SMTP sending fails (timed out)

[wandy]

No security software on this pc. Just a standard win 10 installation. Impression is that the SMTP server can be reached. Wrong password for server gives an error. Small emails can be send.

[steeev]

ive also been suffering from this issue. i think i might have figured out the culprit (in my case anyway).
i did try using earlier versions of thunderbird, but was still getting the same problem.
i tried temporarily disabling my AV software (Avast) but found that it had frozen and was not responding.
after a reboot, the emails started sending ok again. i have a feeling the problem might have been caused in my case by Avast's email scanning functionality. is anyone else who was having the problem using Avast?

[tanstaafl]

Did you workaround the problem by disabling scanning just outbound mail, or both inbound and outbound?

[felix1088]

Same thing is now occurring with 38.6.0 as what others are experiencing up above.

Using gmail with imap and port 993, SSL/TLS and normal password. I started out with OAuth2 as the password setting and changed them around to what I currently mentioned.

Would I need to log in through the browser and change some default settings in there?

[Dob502]

On 3/9/16, I downloaded and installed Thunderbird 38.6.0. No problems receiving emails from the very start. I didn't even think of trying to send an email until 3/10/16. Have spent much more time than I care to admit on this problem. Have tried everything mentiion by the preceding posts , including "safe mode" and make sure firewall is off. Can't even send small emails like someone posted above. Also, I hooked up email direct from my modem to my computer, in order to bypass my small office server, with no change in result - still times out and fails to send email.

[DanRaisch]

* What is the exact wording of the error message (if any) that you are receiving?
* How is that mail account set up, as POP or IMAP?
* Is your mail service from an ISP, corporate e-mail system or Web-based?
* What security software, antivirus and/or firewall program?
* Without divulging your e-mail address or account name, what are your server settings, including server name, port number, and choices for "Connection security" and "Authentication method" under Tools>Account Settings>Outgoing Server (SMTP) (at the bottom of the list of accounts on the left)>*server*>Edit?

[Dob502]

* What is the exact wording of the error message (if any) that you are receiving?
* How is that mail account set up, as POP or IMAP?
* Is your mail service from an ISP, corporate e-mail system or Web-based?
* What security software, antivirus and/or firewall program?
* Without divulging your e-mail address or account name, what are your server settings, including server name, port number, and choices for "Connection security" and "Authentication method" under Tools>Account Settings>Outgoing Server (SMTP) (at the bottom of the list of accounts on the left)>*server*>Edit?

Thank you.

The data you request is as follows:
- mail account set up as POP
- mail service from GoDaddy
- security software, antivirus and/or firewall: AVAST End Point Protection Suite Plus
(but still will not send email with all of this AVAST protection turned off)

- outgoing server settings (SMTP) - - I have tried serveral different combinations based on input from Godaddy phone support, other thunderbird forum postings, and from other postings on mozillaZine, but my settings currently are:
- - - server name: smtpout.secureserver.net
- - - Port: 465
- - - Connection security: SSL/TLS
- - - Authenication method: Normal Password

[Dob502]

Also the exact wording of the error message was:
"sending of the message failed. The message could not be sent because the connection to Outgoing server (SMTP)
smtpout.sescureserver.net timed out. Try again."

[Dob502]

Before anyone else bothers to reply, I will first do more close inspection and testing of my AVAST settings, per 1/21/16 posting above from steeev
Will post results when done.

[Dob502]

* What is the exact wording of the error message (if any) that you are receiving?
* How is that mail account set up, as POP or IMAP?
* Is your mail service from an ISP, corporate e-mail system or Web-based?
* What security software, antivirus and/or firewall program?
* Without divulging your e-mail address or account name, what are your server settings, including server name, port number, and choices for "Connection security" and "Authentication method" under Tools>Account Settings>Outgoing Server (SMTP) (at the bottom of the list of accounts on the left)>*server*>Edit?

Thank you.

The data you request is as follows:
- mail account set up as POP
- mail service from GoDaddy
- security software, antivirus and/or firewall: AVAST End Point Protection Suite Plus
(but still will not send email with all of this AVAST protection turned off)

- outgoing server settings (SMTP) - - I have tried serveral different combinations based on input from Godaddy phone support, other thunderbird forum postings, and from other postings on mozillaZine, but my settings currently are:
- - - server name: smtpout.secureserver.net
- - - Port: 465
- - - Connection security: SSL/TLS
- - - Authenication method: Normal Password

Since I posted the above (yesterday 3/12/16) I put in extra time to double check the potential that AVAST might somehow be causing my problem. But after multiple attempts to make certain that AVAST treatment of outgoing emails, and/or to shut down AVAST entirely, and/or to re-boot, I an now convinced that AVAST is not the cause of my problem.

After more searching on the web, what I did find, is a 2008 thread from https://bugzilla.mozilla.org which dealt with a problem that was identical to what I (and others) are recently experiencing.
https://bugzilla.mozzilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id-459716
the above brings up a screen, where you have to again enter the bug number of 459716

Even though there is a 8 year difference, the party involved (from this posting back in 2008) was using the same setup as I - - recent download of Thunderbird to be used with GoDaddy , and using identical income and outgoing email server settings as I am using today, 8 years later, yet still getting the same identical error message. One major difference is that he and others used a packet sniffer to form the opinion that the Thunderbird error message was likely in error, because the packet sniffer revealed that in fact there was NO TIMEOUT, but instead that a RESET had occurred. None-the-less, there still was not any solution posted by this forum. Instead the thread ends with the note that after a few months, THUNDERBIRD had make some kind of change such that the problem had gone away.

[Dob502]

Correction of my recent post:
URL is corrected to be:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id-459716

(mozilla is correctly spelled with only 1 z, not 2.)

[Vanguard64]

I have a similar problem. On anew PC running Win-10, I either get the timed-out message or a note that my password failed. I have a laptop with Win-7 and a netbook with Win-8.1. All 3 units are running TB v.45 and use the same ports, password, and other settings.
We run AVG Free but on the Win-10 PC, my wife inadvertently installed the trial of the complete package. I don't know if that has any effect.

[DanRaisch]

It could be AVG. In there past there have been conflicts between AVG and Thunderbird, usually showing up as performance problems more than connection problems. Still it would be worthwhile to close TB, check all of the permissions in AVG and clear any references found there o Thunderbird, then reboot and test Thunderbird again.

[fretsbr549]

Same problem. It is not related to attachments though. If I am composing an email or reply for two or three minutes and then send it, it will fail. And it will continue to fail on that email. If I copy the content of the failed email or reply and discard the email and start a new one and paste the copied info into it, it will then send it. Or if I just quickly type an email and send it will work, most of the time but not always. It does not do this all the time but about 30% of the time. There is a timeout occurring or connection failure in TB without doubt. I am running Win10 with no OEM firewall or virus scanner. TB version 45.0. The error was occurring on the prior version of TB and it started approximately last December to my recollection. Godaddy is the server. TB is broken and their is nothing else to be said about that. I would like to see a fix

[debitaber]

Finally weighing in on this issue after months of problems across several users' setups, several offices/subnets on our backbone. We have multiple flavors and versions of Linux and from Windows XP through 10 running on our users' desktops. So far, I have not had one report from a Linux-based installation of TBird. In Windows - the version, in combination with the TBird version are all over the place so we cannot nail it down to versions of anything. In some offices I have ONE person out of 25 with the SMTP error. In other offices, I have 4 out of 15. In a couple of offices using VPN to get in, I have 2 out of 10 users experiencing this.

Several of our System Administrators and Tech Support folks have wasted HOURS trying to piece the common denominator(s) together, in the hopes of finding the "cure", to no avail. Typing "Thunderbird" and "SMTP" in any search engine returns countless responses. We all wade through as many as we can, making changes to settings in both Thunderbird and security settings that were not changed and have worked for years, but now suddenly don't. Very frustrating and time-consuming restarting TBird and Computers...

I don't have a Solution. I can only list all the individual Problems. I manage the email server and I can tell you, without a doubt, that there have not been any configuration/security changes made to the server during this period of time that would set off sporadic issues like these. My log files are not showing anything. In the 15 years I've managed the email server, I have requested all users to install Thunderbird (not any other client) in exchange for personally supporting any issue that arises. Same goes if they use our Web-Based Open-Source project. If they choose anything else - Outlook, OE, ANYTHING else, they are on their own. With over 400 users at any given time, that seems fair.

I am now in a position where I can no longer stand behind Thunderbird. TBird users are the only ones calling me with the SMTP timeout error... not the OE, Outlook people. So I am forced to uninstall TBird and change all of them to the web-based client until I can find a replacement that runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows machines. I'll keep an eye out on the forums but I don't hold any hope of a real solution.