Error messages that say "password" don't necessarily have any real problem with the password, but maybe with some other part of the logging-in process. Anti-virus and firewalls can also put the kybosh on it.

Running Thunderbird and Windows in their respective safe modes should take at least the anti-virus and firewall issues out of the equation.

The settings shown here are rather unchallenging. If you set these up as shown, you should get a red warning window in Thunderbird advising about the lack of security, which would alarm many users.

Thanks Zenos. Your rapid response is appreciated - helps me feel that I am not alone in the world. Next time I visit father-in-law I will try in safe mode. I doubt if firewalls or anti-virus are a problem, but I'll check that too.

The error can also indicate a wrong user name. For some providers the email address is the user name, e.g. [email protected], while for others it is only the local part, e.g. xxxx.

Thanks Onno. I'll check that out too next time I am with father-in-law. However, when I put '[email protected]' into TB, and told it to use an 'existing address', the system seemed to find the address at tpg alright. It was at the 'checking password' stage that it fell over.

I have seen issues where passwords more than 8 characters long fail from mail clients but work fine from webmail. That was the case with hotmail some years ago.

Some server software limits the password to the US ASCII character set. (basically the numbers and letters of the keyboard.) others support the full Unicode character set. Now to the setting TPG recommend.

They use port 25. this has been internationally deprecated for about a decade. While not compulsory port 25 is assumed to be for server to server communications. The generally accepted standards is port 587 and less commonly 465

They use no connection encryption (SSL/TLS). This is considered to be a security risk and has been adopted as a defacto standard by just about every responsible mail server administrator in the world. Even the luddites at Telstra use SSL/TLS connection security. Nothing like sending you passwords over the open internet without any form of encryption.

However I digress.

We have to go back the the last century this these settings, but ensure that they are set in the wizard to. Per https://www.tpg.com.au/support/emailsetting

Email Address [email protected] Email Username Your TPG Username Email Password Your TPG Password

Incoming Mail Server (POP3 or IMAP) mail.tpg.com.au Port 110 (POP3) 143 (IMAP) Connection security None

Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) Mail.tpg.com.au 25 Connection security None

From that I would assume that the username us not the full email address, but just the local part as Onno suggested.

Thunderbird will, unless you tell it otherwise, default to creating an imap mail account. My guess based on the age of your father in law and his past email experience with live mail will be expecting POP, but it is an integral part of the account creation wizard to make that decision. If you have need of more information there is a short explanation of the differences between IMAP and POP here https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/glossary-terms-including-types-accounts#w_mail-accounts

Thanks Matt, I've not been back up to father-in-law yet. However, he is using IMAP, and will continue to use that when/if I set up TB. His password is a simple six digits. This was set up for him by a local 'computer expert' some years ago when he got his 'new' computer. I note that TGP now require at least eight digits for a password, but his six digit one works alright for Live Mail with TPG and I don't want to change it at this stage. Father-in-law never remembers things, they are all written out in 20 point font for him, but his fingers are so stiff and clumbsy that he hits the wrong button - depite an enhance keryboard - at least half the time. Fortunately Mozilla remembers passwords. System people don't seem to recogonize the computer illiteracy of deaf, clumbsy 92 year-olds. He cannot even make a phone call for help, because the young peopel who repond all talk far to fast and imcomprehensibly. Remeber, one day - if we are lucky? - we will all be old! Despite all this F-in-L lives independently by himself and sees his computer as his window to the world.