551596 - Thunderbird 3.0.3 on Windows 7 after import from Outlook Express on WinXP everything working but Get Mail to roadrunner pop does nothing

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Thunderbird :: Mail Window Front End, defect)

Description

[Simon Percival]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2) Gecko/20100115 Firefox/3.6 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 Windows 7 Thunderbird/3.0.3

Brand New Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows 7.  Thunderbird 3.0.3 installed.  Outlook Express "stored folder" exported from older Windows XP machine via USB hard drive.  New Thunderbird folder created on laptop (previous Thunderbird folder renamed).

Import succeeds and server settings, address book, folders and all look fine.  Sending email works fine but Thunderbird will not download new email.  Clicking the "Get Mail" button, CTRL-T, File->Get New Mail, etc does absolutely nothing.

There is nothing in the status bar, nothing on the error console, no apparent events in the event viewer; just nothing and I don't know where to start looking.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Click "Get Mail" button, CTRL-T from the keyboard, SHIFT-CTRL-T from the keyboard and all options under the File drop-down menu.
2.
3.
Actual Results:  
Zip, zero (zarro), nada.  Aboslutely nothing happens!

Expected Results:  
Some indication via the status bar if there was a problem or mail downloaded as expected (it is known there were many emails awaiting download).

Everything is pure vanilla as far as this laptop is concerned.  Literally unpacked from the box, updates installed, Thunderbird 3.0.3 installed and the export from Outlook Express on an old Windows XP machine imported successfully.  Again, everything looks right, folders in place, settings correct and sending email is fine.  It just will not download new email!

Comment 1

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Simon any firewall software?

Comment 2

[Simon Percival]

Thanks for the prompt response.  The laptop came with some kind of McAfee software on it.  I could not see anything obvious that indicated Port 110 was blocked, nor the RoadRunner POP server.  In any case, there was absolutely no indication at all that Thunderbird even attempted to connect to the POP server, let alone failed to do so, as if blocked by any firewall, for example.

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

double check your pop settings.
and disable Macfee, see what happens.

Comment 4

[Simon Percival]

I will post back with results in about 24 hours.  Thanks.

Comment 5

[Simon Percival]

OK, well I wrestled with the McAfee Security Suite that came installed with the new machine.  Turned everything off and it didn't work.  Then I renamed the imported account name (from Outlook Express) from pop-server.nc.rr.com to Roadrunner and it still didn't work.  Then I restarted Thunderbird and it began working.  Then I reinstated all the McAfee security components and it is still working, sort of.

Two issues remain.

(1) The Get Mail button itself doesn't work, but the specific selection of the RoadRunner account to get messages does work and the automatic (on timer) download is working so it's a victory of sorts.  The Get Mail button itself does absolutely nothing and offers no messages on the status bar or elsewhere.

(2) Nothing happening, following on from (1) above is still a concern.  There should be some indication that something happened, even if a POP request was sent and nothing was returned.  Am I missing something here.

Incidentally, I changed the platform above.  The Dell Inspiron laptop is based on the Intel 64-bit architecture, not x86 as previously indicated.  Perhaps that has some relevance.

Bottom line, could we leave this open as an enhancement request, at least?  I really think there should be some sort of visual indication, status-wise, when the Get Mail button is pressed.

Looking forward to hearing what you think.

Many thanks for the great support, as always.

Comment 6

[Simon Percival]

Update please?

Comment 7

[a]

I have recently experienced exactly the same problem using WinXP on an old Celeron system migrating from Outlook Express to Thunderbird v3.1.  I haven't yet identified a configuration option that solves the problem.  Firewall or no firewall didn't make a difference.  I uninstalled v3.1 and installed v3.01 - same problem.  When it doesn't work, there are no related TCP/IP packets emanating from the system.  In other similar setups (computer system, WinXP & Thunderbird versions), where the email has been setup from scratch using Thunderbird, I have had no such problem.  I wonder if it is related in some way to the Outlook Express import procedure?

Comment 8

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Simon Percival, do you still see this problem?

Comment 9

[Simon Percival]

Two years later, no.  Did my suggested enhancements get incorporated?  Have not had a reason to try this again lately but if I do and it is still a problem, I will open a new ticket.