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Thunderbird download problem

  • 8 replies
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  • Last reply by James

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I wanted to download the latest 52.5.0 Thunderbird setup-file for Windows.

Seems there is a problem, all download url's https://download.mozilla.org/?product=thunderbird-52.5.0-SSL&os=win&lang=en-GB result in an old setup-file "Thunderbird Setup 38.5.0.exe"

Really can't find a way to download the latest

I wanted to download the latest 52.5.0 Thunderbird setup-file for Windows. Seems there is a problem, all download url's https://download.mozilla.org/?product=thunderbird-52.5.0-SSL&os=win&lang=en-GB result in an old setup-file "Thunderbird Setup 38.5.0.exe" Really can't find a way to download the latest

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Forgot to mention : same applies to other languages

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James said

See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/get-latest-version-thunderbird-windows-xp-vista on why you are being served Thunderbird 38.5.0.

Two things : - the OS used is XP but it is SP3, so there shouldn't be an installer-problem - and, even worse, I was using that XPSP3 to download the setup for another yet still offline new computer with Win 10. So deciding those download-restrictions isn't the correct way to handle things.

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darwin4ever said
Two things : - the OS used is XP but it is SP3, so there shouldn't be an installer-problem - and, even worse, I was using that XPSP3 to download the setup for another yet still offline new computer with Win 10. So deciding those download-restrictions isn't the correct way to handle things.

Your useragent is Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:52.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/52.0

The download page cannot tell by a browser UA on WinXP on what Service Pack version you have installed if any. Many WinXP users may still be using no SP or only SP1 or SP2 for whatever reason.

Mozilla was doing a similar thing to Firefox users because of way the setups worked at time and needing SP3 to install even though SP2 is the minimum for running Firefox. As this old article shows. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/get-latest-version-firefox-windows-xp-vista

Firefox 43.0.2 to 48.0.2 setups were signed in a way that WinXP SP1 and users not updating Vista enough (with a specific Windows update) could not run them as to why they were served 43.0.1 at the time until Firefox 49.0 and later Release.

Not sure if the Thunderbird 52 setups still require SP3 to install on WinXP.

Modified by James

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James said Mozilla was doing a similar thing to Firefox users </blockquote>

Thanks for reply.

Nevertheless, IMHO using the correct version should be an user-responsibility, and not by Mozilla restricting or changing the available downloads. As said, I was downloading for another machine, the restrictions being completely inappropriate, especially because there is no indication that such restriction/change has been applied

But the ftp.mozilla.org is a useful workaround.

Just need to find out how I can use it within a FTP-client and not in a browser with HTTPS. Till now that doesn't seem to work.

Modified by darwin4ever

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Once Mozilla is done with Firefox 52 ESR (52.8.0 ESR in May 2018) and the Thunderbird community is done with Thunderbird 52 it will not be a issue then anyways as Firefox/Thunderbird 53.0 and later will not work on WinXP/Vista.

Mozilla stopped using the ftp:// protocol on Aug 5th, 2015. Mozilla also uses a CDN now instead of the mirrors system they had before.

Modified by James