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Why is my email server not connecting to imap?

  • 23 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by Toad-Hall

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Since 20/08/18 I cannot receive or send emails on a setup I have used for many years. The continuous message is "connecting to imap.plus.net", but it is not connecting. Please investigate and help

Since 20/08/18 I cannot receive or send emails on a setup I have used for many years. The continuous message is "connecting to imap.plus.net", but it is not connecting. Please investigate and help

All Replies (20)

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First make sure you are not in 'Offline' mode. In Thunderbird, in the bottom 'Status Bar', far left, do you see a two blue screen icon or a two black screen icon? If two blue screen then you are in online mode. If two black screen icon: click on that icon to revert back to online mode.

It is possible that the Firewall thinks an updated Thunderbird is not the same as previous version.

Please check to see if your Firewall is blocking Thunderbird. The Firewall may the default one on computer or it may be one which is part of your Anti-virus program.

Close Thunderbird first. Access Firewall. Thunderbird needs to be an allowed program. If already selected then block it, ok it, access again and select Thunderbird as an allowed program and ok it. Start Thunderbird.

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I do not have Firewall, but AVG

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You do have a Firewall. It would be a concern if you didn't.

In your case you are using AVG Anti-Virus which also provides the Firewall. Please read the info at the following link as it explains alot more about AVG and how to allow programs in the Firewall.

Thunderbird needs to be an allowed program.

If you have a Windows OS and it is 32 bit then Thunderbird is located here:

  • C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe

If you have a Windows OS and it is 64 bit then Thunderbird is located here:

  • C:\Program Files(86)\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe
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Thank you Toad-Hall, but nothing has changed with my anti virus protection in years. Around 20th August I was asked by plusNet to create more space in my mailbox and for some reason to do this I went on the Mozilla settings page. Don't know what I did, but that's when the trouble started and the message 'connecting to imap.plus.net' came up. Since then no connection and I don't think it's anything to do with antivirus?!

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re :but nothing has changed with my anti virus protection in years. I very much doubt that. It will be updated on a regular basis to include any recent discoveries in security issues. My Anti-Virus software updates something all the time.

Is Thunderbird listed in AVG Firewall or not? You have not provided this information. If no, then exit Thunderbird and access Firewall and get it set up as an allowed program.

confirm when you have done this.

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re: Around 20th August I was asked by plusNet to create more space in my mailbox and for some reason to do this I went on the Mozilla settings page. Don't know what I did.

To help track down what occured etc...

What prompted plusnet to contact you to create more space? Did you ask them a question about something and they talked to you or sent you an email with instructions?

Did you get a pop up message saying your quota was eg: 98% full or similar? This would require you to do something like the following.

Delete emails off the server. If imap account, then you could have moved emails into 'Local folders' mail account to keep them safe, then deleted the copies on the server. Empty Trash Empty Junk/spam and then compact that folder. Compact all other folders eg: Inbox.

You would not have needed to do anything in the 'Account Settings' window. But we'll come back to that.

Please post the following to check all account settings etc are correct: In Thunderbird

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • Do Not select to include account names
  • click on 'Copy text to clipboard' button
  • In this forum question, right click in a 'Post a Reply' text box and select 'Paste'
  • You could remove all info on fonts and printers' but do not edit anything else.
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Many thanks toad hall for your help, but I'm afraid I'm not computer literate enough to understand or follow you, or do what you ask. It all started with plusNet warning me, two weeks apart, that my mailbox was nearing its maximum capacity and to do something about it. Now I just want plusNet to connect to IMAP again, which it says it is trying to do.

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Until you can confirm that your AVG Firewall is allowing thunderbird program then nothing can progress.

Is Thunderbird listed in AVG Firewall or not? You have not provided this information.

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re : It all started with plusNet warning me, two weeks apart, that my mailbox was nearing its maximum capacity and to do something about it That means you had so many emails in your email address account on the plus net server it was nearly full and you needed to remove emails off the server. You would either delete them or move them into 'Local Folders' mail account for safe keeping and then delete them off server.

Did you delete emails off the server or not?

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I deleted about half of them off the plusNet website and have not had any warnings since. My antivirus is AVG Antivirus Free, no mention of Firewall, and Mozilla has been accepted this way for more years than I can remember, so no reason to believe it suddenly isn't.

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What Windows operating system are you using ? Windows 7 or 10 etc?

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I really need the following info:

In Thunderbird

  • Click on 'Help' and then click on 'Troubleshooting Information'
  • click on 'Copy text to clipboard' button

'Help' can be found in two places. Either will be ok. I have included a couple of images to help you locate it.

Now go to your browser.

I've also included another image on this.

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Windows 10

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My trouble shooting info is on 8 pages with 2154 results and I can't find the 'help' button or the right section

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re :I can't find the 'help' button or the right section

If you cannot see the 'Help' then how can you see 'My trouble shooting info is on 8 pages' ? These comments make no sense. You have to use 'Help' in order to select 'TRoubleshooting Information'. Also it is purely displayed in a tab in Thunderbird, so it does not even mention 'pages'.

In Thunderbird: Do you see this at the top in what is called the 'Menu bar' toolbar: 'File', 'Edit', 'View' etc

OR Do you see this at the top in what is called the 'Mail Toolbar' toolbar: 'Get Messages' 'Write', Address Book', etc

OR do you see both?

Do you see the icon as shown in first image below? It is usually on the far right of the same toolbar which has 'Get Messages'. It is called the 'Menu Icon'. Click on that icon to get a drop down menu.

See second image to show 'Help' and 'Troubleshooting Information'. When you click on 'Troubleshooting Information', it will open in a new tab in Thunderbird. select the 'Troubleshooting Information' Tab to see it.

Tell me when you can see this.

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Please make sure you are doing in all the above in Thunderbird and your browser eg:Firefox.

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I googled 'Trouble Shooting Information ' and that came up with 8 pages of it and no Help button. When you say 'in thunderbird ' I have no idea what that means, there is no menu bar or anything else , just a request for donations, 'get involved, and report a bug' . Remember I'm doing it all on my iPad, as the PC is not receiving any emails, and that's my problem: Mozilla is not connecting to IMAP.plus.net. So how do I get into thunderbird?

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re :Remember I'm doing it all on my iPad, If thunderbird is not on ipad then how on earth can you open Thunderbird.

re:I googled 'Trouble Shooting Information ' and that came up with 8 pages of it and no Help button. Did I tell you to open a browser and use google? No.

Get on the PC. Start up Thunderbird. When it has opened... Post an image of what you see.

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All your emails are on the iPad, as it's Apple and doesn't need mozillas help! I cannot receive emails on my PC because Mozilla is not connecting to my email server plusNet, I.e. back to square one. So I have to toggle between iPad and PC , with the iPad switching off every few minutes, as it's meant to do, but doesn't help when I'm on the PC. When you say "start up thunderbird" I don't know what you mean. It used to come up when I opened my email account, but now all I get is the page asking for donations or volunteers and I can't do anything with that.

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Will you please post an image of what you see on PC when it shows: , but now all I get is the page asking for donations or volunteers and I can't do anything with that.

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