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Thunderbird email: stopped downloading emails

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by sfhowes

nancyknisley
nancyknisley
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Thunderbird was working fine on two Windows 10 PCs for years. One of the two has stopped downloading emails even though I made no changes to the configuration of either one. The other PC still downloads emails fine.

The two PCs are configured the same way except for email address and password. Both are configured to use verizon.net email addresses, not AOL. (The email is appearing on the AOL webmail site just fine.)

On the PC where Thunderbird has stopped working I get the message: Host contacted, sending login information on [email address] did not succeed. Mail server pop.verizon.net responded : [SYS/TEMP] server error please try again later.

I have looked at the support article "Did your ability to receive mail suddenly stop? Was it working before?" But the suggested possible ways to fix the download problem didn't help.

So now what?

Thunderbird was working fine on two Windows 10 PCs for years. One of the two has stopped downloading emails even though I made no changes to the configuration of either one. The other PC still downloads emails fine. The two PCs are configured the same way except for email address and password. Both are configured to use verizon.net email addresses, not AOL. (The email is appearing on the AOL webmail site just fine.) On the PC where Thunderbird has stopped working I get the message: Host contacted, sending login information on [email address] did not succeed. Mail server pop.verizon.net responded : [SYS/TEMP] server error please try again later. I have looked at the support article "Did your ability to receive mail suddenly stop? Was it working before?" But the suggested possible ways to fix the download problem didn't help. So now what?

All Replies (5)

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 25 Contributor
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It may just be as the message states: server error, but if you're not using an app password in TB, doing so might fix it:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1344702

nancyknisley
nancyknisley Question owner
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Thanks for the suggestion, but I didn't change my password either on AOL or on TB between the time I could download email on TB and when I couldn't.

I could download the emails on TB before I stopped using the PC for the day, but when I tried to download the email the next day, I couldn't. :(

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 25 Contributor
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You don't have to change your password to access the account on the AOL site, but you should create an app password and use that in TB. Maybe AOL is blocking access unless you use an app password, which wouldn't be unexpected.

Len
Len
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I have the same problem. Recently, AOL send an email to all verizon.net users that they would be locked out of emails unless they use an AOL-generated 16 digit password. I got one and inserted it into the verizon.net server setting and all was good for 2 weeks. In the past 3 days, I cannot get any emails, but I can see them on AOL if I go there with a browser and log in.

HELP. I spent 3 hours with AOL tech support yesterday and she could not fix this.

sfhowes
sfhowes
  • Top 25 Contributor
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If it's a POP account, use pop.verizon.net on 995 or for IMAP, imap.aol.com on 993, and smtp.verizon.net on 465. All servers: SSL/TLS, normal password authentication. But the password in TB must be an app password.

See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1358891