Can you try after re-start after your device?

Paul, thank you for the suggestion. But the Thunderbird login still failed after re-starting my SP3, stating: "Sending of username did not succeed. Mailserver ***** responded: Auth-Status: Invalid login or password."

I know neither is invalid because I can successfully log in to my email account on my email provider's web site using them. I also get email on my old XP Pro desktop with T-Bird 38.1.0. Still looking for a solution.

Seriously. Your logic is flawed.

Thunderbird connect to mail servers using IMAP or POP mail protocols on a number of different ports.

Connecting to web mail connects to a web server using the HTTP or HTTPs protocol.

So you have established only two things by doing that. You know the password for the web mail and your internet works over HTTP/HTTPS.

The reality is that a password that works in web mail may not word in mail and some providers limit password length in mail to 8 or 10 characters and actively encourage more via their web interface. So a 15 character password might work with web mail and not with a mail protocol connection.

So lets start at the beginning, assuming nothing.

Please add the troubleshooting information to your post To find the Troubleshooting information:

• Open Help (or click on three-line-icon and select Help)
• Choose Troubleshooting Information
• Use the button Copy to clipboard to select all. Do not check box "Include account names"!
• Paste this in your post.

To diagnose problems with Thunderbird, try the following:

• Restart Thunderbird with add-ons disabled (Thunderbird Safe Mode). On the Help menu, click on "Restart with Add-ons Disabled". If Thunderbird works like normal, there is an Add-on or Theme interfering with normal operations. You will need to re-enable add-ons one at a time until you locate the offender.
• Restart the operating system in safe mode with Networking. This loads only the very basics needed to start your computer while enabling an Internet connection. Click on your operating system for instructions on how to start in safe mode: Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OSX

If safe mode for the operating system fixes the issue, there's other software in your computer that's causing problems. Possibilities include but not limited to: AV scanning, virus/malware, background downloads such as program updates.

Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 38.1.0
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:38.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/38.1.0
   Profile Folder: Show Folder

Hi Matt:

Thank you for your reply. The basic Troubleshooting Information is set forth above. I deleted everything else. If you need more, please let me know.

When comparing the omitted data to my notes for T-Bird on my Desktop w/ XP Pro, I noticed the ports are different on my Desktop TB account, that works, from the port numbers on my SP3, which doesn't work. Shouldn't the Incoming POP and Outgoing STMP port numbers match on both computers? How can I change the "Wizard-imported" port numbers in TB on my SP3 to match those on my Desktop that works?

The Password is the exact some one that works on my Desktop XP Pro TB program. It also works on my ISP's webmail site as that web site connects to their POP server. It is not different for webmail in this instance.

I just restarted TB with all add-ons disabled and still got the failed login message.

I'll have to do more research to find a "Restart the OS in safe mode with Networking" for Win 10.

Some web based posts suggest POP email does not work on Win 10, and MS is trying to force everyone to IMAP (or whatever) for better syncing.

Thanks for your help so far.

yeah I need more. I got almost all of that from your browsers string when you posted your question.

Primarily I want the accounts section. so I can verify your settings against what you should have.

Secondly I want to see the list of add-ons so I get a clue if you have one of those that causes issues.

Finally I am interested if you have hardware acceleration turned on, but that is just curiously, it being such a troublesome thing..

___________________________________

If I understand it correctly (I really never installed Windows 8 and 10 is not inspiring me to play with it either.) pressing Alt+F4 brings up a restart Menu in Windows 10.

___________________________________

Some web based posts suggest POP email does not work on Win 10, and MS is trying to force everyone to IMAP (or whatever) for better syncing.

The Windows 8 metro mail client only supported IMAP. I see no reason why that would have changed. So my guess is most of those making posts really do not know what they are talking about. But as usual they sure make a lot of noise that makes locating real information difficult.

As far as Windows 10 is concerned; Have you activated the family safe stuff. That stops Mozilla software dead in its tracks by preventing web access whiteout manual transfer of the hacking certificate Microsoft uses to hack the secure connections people use for privacy to implement for supposed "children" what is about the same thing the NSA wants for all of us. No privacy and full access to what is supposed to be encrypted..

Have you checked the firewall for any sign of a port or application block?

Have you tried disabling defender? It does a pretty good job of making account setup next to impossible for some.

Hi again Matt:

Here is the full Troubleshooting Information for your review. It should not include any account data. Thanks!

Application Basics

   Name: Thunderbird
   Version: 38.1.0
   User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:38.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/38.1.0
   Profile Folder: Show Folder

             (Local drive)
   Application Build ID: 20150707103124
   Enabled Plugins: about:plugins
   Build Configuration: about:buildconfig
   Memory Use: about:memory

 Mail and News Accounts
   account1:
     INCOMING: account1, , (pop3) pop.centurylink.net:110, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext
     OUTGOING: smtp.centurylink.net:587, alwaysSTARTTLS, passwordCleartext, true

   account2:
     INCOMING: account2, , (none) Local Folders, plain, passwordCleartext

 Crash Reports

 Extensions
   Lightning, 4.0.1.2, false, {e2fda1a4-762b-4020-b5ad-a41df1933103}

 Important Modified Preferences

   Name: Value

     browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value: 358400
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false
     browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false
     extensions.lastAppVersion: 38.1.0
     font.name.monospace.el: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-cyrillic: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-unicode: Consolas
     font.name.monospace.x-western: Consolas
     font.name.sans-serif.el: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-cyrillic: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-unicode: Calibri
     font.name.sans-serif.x-western: Calibri
     font.name.serif.el: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-cyrillic: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-unicode: Cambria
     font.name.serif.x-western: Cambria
     font.size.fixed.el: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-cyrillic: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-unicode: 14
     font.size.fixed.x-western: 14
     font.size.variable.el: 17
     font.size.variable.x-cyrillic: 17
     font.size.variable.x-unicode: 17
     font.size.variable.x-western: 17
     gfx.direct3d.last_used_feature_level_idx: 0
     mail.openMessageBehavior.version: 1
     mail.winsearch.firstRunDone: true
     mailnews.database.global.datastore.id: 0b428992-55c2-485e-8dde-f61453c3765
     network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true
     network.predictor.cleaned-up: true
     places.database.lastMaintenance: 1438572033
     places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 104858
     plugin.importedState: true

 Graphics

     Adapter Description: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
     Vendor ID: 0x8086
     Device ID: 0x0a16
     Adapter RAM: Unknown
     Adapter Drivers: igdumdim64 igd10iumd64 igd10iumd64 igd12umd64 igdumdim32 igd10iumd32 igd10iumd32 igd12umd32
     Driver Version: 10.18.15.4248
     Driver Date: 6-29-2015
     Direct2D Enabled: true
     DirectWrite Enabled: true (10.0.10240.16390)
     ClearType Parameters: ClearType parameters not found
     WebGL Renderer: false
     GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 11

     AzureCanvasBackend: direct2d 1.1
     AzureSkiaAccelerated: 0
     AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: cairo
     AzureContentBackend: direct2d 1.1

 JavaScript

 Incremental GC: 1

 Accessibility

   Activated: 1
   Prevent Accessibility: 0

 Library Versions

     Expected minimum version
     Version in use

     NSPR
     4.10.8
     4.10.8

     NSS
     3.19.2 Basic ECC
     3.19.2 Basic ECC

     NSS Util
     3.19.2
     3.19.2

     NSS SSL
     3.19.2 Basic ECC
     3.19.2 Basic ECC

     NSS S/MIME
     3.19.2 Basic ECC
     3.19.2 Basic ECC

Hi Matt:

I have not activated any family friendly filters in Win 10.

I'll have to figure out how to check a firewall for blocked ports or applications, as I'm just an end-user and only get a new computer once every 7 years or so. But I'll plug away at it.

I'll have to find Defender and see if I can disable it. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.  :)

well with the account setting I can see your using the wrong port.

http://internethelp.centurylink.com/internethelp/email-server-settings-1.html

Per the above page it is supposed to be POP: Port 995 not port 110.

Hi Matt:

I'm not using the wrong port, Mozilla's Installation Wizard is using the wrong port. If I configured my installation manually, as in years past, I would have copied the port that works on my Desktop and pasted it into Thunderbird's set up on my SP3. But the wonderful new TB Installation Wizard pulled a port from who-knows-where (a random number generator perhaps?) and used it. I noted this port number mistake a few posts above and asked how the port number can be changed.

If I could change it manually, I would. How can I defeat, errrr I mean update, the new Installation Wizard to use the correct ports?

Tools|Account Settings|{select account}|Server Settings

Tools|Account Settings|{select account}|Server Settings

Hi Zenos:

Thank you for your suggestion! It's been moved, but I found the Server Settings in Thunderbird 38.1.0 at:

[Three Stacked Lines] | Options | Account Settings | Server Settings

Thanks to you I revised my Incoming port number and am now connected to centurylink [dot] net. Next I have to get the emails to download, import my address book, etc., etc., but now at least I have a limp handshake.  ;)

I appreciate all the help I am receiving on this Support Forum.

I gave you the route via the traditional menu. I don't much like the new "Application Menu" which you have referred to.

Did you spot when to click and when to hover? ;-) Both or either may be useful.

For the old-fashioned menus:

• hold down the <alt> key,
• tap V for View,
• then select Toolbars, and
• tick the checkboxes as required.

You need the Toolbar enabled in each window, and I think it's so much easier to use the Menu than the Application menu. Some of your windows (Write, Address Book, Reading Pane) won't offer the Application Menu ("hamburger button") so unless you go out of your way to put it somewhere that remains visible at all times, it's of limited usefulness. It probably sits best with tabs, (but I don't like them either) and at present, the Address Book and Write pane appear in their own separate windows, not in tabs.

But, oh dear! Did you say "import your address book"? Why not just copy the entire profile from the old installation to the new? Then you wouldn't be fighting the accounts wizard.

Please note that to us old-timers, "SP3" reads as "Service Pack 3" as in Windows XP, not as "Surface Pro 3". Took me several readings through to get it. ;-)

Hi Zenos:

I finally got connected and am now downloading far too many old mails into my Inbox. The solution was to match the Server Setting entries on my new Surface Pro 3 computer exactly to those on my old XP Pro Desktop. Once I did that the connections were made and everything began to work properly. The Installation Wizard was not exact, so I had to complete and correct his guesses about Server Settings. Thanks to Matt and you I got Thunderbird 38.1.0 working on my Surface Pro 3 with Windows 10.

Windows 10 Defender was not a problem as it inspects files and file folders, apparently not programs, for malware, etc. I made no changes to it, only to Server Settings.

Sorry for the old timer confusion with SP3. I'm an altztimer too but once I update software I forget about it.  ;)

It's looking promising. I'll post a problem solved message once all my emails are downloaded. After that's accomplished I'll tweak Thunderbird per your suggestions. Thanks again to you and Matt.  :)

I finally got all the POP emails downloaded to my new Surface Pro 3. The problem was solved by exactly matching the Server Settings on my new Surface Pro 3 to those on my old XP Pro Desktop.

The easiest way for me to copy the email addresses from my old computer to my new computer was to Export them to a stick drive in my old computer, then Import them into my new computer after the stick drive was inserted in my new computer.