Why won't Thunderbuird connect to email server anymore?
I reinstalled OS X 10.6.8 on one of my computers, and now when I try to configure Thunderbird, the three email addresses through my web hosting provider will not configure. My Google and AOL addresses configured fine with no issue. In the past, Thunderbird's auto-configure feature has worked great for all my email accounts, but I cannot get these to work with automatic or manual configuration. Now to make things worse, I tried to check my email from my other computer which also uses Thunderbird on OS X 10.6.8, and now it cannot access either of those three email accounts either and gives a "time out" error. My hosting provider says the problem is not with them, and since I can still receive emails to my Android phone I tend to believe them. Please help, my next step is to try another email client.
All Replies (13)
Please post info as described here:
Edit/remove all info on fonts and printing, but do not edit anything else.
re: - still receive emails to my Android phone - what you did not say was how this is done. Perhaps this accesses webmail which is not the same thing.
Application Basics
Name: Thunderbird Version: 24.4.0 User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.6; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.4.0 Profile Folder: Show in Finder Application Build ID: 20140316131045 Enabled Plugins: about:plugins Build Configuration: about:buildconfig Crash Reports: about:crashes Memory Use: about:memory
Mail and News Accounts
account1:
INCOMING: account1, , (imap) imap.aol.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: smtp.aol.com:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true
account2:
INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext
account3:
INCOMING: account3, , (imap) imap.googlemail.com:993, SSL, passwordCleartext
OUTGOING: smtp.googlemail.com:465, SSL, passwordCleartext, true
Extensions
Important Modified Preferences
Name: Value
browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400
browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value: 358400
browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false
browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false
extensions.lastAppVersion: 24.4.0
font.internaluseonly.changed: false
gfx.blacklist.webgl.msaa: 4
mail.openMessageBehavior.version: 1
mail.spotlight.firstRunDone: true
mailnews.database.global.datastore.id: ab002ffb-947a-754d-a987-cab08041ea7
network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true
places.database.lastMaintenance: 1395688499
places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 100664
plugin.importedState: true
Graphics
Vendor ID: 0x10de
Device ID: 0x 861
WebGL Renderer: false
GPU Accelerated Windows: 0
AzureCanvasBackend: quartz
AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: none
AzureContentBackend: none
JavaScript
Incremental GC: 1
Accessibility
Activated: 0 Prevent Accessibility: 0
Library Versions
Expected minimum version
Version in use
NSPR
4.10.2
4.10.2
NSS
3.15.4 Basic ECC
3.15.4 Basic ECC
NSS Util
3.15.4
3.15.4
NSS SSL
3.15.4 Basic ECC
3.15.4 Basic ECC
NSS S/MIME
3.15.4 Basic ECC
3.15.4 Basic ECC
I receive Email on my Android phone using the default email client for a Galaxy S4, it auto-configures much in the same way that Thunderbird does, or used to when it worked.
My ISP is Cox. There is a hardware firewall here, but I don't know much about it beyond that nothing has been changed in it leading up to Thunderbird's ceasing to work on these three email in particular.
I am unable to get Apple Mail to access these emails either, so maybe it is is a problem with my hosting provider, even though they don't have a clue what is wrong.
Are you saying that the AOL and Gmail accounts work fine in TB, and the 3 accounts with the hosting provider work on the phone, but you can't set them up in TB, either manually or automatically?
If so, you could try adding the accounts Offline, but you would have to know all the server settings required for that provider, which is so far unstated.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/991539#answer-547878
With the help of my hosting's tech support I have now been able to get the account(s) to receive email, though not send it, and I no longer have SSL security, . I believe my hosting provider changed something with their security that has effected Thunderbird and aren't saying anything, almost acting like I was wrong for even having it set for SSL. Regardless, I am not sure the problem lies in Thunderbird itself, maybe I would if it coincided with a software update, but I don't believe it did.
Modified by VincentBrick
You have to enter the outgoing server settings that are required by the host provider and are compatible with your ISP. For example, if the host provider doesn't support SSL security, you may have to send mail through the Cox SMTP server, or another account that does support SSL, such as Gmail.
If you tell us the host provider, we may be able to figure out the settings so you can send mail.
I am definitely aware that I need to "enter the outgoing server settings that are required by the host provider and are compatible with your ISP," This is not the first time i have configured an email client, I have been using Thunderbird in such a manner for close to 10 years. This was all working fine a week ago, two machines on the same internet connection using the same email client version on the same OS version, neither of which are able to fully access the email account since at least Sunday.
My provider does support SSL, but I am unable to log in to their servers using a secured connection, and only intermittently on an unsecured connection.
My hosting provider is HostGator.
From what I can tell from their website, the settings for the outgoing server should be:
server name: mail.yourdomain.com port: 25, 26 or 587 (try them all; 587 is probably correct) Connection security: STARTTLS Authentication: Normal password User name: your full email address
Yep, doesn't work though, and neither do any of the other configuration specs they have at other places on their site, nor the ones their tech support are having me try.
Do you have anti virus? If so turn is off and see if that helps. All of the issues you mention are regular features of Anti virus programs, especially the SSL issues. AV software hates SSL because they can not simply observer.
Cox block port 25 http://ww2.cox.com/residential/support/internet/article.cox?articleId=cacf82f0-6407-11df-ccef-000000000000
Why those folk at hostgator use Port 26 is beyond me. The standard ports are 587 for unsecured and 465 is using SSL. That wikipedia get it and they don't might be an indicator.
They don't use those ports normally, we have just been using them to try and troubleshoot the issue.
The problem has been pinpointed to my ISP (Cox), Cox is admitting there is a problem somewhere preventing me from fully accessing HostGator servers, but wants HostGator to work with them directly to solve it, which HostGator refuses to do, basically saying "our servers are up, the rest is your problem."
At this point I am looking for a new hosting provider. HostGator has been very slow to respond, management is nearly impossible to reach, and when I did finally reach one he immediately started raising his voice at me.
The information you supplied shows only aol and gmail accounts.
What is the name of the cox smtp server which you are using? Have you created an Outgoing SMTP server and do you use these settings?
smtp.cox.net Outgoing SMTP Port: either:
587 with Connection Security: STARTTLS enabled
or
465 with with Connection Security: SSL/TLS enabled
Authentication method: Normal Password
I have a website hosted by 'Fasthosts' and have not had any issues. They have been helpful in the past.
I use a Pop mail account to download on port 110, but I use my ISP smtp server to send.
In ISP webmail account, I had to set up my website email address so that my ISP accepted it via their server.
Then in Tools> Account Settings for the website account, I changed the smtp server to use my ISP server.
Because AOL and Gmail accounts are the only ones that would configure at that time. It technically works now, but via unsecured bandaid methods.
What you describe is what I did, switching it from my hosting providers outgoing server to my ISPs.