What version of Thunderbird?

Does the problem stop or get better if you start THunderbird in safe mode per https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/safe-mode-thunderbird ?

(For any additional problems, you should file different topics)

Thank you Wayne, I have Version 52.3.0.

Right now it's not doing it so I wouldn't be able to observe any of that abnormal and chaotic activity, but as soon as it starts again I'll go to Safe Mode to see if it happens there as well. How do you go to SM?

When it does, it's several times a day then it stops, but it can start again right away, or after a few hours or the following day. Totally unpredictable!

As to my other problems, I did say I'll present them one at a time.  :)

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/safe-mode-thunderbird

> When it does, it's several times a day then it stops, but it can start again right away, or after a few hours or the following day. Totally unpredictable!

Could be a bug. But it sounds to me like a graphics issue in hardware or drivers.

What extensions do you have listed under Help > Troubleshooting > Extensions?

I have only:

Avast Online Security. Version 12.0.263. Enabled: False. ID: wrc@avast.com

I just thought I could try making a video of these things when they happen. Only "try" since, while I can take the video....I wouldn't know how to put it in the computer and send it to you here. Would I do it the same way as a photo?

You may have to post the video file to an external resource such as Google Photos, Dropbox, imgur, imageshack etc. I don't think this forum will accept them.

Have you managed to capture the screen disturbance? If so, how? With your phone, or a video camera? Or some screen recording software?

Zenos said

You may have to post the video file to an external resource such as Google Photos, Dropbox, imgur, imageshack etc. I don't think this forum will accept them. Have you managed to capture the screen disturbance? If so, how? With your phone, or a video camera? Or some screen recording software?

" I don't think this forum will accept them. " Not accept what? My video? Or coming from other sites?

I didn't try yet because it hasn't happened today, but I got my camera ready by the computer and when it happens I'll try to capture it. It has to be on a video because it moves and does many odd things. I had techies look at it but it didn't happen while they were here so they couldn't know what it is which was disheartening!

And when it does happen it doesn't last long enough for someone to rush here to see it...It's an impossible situation unless I'm capable of taking a good video (which I'm not unfortunately, but I'll try).  :o)

Did this ever happen to you or someone you know? I wonder.....BTW, I have a Nikon digital camera and I hope it will do it.

I meant this forum won't accept video files. It takes jpeg, png, gif, and ISTR seeing Word documents here too.

Zenos said

I meant this forum won't accept video files. It takes jpeg, png, gif, and ISTR seeing Word documents here too.

Ohhhhhhh...So they take only these?: jpeg, png, gif, and ISTR. And these are not videos?

So...what am I going to do??? Have any ideas?

ISTR = I Seem To Recall

Png, jpeg, gif are "still image" formats. You can't use them for videos.

As I was trying to suggest, you could post your video file to some other online resource such as Google Photos, Dropbox, imgur, imageshack etc and then post the link to it here. But you also have to work out how to get the recording from the camera into your computer.

Thank you so much. I do have a gmail account so from my gmail account I could post the video on Google Photos and then post the link here. Okay I'll do that. First thing for me to do though is catch those miserable screen disturbances and then I'll just have to sweat it out to put them into the computer.

Thanks again. You'll hear from me as soon as I can capture the culprit.  :)

Well...I tried to video but each episode happens in only one second, believe it or not, so it took me one second to grab the camera and another second to point so...I was late each time. It seems it's a lost cause for me. I was hoping when I switched to TB that would stop, thinking it was WLMail, but I guess it must be something deeper in the windows no?

Wayne Mery said

What version of Thunderbird? Does the problem stop or get better if you start THunderbird in safe mode per https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/safe-mode-thunderbird ? (For any additional problems, you should file different topics)

I didn't try Safe Mode (because I'm afraid to get stuck with some problem) lol! but I'll go try for a few days and will report, thanks for suggesting it.

My version, according to About Firefox, is: 55.3.0. (32-bit) Is this for TB too or only for Firefox?

looking at your past questions, it looks to me like you might well have an add-on issue. That auto resize add-on could well mess with your display settings.

So try Thunderbird safe mode first an see if the flickering stops. Note that the Firefox version and Thunderbird versions are not in any way related. While there is shared code in the programs, they do not share it when installed. Each being completely independent of the other.

Matt said

looking at your past questions, it looks to me like you might well have an add-on issue. That auto resize add-on could well mess with your display settings. So try Thunderbird safe mode first an see if the flickering stops. Note that the Firefox version and Thunderbird versions are not in any way related. While there is shared code in the programs, they do not share it when installed. Each being completely independent of the other.

Good idea, thank so much! I checked and did download the right one for TBird and I'm on it right now. But it says to disable some functions, would you have an idea which ones might be suspect, besides the add-on, so I can disable? Thanks again!

P.S. I removed the autoresizer, should I remove the other one I have, ImportExport too?

Intermittent problems are the worst.

Here's a bone-headed suggestion: Have you checked all of your video cable connections?

In future times when it happens, look for possible causes that you may not have considered. If the same thing is causing it, there's a pattern of some kind, even if it's fuzzy.

Hopefully the other advice you're getting will just make the problem go away!

Thank you Chaosrider, but how do I check the cables? By seeing that they are well plugged in? Or is there something inside the computer to check. Please forgive my ignorance.

So far I learned that I had the same problem with WLMail, so we know then that it's not my email programs. Other than this I don't know what else it could cause such thing as this.

I was recommended in this thread to get into Safe Mode and to disable any add-ons which I did, and also told me to see if I notice anything different. The only thing I noticed is that the problem became worse as starting yesterday Sunday, it's been happening throughout the day and also today Monday. Of course I don't know if it's the Safe Mode or not, but I'd like to know what things I should be looking for? Thanks again.  :)

P.S. Long time ago, the first time I did a Safe Mode I recall my screen became sluggish and colors all faded. I experienced no such thing here. Is this as it is nowadays? Or did I do something wrong?

No worries! We're all ignorant to various degrees. Some people are just more willing to admit it than others!

Basically yes on the cables. It's surprising how often simply unplugging the cables and plugging them back in...and doing nothing else!...will solve interface related problems.

On a computer scale, various aspects of my "command center" didn't work right after I had the house cleaned one time. It turned out that the maids had jostled one of the connections so that it had become an internet connection. Visually, it looked fine. After I unplugged every cable and plugged it right back in, everything worked.

On a much larger scale, when they put in the "smart meter" for the electricity for my house, the power connection started to come loose...over the course of several years. I was seeing really bizarre electrical effects with various appliances. It turns out that the guy who had installed the smart meter didn't reconnect to the line current quite tightly enough. My house was BARELY connected; the wind and rain and snow had gradually loosened the cable. Once tightened, problem gone.

It might not be that at all, but good IT people tend to overlook mechanical issues entirely when diagnosing problems.

If you've opened up the computer for any reason, I would open it up again, and just make sure that all the connections are sound. Not a circuit by circuit check...just wiggle anything that might have come loose.

If you notice it mostly during email usage, check all of your internet connections as well. Near-real-time internet activities are much less tolerant of flakey connections than more "batch" oriented activity.

If none of the mechanical answers work, the idea of disabling all add-ons and going into safe mode is the right things to do. To the extent that you can, revert back to the last configuration (both hardware and software) that you KNOW worked.

Safe mode looks and acts funky sometimes, so I wouldn't worry about it. I'd give you a step-by-step for how to get into safe mode, but it's changed significantly in recent years, and I don't know the sequence for doing that anymore. Used to be easy. Safe mode is unlikely to be what caused it to get worse.

Hope that helps...

TCS