Thunderbird Not Responding
For the past several years I have been dealing with Thunderbird occasionally freezing on me, with the window losing focus and the titlebar saying (Not Responding).
It appears to happen when TB is downloading email. If the emails are large (as some are) TB stops everything to deal with it. I have looked for where to change any settings to allow for process threading, since that was the promise of Windows waaaaay back in 1990. Not so, apparently with TB. Even if I'm in a separate window composing an email, it freezes. I wrote about this back in 2018...
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1233121
I noticed that this only happens when downloading emails from one particular account, which I use for receiving project code error debug reports. The emails are typically around 150k or slightly less. Not so huge that it should take so long to pull down, but the debug info is in many, many nested tables and divs. Is it trying to render them, even though I don't have them open?
In any case, I set that account to no longer collect. Yet, every once in a while, it still collects. Do I need to remove the account from TB altogether? I would like to be able to have this account checked every 15 minutes like my other five email accounts, which don't cause me any heartache, but it's driving me mad, especially when a throng of those emails come in, like 50 at a time, and I am effectively prevented from doing anything in TB for up to five minutes. I suppose I could craft the emails to be smaller (it's my own code that is sending the debug reports) but the info in there is there on purpose.
Is there a setting I can change somewhere to break off the processing for the main window and the compose windows?
All Replies (9)
Hi, I just sent you a private message. I figured out how to reply to your question so you can disregard replying to the PM. These forums are NOT at all intuitive, I have never seen forums like this mess before.
What operating system are you using and what is the version when you have these problems,?
Thanks.
Wow, yeah they are. I got your reply, above, via email, and had to click on a teeny tiny blue link at the bottom labeled "This doesn't solve my problem" to get back to the thread.
Thunderbird: 115.10.1 (32-bit)
Dell Optiplex 390
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2100 CPU @ 3.10GHz 3.10 GHz Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.90 GB usable) System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Edition Windows 10 Pro Version 22H2 Installed on 1/16/2021 OS build 19045.4412 Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19056.1000.0
I am not good with windows I switched to Linux when windows 2000 stopped updating. If you had Windows 11 I would start looking into Win 11 creating problems, I keep reading nightmare stories about Win 11 and privacy issues, to sum it up, what I have read Microsoft does not want you running any non Windows software. They want full control.
Wish I could help more. Try a search on Google for Thunderbird Windows 10 issues in your slack time, you might find a solution.
I have, and I didn't, which is why I came back here, nearly six years later, hoping there's a new solution.
Does Mozilla Support read these messages?
Six years ago you didn't reply (?)
If you are using version 115, the situation has somewhat changed and is perhaps worse than previous versions because 115 has some new issues. Most we believe are fixed in beta and will be shipped in version 128.
But the information supplied six years ago is still applicable, especially for Windows users.
Separate windows is of no help - don't waste your time testing/hoping.
Modified by Wayne Mery
I didn't respond because I don't think I knew there was a reply. Maybe I didn't tick the "get emails sent to you if someone replies" checkbox.
In any case, it doesn't appear to be a memory issue to me. It feels like a processor issue. Apparently I need to be running this on a Cray computer do be able to download large-body emails (150k) without taking the application down. Sure, Mozilla may complain about Windows' deficiencies, but I run plenty of other apps that deal with large files and they don't choke, likely because they use the inherent threading capabilities.
In the mean time I've changed the size of the emails I send myself, and have that account open in a webmail tab. Problem solved in the ancient way...
"Doctor! It hurts when I do this!"
"Well, don't do that!"
BTW, I posted the reply, above, and got the message "INTERNAL SERVER ERROR"
I'm glad it at least posted.
Mik Muller said
In any case, it doesn't appear to be a memory issue to me. It feels like a processor issue.
Given the diagnostic process is essentially the same it is rather irrelevant if it is a processor or memory issue. My personal feeling with V115 is that there are thread waiting for responses from other threads and not getting them hence the hangs. But I am not a developer. Just someone that has the program hang about every time is get focus
Modified by Matt
Wayne Mery said
The information supplied six years ago is still applicable, especially for Windows users.
What I meant by this is https://wiki.mozilla.org/Thunderbird:Testing:Memory_Usage_Problems is still relevant. For example if you haven't done Windows in safe mode then you haven't eliminated a major possible cause.
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