Thunderbird 52 will not receive Comcast/Xfinity e-mails

[FrGeorge]

I use Thunderbird 52.4.0 on Windows 10, using Comcast. It stopped receiving incoming e-mails about two months ago. I can send e-mails with it, but cannot receive them. I noticed that there is no incoming password at Tools/Options/Security/Saved Passwords, but there is one at Tools/Account Settings/Server Settings. It is mail.comcast.net. I use POP3. Also I no longer have the file popstate.dat. I have been searching for solutions to this problem since this happened. Once I installed an older version, but that did not help. Maybe I could completely install a new version, but I might lose my e-mails. I can use Comcast/Xfinity Connect (their web mail) fine, but I would rather use Thunderbird.

[DanRaisch]

but there is one at Tools/Account Settings/Server Settings. It is mail.comcast.net.

There is no field in which to enter a password at menu path Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings and what you listed here (mail.comcast.net) is not a password but a server name.

The file popstate.dat could be recreated by Thunderbird if it makes a connection to the server and downloads messages, but that would be all messages still in the Comcast server inbox folder.

Have you reviewed and deleted the oldest message in the web mail inbox folder that has not yet been downloaded to Thunderbird? Sometimes a message with a malformed header can "clog" the inbox and prevent TB from downloading that message and those behind it in the server inbox.

Are you seeing an error message of any sort when you click on the "Get Messages" button in TB?

Do you have the following settings for that account under Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings?
Port -- 995
Connection Security -- SSL/TLS
Authentication Method -- Normal Password

[FrGeorge]

Thanks for your reply. I am deleting my older messages, as I write, but no change after deleting 3,700+ e-mails. I do not see any error messages when I click on "Get Messages." I have the settings shown in your last point.

[DanRaisch]

Clear the browser cache and the Windows Temp directory.
Shutdown any anti-virus software you are running.
Download a new copy of the full installer from http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/
Delete the directory C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird
Run the installer.
Restart the anti-virus program.

Note that your saved messages, address books, settings, passwords, etc (if any) are stored in a different directory from the program files and will not be removed by deleting the directory identified above.

This thread http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... 5#p5239885 has a more detailed version of the above instructions if needed.

[tanstaafl]

You can have POP and IMAP accounts for the same mailbox at the same time. Think about adding a Comcast IMAP account and see if it works better. One of the many advantages of a IMAP account is you don't run into a logjam where Thunderbird won't download a message with bad headers. With IMAP you can just click on the next new mail message in the folder listing.

[FrGeorge]

DanRaisch - I will try to follow your instructions after a while--when I have more time, In the meantime, I can use Xfinity Webmail.
Thank you for your interest and the suggestion you sent.

Take care, FrGeorge

[tanstaafl]

Next time please do not send a private message asking how to add a IMAP account while keeping your POP account, just ask in the thread. We prefer to do it that way so that other users can benefit from any answers. It also helps you in that somebody else might add some useful information or correct any errors I might make .

https://www.xfinity.com/support/interne ... underbird/ explains how to add a Comcast IMAP account. Its written for Thunderbird 16 and the new account wizard has changed several times since then but it should still useful. Don't select auto-detect like they tell you to in steps 6 and 7, that doesn't always work well. Set the authentication method to "normal password" instead . I've had a Comcast/Xfinity IMAP account for several years and it uses those settings.

You don't have to do anything to keep the existing Xfinity POP account other than not deleting it. Adding the Xfinity IMAP account for the same mailbox/email address doesn't delete the POP account.