird email again, to check out what new emails I'd received, but I kept getting "Alert" messages for all 7 of my email addresses. "Could not connect to the server. Connection was refused" After I'd called my ISP Optusnet.com.au and told them the probelms, they wouldn't support my problem because I'm using Thunderbird, not Outlook Express, they suggested I remove all email accounts and re-enter them, and that would fix it. So I removed the email accounts and re-entered them again. I could not see any place in the set-up area to add in any passwords, so I guess you don't need them for Thunderbird? So I re-added all 7 email account settings. But the emails still will not download from the server. They are on the server as the Technical Support at Optusnet, checked for me.
He stated I needed to type in the incoming and outgoing server as mail.optusnet.com.au, which I did for that part, even though it shows on the finished form for outgoing server name : suzee3-mail.optusnet.com.au.
Is that OK? Previously I set my email default to my most commonly used email user name as suzee3. That is the only email address that Optusnet will do the free spam filter on, not on any of my other 6 email addresses with Optusnet.
Can anybody give me some directions on how to make my emails download from the server again? Or tell me what may have made it stop downloading since 6pm tonight. I did a Registry Booster scan when I restarted the computer, then I had to restart the computer after it fixed about 60 errors, could that have caused the problem?
I realy hope sombody is there right now, and they can reply asap, as its almost 3:05am here in Sydney Australia right now.
Thanks
Suzee
 
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#2 ·
Re: Thunderbird Emails not Downloading

Hi Suzee3 and welcome to TSF,

I checked at your ISP and the servers are correct. Go Here if you want to double check them.
The Suzee3 on the outgoing is right. T-bird just displays it that way to keep the login info for the multiple accounts seperate.

Here's a link to Mozilla on connection errors. See if anything there applies.

One thing you could try is to click Tools>Options>Privacy>Passwords tab>Edit saved passwords. Remove the login information for one of the usernames (try just your main account). The mailbox:// is the Incoming and smpt:// is the Outgoing. Close T-bird.
Open T-bird and you should be asked for your password. Enter it and see if it downloads for that account. If it does, repeat the above for all accounts.

T.
 
#3 ·
Re: Thunderbird Emails not Downloading

Hi throoper,
Thanks for your help and links etc. I've tried to find info but nothing I see has helped.
I've followed your passwords edit section, but nothing has made any difference.
I have now deleted all my passwords. How do I get them back? I can't find anywhere to add them back in.
Could I try another way? If you can tell me how I can save all my emails in the inbox and all other folders under the inbox, I'll save them. Then I could remove this Thunderbird and download another new one? Is there a newer version out? If not I can just download the same version. Then I can copy it all into the new program? .. the inbox data and all my created folders. Is that possible without losing all my emails ?
I look forward to your help or anyone else if they can help me.
Regards
Suzee3
 
#4 ·
Re: Thunderbird Emails not Downloading

For the passwords, when you open Thunderbird and click "Get Mail" for each account, it should ask for the password before it connects to the server. If you check the box to remember the password, the info gets added to the password manager and you won't get asked again. Same thing will occur when you try to send a message for the first time. If it's not doing that, that may be part of the problem.

Do not remove Thunderbird at this time. The problem is most likely in the Profile, rather than the Program.
Create a New Profile by clicking Start>Run>type thunderbird.exe -P (note the space between the exe and the -P)>OK.
In the Profile manager, click the Create New button and just follow the prompts.
Once the profile is created, highlight the new profile and click the Start Thunderbird button. It will open in a fresh profile and you can set up one of your accounts in it.
If the Account works properly (Sends and Receives), then set up the other accounts in the New Profile. DO NOT DELETE THE DEFAULT PROFILE. You'll need to get your mail and settings from it. I'll walk you through doing that if the New Profile solves the problem.
T.
 
#5 ·
Re: Thunderbird Emails not Downloading

Hi again throoper,
Thank you for taking the time to help me resolve my Thunderbird problems.

And thanks for replying to my last email which I sent to you about 24 hours ago. But it seems that my Thunderbird program has decided to work again.

When I wrote my last email to you I was frustrated because after trying out some of your instructions, nothing had changed. I went to bed last night and when I came back to my computer this morning, it had been shut down and restarted again, but I had to go out straight away, so I couldn't open Thunderbird and check to see if it was all working again then.

So when I came home tonight. I opened up Thunderbird and the first thing that happened was what you said, it asked for my password ! (For the first time since I'd been trying to get this part to work) So I entered my password. And seeing I had only added one email address into the account area, it downloaded about 200 emails from the server... at last !

And because that was all working, back to normal, I added in the other 7 email account details etc, and all is working fine, all are back to normal.

After following your instructions and removing the passwords last night, I don't know why it all didn't work then? So I just guess it has something to do with the computer restarting. I don't know why my computer is shutting down when I have not physically done it myself? Its all a mystery to me??
Maybe there's a little gremlin in there causing havoc :)
Maybe my operating system is getting overloaded, and its just shutting down? can't cope?

I've ordered a new computer system, its being built in China for me. My son's friend Tim has started a new internet sales business over there, and he is buying all my required computer components at factory prices right there in his business building. For a spend of around $700AUD, I've asked for a Dual Core Processor 6 times faster than my 1Ghz I have now, plus at least 2GB RAM, a 1TB HDD, a new DVD/CD Burner, good quality Video card, good quality Sound card, 6 USB ports etc.

I'm not familiar with all the technical names of computer stuff, so I can only describe it in my own way. Tim will put all the necessary components into a new black tower for me and ship to me soon. I may also get him to send me a new 22" flat screen monitor, if its not more than $300AUD.
What do you think? $1000AUD plus shipping costs is not too bad for all that?

So for now I'm just biding my time on my old AMD Anthlon 1Ghz, 512MB RAM computer. My local computer repair shop who built this old one for me 6 years ago, says it has been outdated by newer types of components.

I'm happy to stay using Windows XP Pro for as long as I can. But I also want to have access to Vista as I have to teach this to some of my clients, and at this stage I'm learning and discovering things about Vista as I teach my clients on their computers. I have a small home based business "Ezee Home PC" teaching computer skills to clients (absolute beginners and intermediate), on their desktop computers or laptops.

Maybe I could have this old computer on and working with XP Pro and the new computer installed with Vista and have that on at the same time to learn more for myself. So far I'm not very impressed with Vista and the way they've changed everything.
For one example, I think Microsoft have gone too far with the visual tools and wizards in Word. It is so hard to find the right tools for editing and formatting etc in the new Vista style Office package.

I'd also appreciate your advice and comments on these other topics about me getting a new computer built and XP v Vista etc as above, besides the resolved Thunderbird problem.

Looks like I won't need to create a new profile. But thanks for suggesting that, and I can still do it if I wanted to.
Thanks again,
Cheers :wave:
Suzee3
 
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