Cannot write new email at all
I have recently installed and configured the newest thunderbird version. But while it is perfectly possible for me to download and read my emails in thunderbird, I cannot write new messages or reply to received ones. Here is what happens when I try:
I click somewhere on the message, and don't see the mouse pointer that should be blinking anywhere. If I try to write anyway, I can write one line, but the second line and the next and the next etc. are all written on top of the first line. It's worse when I try to reply to a message. In my replies, I quote the original message, and I can neither add new lines on top of the message nor below it. The same thing with the overwritten lines happens here too when I try to force the issue.
What's happening here and how do I fix this?
Thank you.
Chosen solution
An observation; your Write window has a very unusual appearance, in that it has rendered the html content. Normally it would show the message structure with red frames. I don't know of any settings that would affect the appearance or behaviour in this way.
We don't normally recommend doing so, but here I would suggest that reinstalling Thunderbird from scratch might be useful.
Thunderbird stores its program and its settings in two different places,so you can reinstall and update the Thunderbird program without affecting your stored messages, settings, address books, etc. But to be on the safe side, and since it's always good to have a backup, I would urge you to make a backup of your profile beforehand.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-tb
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (7)
I ... don't see the mouse pointer that should be blinking anywhere.
By any means, the mouse pointer should not and does not blink.
See http://support.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/kb/reply-above-or-below-quoted-text
re :don't see the mouse pointer that should be blinking anywhere.
I think you are referring to the 'text cursor', not the mouse pointer.
If someone has sent me an email which has a load of MS html css code, and I choose to 'reply', I have noticed that the css coding can influence the look of what I'm typing and on occassions the text cursor has been hidden from view because of the css coding.
but you are saying: In a new Write message, when you click in the content text area, there is no evidence of a text cursor, although when you start to type you can see the letters. Maybe the text cursor is just out of view - too far to the left to see. When you start to type a few words, does the text cursor appear or not?
Can you post an image of the strange text over text issue ?
What settings are you using for replying ?
Via 'Menu Bar':
- Tools > Account Settings > Composition & Addressing
or via 'Mail Toolbar':
- Menu icon > Options > Account Settings > Composition & Addressing
Post an image showing what you are using. It should look like the image below.
@Toad-Hall:
Thank you! Yes, you are right, I did actually mean "text cursor", but for the life of me could not remember that phrase. English is not my native language, and so at times it fails me.
I do not need to post any screenshots for composition settings, because it looks exactly like your example screenshot. I have not changed most of the defaults (except concerning junk mail).
While what you said regarding html messages has merit, in my case it doesn't apply because as I said, the problem persists in all messages, even newly created ones. For what it's worth, I've added several screenshot in hopes it will prove helpful at explaining a bit better than my words can:
- One screenshot is of an empty message box. To demonstrate there is no text cursor.
- One is an attempt at writing a new message. What may look like bold text to you is in actuality me writing the same text in 4 times hitting enter, but it never is in a new line as it should be.
- One is how a html mail looks like in my "message pane" view.
- One is to show what clicking "reply" to that same html mail looks like. (Though to be fair, most of my html mail does not show as poorly in reply as this example one does, but it's the only one I was willing to use for privacy's sake.)
- And the last ones to demonstrate what trying to reply to mail looks like in 2 versions.
Any other information I need to add?
Thanks again for the help. :)
Modified by edeniz001
I suggest you restart with add-ons disabled from the help menu. Do things work better in that safe mode?
No, safe mode does not help. Not that I *had* any addons aside from the addons installed by default. (Lightning 4.0.8 and Provider for Google Calendar 1.9)
But I did remember to check the error log, and since I couldn't copy or export them all, here are the screenshots of them.
The first five are the screenshots of the error log right after the start of thunderbird (in addons disabled mode) and the last short one is the error log after opening "create new message".
Apparently thunderbird does not load some things??
Chosen Solution
An observation; your Write window has a very unusual appearance, in that it has rendered the html content. Normally it would show the message structure with red frames. I don't know of any settings that would affect the appearance or behaviour in this way.
We don't normally recommend doing so, but here I would suggest that reinstalling Thunderbird from scratch might be useful.
Thunderbird stores its program and its settings in two different places,so you can reinstall and update the Thunderbird program without affecting your stored messages, settings, address books, etc. But to be on the safe side, and since it's always good to have a backup, I would urge you to make a backup of your profile beforehand.
@Zenos:
It has rendered the html content because for this one time, I set the message's preferences (of that one message, not in general) to show html content. I did not want the unrendered html to detract from the real problem.
As for reinstalling from scratch. I had already un- and re-installed several times, it did not help. That's the reason for this post of mine. However, your reply and advice about backup has reminded me that I had never before had deleted the local thunderbird folder that stays behind after the uninstall as a hidden folder. This time, I backed it up on a usb stick, deleted it and anything remotely related to thunderbird left behind, and reinstalled it again.
For some reason I cannot understand, it seems to have helped this time. But you won't hear me complaining! :D
Thank you, everyone, for your help. Much appreciated! :)