There is one easy? way to see if Thunderbird has been corrupted. I have seven dumps of Thunderbird taken after a UIDL error. If someone can tell me the windbg commands I can use to look at the storage where the POP3 connection parameters are stored, then I can tell what is stored there, and someone can determine if these parameters have been corrupted. I am not sure where to look in the source code. And If I did find the code, I would not have access to compiler listings to be able to determine what offsets into which module I would find the data. And I do not know enough about Windows internals nor windbg to be able to find this information by myself. Note that I spent over 25 years as an IBM mainframe systems programmer, and one of my jobs was to review every dump generated by the system. But I had access to source listings, and I had knowledge of the mainframe operating system.

In response to Matt - if the mail server(s) to which Thunderbird is connecting is a cluster of servers, then, according to Matt, the entire cluster must be broken, because Thunderbird would get the error on one server, try again later and get the same error on the second server, etc. When Thunderbird gets the UIDL error and produces the message, what does Thunderbird do? If it quits trying again, then I consider this a bug, as future attempts would probably access another server in the cluster that was working properly.

You can believe whatever you like, proving it. That is the issue. You don't think a load balancer would keep giving you the same dud server, that is your prerogative. My experience with them is contrary to that, but you are saying that you do not keep getting the same one as a restart refreshes you connection to the server, it also removes Thunderbird from memory and gets your anti virus out of the mail for a time. But with your extensive experience on mainframes you would be intimately familiar with how load balancers do their job.

I do however suggest you start with logging, not debugging. After all part of each connection is a repeated request to the server to identify itself and is capabilities. https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging

The error occurs becasue the setting for the account do not match the returned capabilities from the server. However the communications with the server are in plain text, including the mail that is downloaded, so you will have no trouble deciphering the data stream.

Then refer to the relevant RFC for the commands that are included with the CAPA reply from the server. I can offer you nothing in that regard as you do not identify the server in question. I do not that anything Yahoo runs an extreme risk if being problematical. and they supply mail server capability to may ISP's despite their distinctly limited ability to deliver an RFC compliant product.

The RFC is here. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1939

The UIDL command is discussed on page 12. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1939#page-12 and is required for Thunderbird to leave messages on the server in a POP3 account.

You might also want to remove any email scanning that may be occurring and ensure that there are no add-ons for scams or SPAM in Thunderbird that might be corrupting the program or memory. Thunderbird has implemented a no binary addon policy, but instead of getting the message, the anti virus folks are not inserting their binary code into the running Thunderbird process. Often unsuccessfully.

We find a number of anti virus products insert their code into Thunderbird and in general reduce security for the benefit of the anti virus vendor having another tick box on their marketing list. They are also responsible for more than their fair share of program crashes.

There is really no point scanning incoming emails, they are scanned in other ways by anti virus products long before there is a chance of infection.

You might also want to Google the issue. You will notice it is always yahoo or someone they provide services for that is involved. Be it Rogers, BT, ATT or a host of others like AOL and Verizon.

If you want to get rid of the message, just deselect leave messages on the server. You will get everything downloaded and the server account will be empty. But the messages will stop.

Just be aware that logs get very large very quickly. But so do the logs from wireshark, which would be the next step in identifying what leaves the adapter, as opposed to what comes to and from Thunderbird. Not necessarily the same thing if your anti virus implements some sort of proxy. Or some other security software gets involved.

Matt said

I do not know how many times I have to say that inbound.att.net is a cluster of yahoo servers, not a single server. So if one of the 10 or 100 or whatever makes up the cluster has a bad config then you get random odd responses. About the first things that happens when a mail client connects to a mail server is it asks the server for it's capabilities. Based on the response the mail client talks to the sever. What you are seeing is the digital equivalent of you saying to speak russian and then barfing when you are told Прощай Just to be clear, setting connection times more frequently that 10 minutes is almost guaranteed to fail due to the latency involved in getting mail. I find some folks think settings like 2 minutes should work. They will not unless the server you connecting to it in the same room with a fibre connection between the two devices.

I was having this problem too. I thought it was an AOL problem and let them login and check my connection parameters. I can't recall what the connection time was originally set to but they changed it to check every minute. Still had the same problem after they finished and they advised me it must be a Thunderbird problem. After reading your post I changed the connection time to 10 minutes and after 2 days it appears it may have resolved the problem for me. It may be a little early to tell for sure but I was having to close Thunderbird and log back in 3 or 4 times every day to get my emails. So far it's looking promising. Thanks for your help.

My wife and I use the same computer. Our TB accounts are set up 100% identically. I do NOT get the message: "The POP3 mail server (incoming.yahoo.verizon.net) does not support UIDL or XTND XLST, which are required to implement the ``Leave on Server, ``Maximum Message Size or ``Fetch Headers Only options. To download your mail, turn off these options in the Server Settings for your mail server in the Account Settings window." but she DOES. What is the simple solution?

jsaklas You do not mention how frequently the pop account is checking for new messages. Increase the number of minutes. Try 10 or higher.

As lakefork73 reported... I changed the connection time to 10 minutes and after 2 days it appears it may have resolved the problem for me.

Matt wrote above, "The error occurs becasue the setting for the account do not match the returned capabilities from the server. However the communications with the server are in plain text, including the mail that is downloaded, so you will have no trouble deciphering the data stream."

My Thunderbird is currently in the "UIDL message" state. I started Wireshark, and then clicked on "Get Messages". I looked at the packets in the trace, and I see the TLS handshake between the two servers. Then I see TLS packets with encrypted data. I am assuming that the POP3 parameter handshake is included in the encrypted data, so I cannot see what parameters are being passed from Thunderbird to the at&t POP3 server.

Also, per a reply above - I changed my connection check parameter from every 10 minutes to every 30 minutes. I will let Thunderbird sit overnight to see if I get a good connection between now (10 PM) and tomorrow morning at 8AM.

bsfinkel said

I started Wireshark, and then clicked on "Get Messages".

Where is the logging I asked you to do.

I do however suggest you start with logging, not debugging. After all part of each connection is a repeated request to the server to identify itself and is capabilities. https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging

I said to do it first knowing full well the issues with encrypted communications. The log will be in plain text, because Thunderbird writes is after the connection is decrypted.

Toad-Hall said

jsaklas You do not mention how frequently the pop account is checking for new messages. Increase the number of minutes. Try 10 or higher. As lakefork73 reported... I changed the connection time to 10 minutes and after 2 days it appears it may have resolved the problem for me.

10 minutes does not resolve the problem for me. My accounts are all set to check my email every 10 minutes or longer, but Thunderbird nonetheless randomly stops retrieving email from one or another of my accounts. If I click on "Get Messages" I get an error message (see attached) that tells me about the problem as to that address, but otherwise I won't learn about the problem until someone contacts me on another medium and asks me why I'm not responding to their emails.

I am in disbelief. On the one hand, I can't imagine it takes more than 10 minutes for Thunderbird to "recover" from checking my email. On the other hand, I can't understand why Thunderbird can't be configured to notify me that there's an issue with one of my email accounts.

Matt, I was under the [false] impression from your e-mail that the POP3 negotiation dialog would be in clear text. This morning I issued the two "SET" commands, and I started Thunderbird (after taking a dump and exiting).

D:\computer> set m MOZ_LOG=POP3:5,timestamp MOZ_LOG_FILE=C:\Users\BarryFinkel\Desktop\pop3.log

D:\computer>

I do not see any pop3.log on my desktop. It has been about 40 minutes since I started Thunderbird. Have I done something incorrectly? I assume that after these two environmental variables have been set, I can start Thunderbird in my normal way.

I still need correct info on how to get the needed logging. I had to reboot this morning, and I issued the two SET commands before starting Thunderbird. But I still have no log file on my desktop. Thanks.

How hard is it to create the batch file described and run it?

If your Thunderbird is 32Bit set MOZ_LOG=POP3:5,timestamp set MOZ_LOG_FILE=%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\imap.log "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe"

If your Thunderbird is 64Bit set MOZ_LOG=POP3:5,timestamp set MOZ_LOG_FILE=%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\imap.log "%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe"

Copy and paste the above batch file (the 64 or 32 bit as appropriate) into notepad, save the file with a BAT extension and once saved double click it with your mouse to run it.

It is not hard. I did it. The two environmental variables are set, per the output of this command:

D:\computer>set m MOZ_LOG=POP3:5,timestamp MOZ_LOG_FILE=C:\Users\BarryFinkel\Desktop\pop3.log

D:\computer>

The third command (to start Thunderbird) did not work; I do not have the output. So I started Thunderbird normally, via a desktop icon or an icon in the system tray.

So, I have set those two environmental variables. But I have no log on my desktop:

C:\Users\BARRYF~1\Desktop>dir *.log /od

Volume in drive C is Win7-BOOT
Volume Serial Number is 8CC2-2BB1

Directory of C:\Users\BARRYF~1\Desktop

01/29/2014 10:17 PM 28,741 hs_err_pid7328.log 01/29/2014 10:17 PM 28,414 hs_err_pid7596.log 02/01/2018 03:34 PM 2,176 debug.log

              3 File(s)         59,331 bytes
              0 Dir(s)  10,365,390,848 bytes free

C:\Users\BARRYF~1\Desktop>cd ..

C:\Users\BARRYF~1>dir pop3.log /s

Volume in drive C is Win7-BOOT
Volume Serial Number is 8CC2-2BB1

File Not Found

C:\Users\BARRYF~1>

This is why I posted my reply earlier today.

The environment variable exist in the shell session in when the batch file runs. If the start of Thunderbird does not work than the whole thing is null and void. So fix the start Thunderbird line. Have a look at the properties of the shortcut on your desktop and use that instead of the environment variable (%ProgramFiles(x86)%, %ProgramFiles% that should point to the two default installation locations.

I have the trace running, but the problem has not yet resurfaced. I will report what the trace log has when the problem recurs. I have a question about what

    MOZ_LOG=POP3:5,timestamp

traces. I have looked at a piece of the log file, and I see that it is tracing mail downloads. It appears not to be tracing mails that I send. Is this correct? If so, is there a way to log mail that I send? I have a problem with sending a mail message with some particular text, and I would like to see a detailed trace. Thanks.

tl;dl is change POP3 to SMTP

SMTP is the protocol used to send mail. POP3 and IMAP are used for incoming mail. So go back to the wiki instructions where the 16 possible primary logging options are listed. https://wiki.mozilla.org/MailNews:Logging#Main_module_options_within_MailNews

Matt, thanks for the information.

It has been 5 months now. Have you found an answer that you can accept yet?

Matt,

Thank you for your diligence.

I was not the original questioner, and your and other responses to the original questioner were not applicable (not understandable) to me, hence, I never posted anything after my initial "My problem too" post.

I posted a separate question and have been helped by Toad-Hall.

Regardless, thank you for your efforts.

For me, the best "answer" so far is one I'm not willing to "accept yet." I adapted to the problem by setting Thunderbird up to run identically on two different computers. That way, if Thunderbird stops checking email on one of my accounts on one computer I will usually continue getting email on that account on the other computer, so there's usually no delay in getting email and I effectively get notified that Thunderbird must be shut down and restarted on one of the computers. Restarting Thunderbird always solves the problem, but only temporarily.

Running Thunderbird on two computers is not really an acceptable answer, and I would very much like to find a better work-around. Short of actually eliminating the problem (which this string has shown is beyond my level of expertise), it would be great if I could at least find a way to have Thunderbird notify me automatically whenever it detects a problem retrieving email from one of my accounts. Then I could promptly restart Thunderbird as soon as the problem arises and I wouldn't need to run Thunderbird on two computers. Unfortunately, however, my efforts to find a way to make Thunderbird notify me when there's a problem have to date been unsuccessful. See the string at [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/que.../1277915#answer-1285578].