289328 - TBird does not check for mail or download mail from server automatically (preferences set to do this)

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Gary Jahns]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050317 Firefox/1.0.2
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050317 Firefox/1.0.2

In Account Settings/Server Settings:...(checked) Check for new messages at
startup;(checked)Check for new nessages every [5] minutes;(checked)Automatically
download new messages.  The "check for new messages..." does not seem to be
working; I only get messages when I manually check.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.send a message from another account
2.wait for TBird to download message (doesn't happen)
3.after sufficient wait (e.g. 1/2 hour), use "get mail" button to check
for/download message(s)

Actual Results:  
messages detected only upon manual "get mail"

Expected Results:  
messages should have been automatically detected and downloaded every 5 minutes

After working fine for 4 months, this problem appeared about 2-3 weeks ago.  I
was using TBird 0.9 then.  I upgraded to 1.0.2 to try to fix the problem, but it
is still with me.

Comment 1

[Kim Davies]

I have this fault occuring with my installation on WinXP, and have done so since
I first started using it (v0.4 I believe, now running 1.0.2). It hasn't really
bothered me as I formed the habit of clicking "Get new messages" manually.

I am happy to do anything that would help isolate the bug.

Comment 2

[Gary Jahns]

I have found a workaround the problem:  I created a new account that behaves
properly.  I still can reproduce the problem in the old account, showing that
the problem is at the account level, not higher.

Comment 3

[Marcin Zajaczkowski]

I had similar problem. I found in similar bug thread that delete panacea.dat
helps. It seems it helped in my case too (at least until now) - Thunderbird
(1.0.2) autamatically download new messages).
I can say that with this problem was related displaying weird number of messages
in Inbox of this account (e.g. 65125 message when there are in fact only little
over 1000).
I share my profile beetwen Linux and Windows, but I had 2 independent
panacea.dat files. Btw, it is safe to use one panacea.dat in both systems? It
worked (somehow) during test, but there were both Linux and Windows paths.
It would be nice to have some universal format for this file (e.g. to have
common labeling).

Marcin

Comment 4

[Marcin Zajaczkowski]

One more thing. It could be related with compacting my account. But I could be
coincidence too.

Comment 5

[Eddy Da KillaBee]

(In reply to comment #2)
> I have found a workaround the problem:  I created a new account that behaves
> properly.  I still can reproduce the problem in the old account, showing that
> the problem is at the account level, not higher.

This workaround fixed my issue as well. What happened is that my mail was
originally stored in one folder and then I decided to switch over to the Local
Folders setting to "consolidate" my email accounts and emails. Turns out that in
doing this I couldn't check for mail for one account on startup, but deleting
and remaking the account fixed it.

Comment 6

[Paul Robinson]

I also had the same problem and fixed the faulty account by removing the following two lines from prefs.js

user_pref("mail.server.server5.check_new_mail", true);
user_pref("mail.server.server5.useWhiteList", false);

Restarted Thunderbird and the account now checks again every # minutes.

It was the only account to have these two config options and the only account that wasn't checking automatically.

Comment 7

[Gary Kwong [:gkw] [:nth10sd] (NOT official MoCo now)]

Reporter, does the issue still exist in the latest supported 2.0.0.x / Shredder trunk nightlies?

(1.5.0.x is now end-of-life and the latest 2.0.0.x is version 2.0.0.16)

Comment 8

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESO INCO per lack of response to previous comment. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to the bug with your reasons why.