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frequent freezes/lock-ups in Thunderbird

  • 5 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • Last reply by sbrauss

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Hi,

I'm a long-time user and big fan of T-Bird, but I've been having an issue lately that is driving me nuts.

When using T-Bird, the program frequently locks up for maybe 10-30 seconds, especially when deleting messages, transferring messages to folders, and when downloading new messages. This is super frustrating because it's hard to get much done when your critical software is frequently locking up the entire system.

This happens on all three of my PCs (two workstations and a laptop); two are Win 10, one is Win 11, and this problem is not happening with any other software. I've looked at the task manager when it happens and killed any processes that are taking more than a negligible amount of CPU, but that doesn't fix the problem.

It's hard to know exactly where T-Bird is getting hung up without the right profiling tools, but it seems to happen most frequently when accessing the network. At first I thought it might be a disk space issue, but it's still happening on all the machines even after optimizing the disks and deleting the recycle bin, temporary files, etc. to ensure there's plenty of free disk space.

The only thing I've tried that seems to help a little bit is turning off the quick filter.

I've tried asking support at my ISP (InMotion) if the delay might be caused by the mail server, but sadly they are a bunch of worthless idiots.

Any advice or feedback on how we might narrow down or fix this is much appreciated! :)

thanks in advance...

-B

Hi, I'm a long-time user and big fan of T-Bird, but I've been having an issue lately that is driving me nuts. When using T-Bird, the program frequently locks up for maybe 10-30 seconds, especially when deleting messages, transferring messages to folders, and when downloading new messages. This is super frustrating because it's hard to get much done when your critical software is frequently locking up the entire system. This happens on all three of my PCs (two workstations and a laptop); two are Win 10, one is Win 11, and this problem is not happening with any other software. I've looked at the task manager when it happens and killed any processes that are taking more than a negligible amount of CPU, but that doesn't fix the problem. It's hard to know exactly where T-Bird is getting hung up without the right profiling tools, but it seems to happen most frequently when accessing the network. At first I thought it might be a disk space issue, but it's still happening on all the machines even after optimizing the disks and deleting the recycle bin, temporary files, etc. to ensure there's plenty of free disk space. The only thing I've tried that seems to help a little bit is turning off the quick filter. I've tried asking support at my ISP (InMotion) if the delay might be caused by the mail server, but sadly they are a bunch of worthless idiots. Any advice or feedback on how we might narrow down or fix this is much appreciated! :) thanks in advance... -B

Chosen solution

Is there a preferred anti-virus that won't lock up my system like this?

Although I think replacing McAfee with Windows Defender was a smart move, it is probably more a matter of configuration.

Create an exemption in Defender for the Thunderbird profile folder, so that the Defender real-time scanner will not scan it. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_how-to-find-your-profile

And no, that won't make you less safe.

Read this answer in context 👍 2

All Replies (5)

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What is your anti-virus software?

Helpful?

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I used McAfee for a couple years since it came with the PC, but after it expired I removed it and have just been using the Microsoft one built into the OS.

Is there a preferred anti-virus that won't lock up my system like this? I will happily go get it if that will solve the problem :-)

And thanks for your response! Much appreciated!

-Brent

Helpful?

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Chosen Solution

Is there a preferred anti-virus that won't lock up my system like this?

Although I think replacing McAfee with Windows Defender was a smart move, it is probably more a matter of configuration.

Create an exemption in Defender for the Thunderbird profile folder, so that the Defender real-time scanner will not scan it. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-thunderbird-stores-user-data#w_how-to-find-your-profile

And no, that won't make you less safe.

Helpful?

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Eeek! I hit the wrong thumb..anyone know how to undo that?

Helpful?

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Hi!

I also have this problem, but excluding the Thunderbird folder from Defender Scans has not solved it for me. It seems that it stalls when a refresh of the windows happen.

Best regards Stephan

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