Something totry: - in privacy&setting, click 'saved passwords' and then 'show passwords', and then highlight the two rows for the account and delete both of them. That removes all password info for the account so you can then try again.

Thank you for the suggestion but as I said above, I already confirmed that there is no password saved. Normally when I launch Thunderbird a password box pops up, but now for some reason there is no password box, and no way to enter one. So I am unable to check my mail.

Assuming the server isn't blocking third party access after incorrect password used:

Make sure the Firewall allows thunderbird. It's possible that thunderbird just does not get access to internet so all ports blocked etc.

Exit Thunderbird Access Firewall set Thunderbird as an allowed program.

Start Thunderbird

Confirm Thunderbird is set up as an allowed program in Firewall. Report on whether you get the pop up asking for password.

Thank you for the suggestion. Just checked the setting and Thunderbird is set as allowed for Private but not for Public. Is that correct? If so, how can I check on your other suggestion (server blocking third party access after incorrect password used)?

Note: I don't think this is an ISP problem because Thunderbird isn't asking for my password or trying to connect. When I click "Get messages" the blue progress bar flickers at the bottom of the screen briefly but the Activity Manager remains blank.

re :Just checked the setting and Thunderbird is set as allowed for Private but not for Public.

Private is using home network connection and public is like using any other network and wifi hotspot.

So, is your computer really connecting to the internet using your network connection to your ISP ? I recently had someone who lived locally to me, who could easily use his browser to connect to webmail but could not use Thunderbird. I discovered he was actually using a neighbours connection and not his. As soon as I had got him back onto his own network connecting to his isp, thunderbird was up and running again.

Please double check to see if your computer is using the correct network. Your Firewall would not permit Thunderbird to use what it regards as a 'public' connection. Password is not asked because the server did not ask for it. Thunderbird is not getting a connection to the server. Hence the error message "The server may be unavailable or is refusing SMTP connections. "

Good suggestion but I don't use wifi, I have a desktop which is plugged directly into the router. (And I just double-checked to make sure, the correct network is selected.)

If you have stopped receiving new messages and emails on your thunderbird account, the culprit is usually the firewall or the antivirus software. Open the interface for the antivirus or the firewall on your computer. Click on the menu and select Help. Then click on the button for Troubleshooting the Information.

Regards, Willjoe

Thank you but the problem is not that I have stopped receiving new messages. The problem is that Thunderbird has stopped asking for my password, which subsequently means that I can't download or send mail. I mistyped my password once a week ago, and since then I can't get the "enter password" box to pop up.

Nevermind...

Try this:

• Help > More TRoubleshooting Information
• Under 'Application Basics' - half way - Profile Folders - click on 'Open Folder'

A new window opens showing the contents of your profile name folder.

• Exit Thunderbird now. This is important.

Locate and delete the following files:

• cert8.db (old unused)
• key3.db (old unused)
• secmod.db (old unused)
• pkcs11.txt

Start Thunderbird.

Report on results.

What Anti-Virus are you using ? Are you just using the Windows Defender AV ?

I'm still thinking this is the Firewall or Anti-Virus blocking Thunderbird. You say the problem is it's not asking for password which may not be correct. If the above instructions do not work then the problem is this - When Thunderbird tries to access server, the server must ask for a password then Thunderbird will auto send password if it is saved OR prompt for password if not saved.

If there is no connection with server then no password is asked so no password prompt.

Problem therefore is this: Thunderbird has no access to server something is blocking it. The first place to check is Firewall because not being able to get through the firewall would prevent server contact and no password prompt.

Try this: Exit Thunderbird. Access Firewall Thunderbird set as allowed change from Private to Public.

Start Thunderbird. REport on results.

Great suggestions, thank you! I was hopeful but I tried both and unfortunately there has been no change.

It's possible there is some sort of blockage, but that would be weird because everything was fine up until I mistyped my password, and then suddenly I couldn't get a password prompt anymore. It went from normal to nonfunctional in the space of a minute.

I have Windows Defender, which is linked to McAfee Digital Secure; McAfee Virus Scan; and Spybot. I have tried turning off both Windows Firewall and McAfee Firewall but sadly there was no difference. (I also had Avast but uninstalled it yesterday in case it was causing problems. No difference.)

Hoping you have another suggestion. Thanks very much for your help!

I'm wondering whether I should try uninstalling / reinstalling Thunderbird, but how can I make sure I don't lose my saved mail?

The safest way to make sure your saved mail is saved (and out-of-reach to the server) is to use the Local Folders section of the folders tree. Right-click the words Local Folders, choose New Folder, give it a unique name, and copy any mail you need permanently to that folder. Then, no matter what the server does, your mail is your mail, because it's on your own computer.

After you copy mail to as many new local folders as you need, you can delete it from the regular folders (above the words Local Folders) and then empty the Trash (the regular Trash folder above the Local Folders; not the Trash folder under Local Folders. That one doesn't matter much. It's only used when you delete from a Local Folders folder.

The other important thing is to save (on your computer, in a spot where you can find it) a copy of the profiles folder in Thunderbird in your C:\Users > "username" > AppData > Roaming > Thunderbird folder. After a re-install, with Thunderbird closed, you can replace the newly created profiles folder with the one you saved.

All of that may sound a little complicated, but it's not really. Step-by-step will do it.

I don't think the Thunderbird install is the issue, so I don't think deleting it and reinstalling would help. JMO

I WOULD export your profiles to a safe place before doing many changes. I'd also copy the whole profile's folder as a 2nd backup. I hate to lose info.

If you are sure it's all backed up, you could delete Thunderbird and reinstall, even though you could do it without backing up because data (Under the Users AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Profiles) and the Program are completely separate. But backing up is a good thing :)

I had issues, and I ended up creating a NEW Profile and opening both side-by-side. I had used Thunderbird for YEARS, so I had a TON of old emails and Thunderbird had many versions of things like address books. So, I created a clean Profile, but still had access to the OLD Profile. WOW is it fast now :)

I wrote a "How to Create Profile Shortcuts" To be added to this page;

support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/using-multiple-profiles

but it hasn't been approved yet. If you want, I can post how here, but do at your own risk (it should work no problem).

It allows you to also open two profiles at the same time.

You could just make a shortcut to use the profile manager more easily if on Windows.

Do a search for Thunderbird .exe Right-Click on the Icon and select Open File Location Right-click on Thunderbird.exe and Create Shortcut Allowing to create one on Desktop. Right-click on the shortcut on the desktop you just created and Select Properties Find the Target: field and Add a -P at the very end. It should look something like this;

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -P

Go to the General Tab and change name to Profile Manager

Now this will open the Profile manager easily.

I would go to each profile and stop them from checking for mail until you have things all sorted so that emails aren't downloaded to the wrong profile and deleted before you intended.

You can also Make shortcuts in a similar way, and add the specific Profile to the target. With this, you can actually open two profiles at once. I did this to compare my 10+ Year Old Profile settings to the NEW one I created.

That line in the Target would look like this...

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -P "MyProfleName-NotFolderName"

Again, for this Profile, rename it to the actual Profile it will be opening.

So, I have a few Shortcuts to the Profile manager AND the Profiles themselves. It helped while I was sorting things out.

For me, it was a bit of work redoing all the settings to match MOST of my old profile settings, but I feel it was worth it. At the same time I was able to import and sort ALL my old Addresses in the Address books. There are a FEW address books from over the years (various versions like v2, v3, etc...). I feel it was worth it. I still have access to my OLD stuff, but rarely need to go there. It's a nice, fresh start and noticeably faster.

YOU may just want to create a temporary TEST Profile to see if you can solve connections with that.

Good Luck!!!

If you had McAfee installed then it's more likely it was controlling the Firewall, so you would have needed to have Thunderbird (thunderbird.exe ) as allowed program in McAfee Firewall.

The only way to be sure no Anti-Virus is effecting anything would be to exit all programs and then restart the computer in 'Safe Mode with Networking' and then start Thunderbird.

You could create a new profile easily via:

• Help > More Troubleshooting Information
• Under 'Application Basics' section scroll to the bottom and locate 'Profiles' - click on 'about:profiles'
• It opens in a new tab
• Click on 'Create a new profile'
• Call it something simple like : 'New Profile'
• When created it will appear in the list.
• Click on 'Launch Profile'
• It opens in a new window.
• Exit the original Thunderbird.

Try adding the mail account - New > Existing mail account If this profile works, then later you can access 'about:profiles' and click on the 'Set as default profile'.

This means the original profile is still intact should you need to access it.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I will be tied up tonight/tomorrow but am looking forward to trying these ideas later in the weekend. Hope one of them will work!

Tried restarting the computer in Safe Mode with Networking and then starting Thunderbird and still had the same problem (no password box, unable to get mail), so apparently it isn't an anti-virus problem. Good to know.

Tried creating a new profile under More Troubleshooting Information, still having the same problem. Have tried multiple ports and security settings (using info from my ISP) and it keeps saying "Thunderbird failed to find the settings for your email account." I think I need to try reinstalling, unfortunately.

Uninstalled and reinstalled, still having the same problem. Not sure what to try next...