Outgoing Server Fails

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APoster
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Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by APoster »

Thunderbird 102.1 on Windows 11 on PC

For several years, Tbird has sometimes refused to send an email via Earthlink. The popup error message says the server does not support encrypted passwords. But Earthlink denies that the problem is on their end. The server security setting in Tbird is "STARTTLS" and "encrypted password". Even when I change it to "Normal Password" it won't send the email. I could send it directly from Earthlink, but I prefer Tbird . . . when it works.

How can I convince Tbird it's OK to send the email?

Image

PS__Earthlink support took control of my computer and changed a variety of security & server settings. But still got the same error message. So, its back in Tbird's court.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by tanstaafl »

STARTTLS is used to upgrade a insecure tcp-ip connection to a secure (TLS) connection to the server. It has nothing to do with authentication other than if you use a secure connection you don't need to use "encrypted password" to protect the password in transit.

What is the error message when you configure the smtp server to use "normal password"?
APoster
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by APoster »

tanstaafl wrote:STARTTLS is used to upgrade a insecure tcp-ip connection to a secure (TLS) connection to the server. It has nothing to do with authentication other than if you use a secure connection you don't need to use "encrypted password" to protect the password in transit.

What is the error message when you configure the smtp server to use "normal password"?
Earthlink support changed the server & security settings to a variety of alternatives. But Tbird still fails to send the message, and pops-up the same error message as shown in my post. This is just an occasional issue, but when I need to send a business email, I need to send it now.

This is not the first time Tbird has balked at sending an email, and mostly from my business email address. So, Tbird seems to be mistaken about the Outgoing Server. I can send emails directly from Earthlink site online, but not from Tbird on my computer.

My new PC came pre-loaded with MS MAIL, but I haven't set it up yet. If I can't get Tbird fixed, I may have to use another email client. Is this a fixable glitch?

PS__I setup MS MAIL, and sent the business email successfully. So, there's nothing wrong with the server.
PPS__On my old computer, Tbird would always open with a message that "mail retrieval failed". But the mail was in my inbox. So, again the error message was wrong. The forum couldn't suggest a fix, so I just ignored the constant erroneous error messages. I haven't seen that error on my new computer yet. But Tbird seems to have an internal problem with error messages.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by tanstaafl »

Webmail does not use a smtp server, it uses shared libraries to send a message.

"But Tbird still fails to send the message, and pops-up the same error message as shown in my post. "
I doubt that it would pop up a error message suggesting you use a normal password when using a normal password. Details matter.

"I setup MS MAIL, and sent the business email successfully. So, there's nothing wrong with the server."
What were the smtp server settings you successfully used with MS mail? Omit the actual email address.

Are you using a local proxy (for example one part of a anti-virus scanner or a internet security suite) that acts as a middle man when sending a message?
APoster
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by APoster »

tanstaafl wrote: I doubt that it would pop up a error message suggesting you use a normal password when using a normal password. Details matter.


What were the smtp server settings you successfully used with MS mail? Omit the actual email address.

Are you using a local proxy (for example one part of a anti-virus scanner or a internet security suite) that acts as a middle man when sending a message?
Tanstaafl
Tbird does popup the same error message, even after changing password to "normal".
The Earthlink support tech took control of my computer, and tried all the alternative settings for both Security & Password. The email still wouldn't send.
No proxy.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by tanstaafl »

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1375037 describes one set of working account settings.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1311285 implies that Earthlink doesn't support TLS version 1.2 and that the workaround was to use the config editor to change security.tls.version.min to 1. This occurred with version 78.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1331569 is about problems sending using earthlink's smtp server with TB version 88. The workaround was to set "mailnews.send.jsmodule" and "mailnews.smtp.jsmodule" false using the config editor, to use a old version of the message sending code.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1337860 (Send Error Message..."The Outgoing server...smtpauth.earthlink.net does not seem to support encrypted passwords") seems exactly like your problem. The solution was to change the outgoing server Connection Security to STARTTLS

If none of that helps I suggest you add another account such as outlook.com , verify its working, and then temporarily configure your Earthlink account to use that other accounts smtp server. There is a list box in the accounts server settings (bottom of the pane that specifies your email address) that lets you choose a different smtp server entry.

This will verify you are running into a account specific problem, and give you a temporary workaround. I'd have suggested Gmail but its smtp server automatically saves a copy of a message in the Gmail sent mail folder.
APoster
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Re: Thunderbird encrypted passwords won't send

Post by APoster »

tanstaafl wrote:https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1375037 describes one set of working account settings.
If none of that helps I suggest you add another account such as outlook.com ,
Thanks for the suggestions, but I've wasted too much time trying alternative settings to get Tbird to send emails. So my current workaround is to use MS Mail to send emails, and Tbird to receive.
APoster
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Outgoing Server Fails

Post by APoster »

Tbird 102.1.2 on Windows 11 on PC

For several months Thunderbird has refused to send email via the Outgoing Server. I've had Earthlink Support take control of my computer, and try a variety of server settings. Still won't send.

MS Mail will send the same email with no problem. So there seems to be a glitch in Tbird. I'm currently using Tbird only for receiving, and Mail for sending email.

I prefer Tbird over Mail, but right now it's not useable. I've posted here before, but nothing suggested works. I'm hoping there's something you can do to fix the glitch. Here's a few of the error messages I get, and a screenshot of a typical server setting after it was changed from "Encrypted" to "Normal" password, but it still won't send.

PS__I recently upgraded to the 64bit version, but that didn't help.


Image

Image

Image
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tanstaafl
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by tanstaafl »

This is the same problem you posted in http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... =earthlink , you just added more screen shots. Please don't create duplicate threads. I tried to merge the two threads but it failed for some unknown reason.

Did you try any of the suggestions I made in http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... #p14935005 ?

Your second screen shot is of a time out. That could be a temporary problem. Try using the ping command in a console window to verify you don't lose any packets.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22000.856]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Eric>ping smtpauth.earthlink.net

Pinging smtp.earthlink-vadesecure.net [51.81.229.171] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 51.81.229.171: bytes=32 time=88ms TTL=39
Reply from 51.81.229.171: bytes=32 time=85ms TTL=39
Reply from 51.81.229.171: bytes=32 time=86ms TTL=39
Reply from 51.81.229.171: bytes=32 time=85ms TTL=39

Ping statistics for 51.81.229.171:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 85ms, Maximum = 88ms, Average = 86ms
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LIMPET235
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by LIMPET235 »

Threads have managed to be merged.

(At least that worked....) :)
[Ancient Amateur Astronomer.]
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(Always choose the "Custom" Install.)
APoster
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by APoster »

tanstaafl wrote: Did you try any of the suggestions I made in http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... #p14935005 ?
Yes. I have tried everything suggested. That's why I thought I would try to describe the problem in a different way. There's nothing wrong with the outgoing server. But there is definitely something wrong with Tbird. I upgraded to 64 bit, hoping that would fix it.

The "time out" is temporary, but it occurs repeatedly. The "sending fail" occurs every time I use Tbird. So, I now have to use MS Mail for sending email.

MS Mail does not have these sending problems, with the same settings, and ping rates. So, something is wrong with Tbird specifically. But it wasn't always like this. Perhaps a year ago, sending would occasionally fail. But since then, it fails every time, for all of my email addresses, and for all server settings.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by tanstaafl »

If you have another account try using its smtp server with the earthlink account.

I would expect Earthlink to test that their servers work well with Microsoft and Apple email clients, but not worry about email clients with a small market share. Thunderbird sends commands that meet the requirements of the relevant rfc's but might not mimic the sequence used by Microsoft enough to work well with the Earthlink servers. This has been a on and off problem with outlook/hotmail mail servers over the life of the project, though the last few years it seems to be working well.
APoster
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by APoster »

tanstaafl wrote:If you have another account try using its smtp server with the earthlink account.

I would expect Earthlink to test that their servers work well with Microsoft and Apple email clients, but not worry about email clients with a small market share. Thunderbird sends commands that meet the requirements of the relevant rfc's but might not mimic the sequence used by Microsoft enough to work well with the Earthlink servers. This has been a on and off problem with outlook/hotmail mail servers over the life of the project, though the last few years it seems to be working well.
I am currently sending email via MS Mail, to the same Earthlink server. So, the Tbird error message is erroneous. I'm hoping there's a way to fix the glitch, because I don't like using MS Mail.

The bottom line is : Tbird has a software problem. And it's not with the settings.
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tanstaafl
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Re: Outgoing Server Fails

Post by tanstaafl »

Other people seem to be able to use Earthlink though they run into various problems configuring it correctly

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1375037 (need to use "Password, transmitted insecurely" as the authentication method)
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1369057 (earthlink password too long)
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1311285 (TLS minimum version changed)

I never knew that a "Password, transmitted insecurely" entry exists in the authentication list box because its not present unless you set the connection security to none.
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