Author Topic: Thunderbird mail no worky! (Read 3779 times)

Perd Hapley · « **on:** March 22, 2009, 06:18:30 PM »

I have tried over and over again to make Thunderbird work for me. It just doesn't want to mail anything OUT. Just keeps asking for a password for my smtp over and over again. It suggested I go to an ATT website for help (I have an ATT ISP and email address), but said website doesn't list Thunderbird as one of the clients it will support. Or that supports it, whichever way that works.

One suggestion from the Mozilla site was to make an exception in the firewall, which I did. No luck.

Teknoid · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2009, 06:39:04 PM »

You must have it set up wrong. I've got AT&T (old Bellsouth account) and use Thunderbird with no problem. Mine's POP mail, though.

BrokenPaw · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2009, 06:41:21 PM »

Chances are your ISP's authentication requirements for sending mail are different from what you have Thunderbird set to. You need to know what type of authentication they have their SMTP server set up to expect, and you also need to know if they require authentication at all. (Some ISPs will protect their e-mail servers from being relay hosts by other means than via user authentication; if yours is one of these, then you have to configure Thunderbird not to try to authenticate, because anything it tries will fail.)

If you have another e-mail client that you have had working with this ISP's SMTP server, then open it up and find out exactly what it's set to as far as authentication.

In Thunderbird, go to Tools->Account Settings, then click on Outgoing Server (SMTP) on the left side of the dialog. Select the entry for your ISP's SMTP server, and see that your settings match exactly.

If you don't have another client working, you might try unchecking the "Use Name and Password" box. If your ISP doesn't require authentication, that'll be the only thing that works.

-BP

Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2009, 06:55:06 PM »

Because this has to happen in all computer-related threads:
1. Format c:
2. Get Ubuntu

Savalas out.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2009, 07:19:38 PM »

Ha! I know my way around the geek-dom just well enough to understand Savalas' post, and not even think about trying it.

Ben · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2009, 07:39:51 PM »

What Brokenpaw said. Whether they "support" Tbird or not makes little difference. You just need to ensure your outgoing server name is correct and that you have security settings and username/password settings correct. If they don't specifically tell you security settings (SSL, TSL, etc) just try each of them.

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2009, 08:42:13 PM »

Why Thunderbird?

No Outlook?

I used Pegasus Mail for many years before they dropped support for it...

Teknoid · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2009, 09:35:53 PM »

Quote from: Ben on March 22, 2009, 07:39:51 PM

What Brokenpaw said. Whether they "support" Tbird or not makes little difference. You just need to ensure your outgoing server name is correct and that you have security settings and username/password settings correct. If they don't specifically tell you security settings (SSL, TSL, etc) just try each of them.

If it's like mine, "use secure connection" is set to "never". I'd think at&t would be the same as bellsouth, since at&t took it over.

lee n. field · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2009, 10:13:03 PM »

Quote

I have tried over and over again to make Thunderbird work for me. It just doesn't want to mail anything OUT. Just keeps asking for a password for my smtp over and over again. It suggested I go to an ATT website for help (I have an ATT ISP and email address), but said website doesn't list Thunderbird as one of the clients it will support. Or that supports it, whichever way that works.

Thunderchicken will work, unless ATT is using some really funky thing like the html stuff OE used to use to access hotmail.

Go over AT&T's smtp settings carefully.

Maybe this will help Verify Email SEttings In Mozilla Thunderbird

I note that they're using nonstandard ports:

AZRedhawk44 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2009, 09:23:33 AM »

Quote from: Gewehr98 on March 22, 2009, 08:42:13 PM

Why Thunderbird?

No Outlook?

I used Pegasus Mail for many years before they dropped support for it...

What? Not using Pine? How dare you not use Evolution? Or some other pet email client? All real men use Eudora!
:rolleyes:

roo_ster · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2009, 09:48:02 AM »

Quote from: AZRedhawk44 on March 23, 2009, 09:23:33 AM

What? Not using Pine? How dare you not use Evolution? Or some other pet email client? All real men use Eudora!
:rolleyes:

My favorite oddball mail tool is mutt. Nice to access IMAP mail if you have very low bandwidth.

I use t-bird for every day mail.

BrokenPaw · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:40:27 AM »

Quote from: AZRedhawk44 on March 23, 2009, 09:23:33 AM

What? Not using Pine? How dare you not use Evolution? Or some other pet email client? All real men use Eudora!
:rolleyes:

Infant. Real men read their mail by running tail -f on their mail spool directly, and telnet to port 25 to send messages.

If you can't grok EHLO, you really have no business clogging up the intertubes. Furrfu. :rolleyes:

-BP (

)

AZRedhawk44 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:43:40 AM »

Quote from: BrokenPaw on March 23, 2009, 10:40:27 AM

Infant. Real men read their mail by running tail -f on their mail spool directly, and telnet to port 25 to send messages.

If you can't grok EHLO, you really have no business clogging up the intertubes. Furrfu. :rolleyes:

-BP ()

I did that the other day, actually. No tailing the mail spool, but the telnet trick. Good times.

Hawkmoon · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:16:05 PM »

Until my primary desktop got virused last year I used Thunderbird with AT&T. I also had an e-mail account through a service I'm affiliated with, and that's what I used the Thunderbird for. Initially, there were all kinds of problems such as what Mr TacPants is encountering.

I'm sorry I don't remember the details, but the solution lay with something the guy from the e-mail server told me. Apparently, AT&T has some port in their system set for security and it blocks outgoing mail -- and their tech people are so dumb they don't know what their own system is blocking. Once my associate put me in direct contact with "Don" and the hosting site, we had T-Bird running sweetly within ten minutes.

We changed some port from (IIRC) 25 to 115, or maybe it was 115 to 25. Does give enough of a hint for someone who understands this stuff to take the handoff and run with it?

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:31:38 PM »

Well, those all seemed like very promising hints, but no joy.

On the line with tech support.

It is the thought that counts, though. Thanks all.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:43:42 PM »

Well, that was bust. They shuttled me over to some place that wanted to sell me a "plan," then have a techie call me back later.

I have Outlook Express. I have the full Outlook. But their junk mail filter seems useless, unless I'm doing something wrong.

Any other good clients out there? The ATT website says they support Incredimail, Eudora, Entourage and Netscape.

sanglant · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2009, 11:24:32 PM »

after you have thunderbird working, here's your next challenge

sang

Ben · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2009, 11:31:16 PM »

MTP, if you're on their DSL service, did you try this:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=418129&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Also this:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=627046&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=0

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #18 on:** March 24, 2009, 02:43:07 AM »

Coolio. Thank you.

lee n. field · « **Reply #19 on:** March 24, 2009, 09:57:46 AM »

Quote

here's your next challenge grin

Popfile works good. Once trained, Popfile works way better than Thunderbird's build in spam filter.

Quote

I have Outlook Express. I have the full Outlook.

Do you have them working? If so, replicate the settings in Thunderbird.

Quote

The ATT website says they support Incredimail, Eudora, Entourage and Netscape.

Thunderbird is a variant of Netscape's mail app.

Incredimail is a red flag to look for nastyware on a system.

Sounds like you're into some particularly clueless tech support.

For that matter, point me to their website showing how they set up, say, Outhouse Express, and I'll filter out what's needful and transtlate it into Tbird.

Perd Hapley · « **Reply #20 on:** March 24, 2009, 07:05:21 PM »

Thanks again. I'm going to take the night off from the email hassles, and do something less stressful. Need to file my taxes.

News:

Author Topic: Thunderbird mail no worky! (Read 3779 times)