TB trying to download all messages again

The only way I can see to protect popstate.dat would be to make a copy after each shutdown. That file is the gate keeper for POP and keeps track of the last message downloaded. If corrupted, it doesn't know, so it starts fresh. The multiple copies may be due to some shutdown problems in the past, where thunderbird had trouble saving it. For the multiple folders, it would help to know how many Yahoo accounts you have.

Thanks for the reply.

I only have two yahoo accounts but the old one forwards emails to the newer one. So, from a TB point of view I only have one account.

The system was running for a very long time and I really never looked at the TB profile file system before. It is very likely that I had a number of system crashes during those years, plus a number of TB crashes and the odd power supply failure when the energy company had a failure. Could that be why I have so many yahoo-x files?

technically, to TB, you have two accounts if there are two accounts set up. You can check with folder is with which account by clicking 'account settings' pane and then clicking an account in left sidebar. Then, look at the local directory' at bottom of right side of screen. Yes, if the profile has been there for years, there could be detritus from prior accounts. Thunderbird does retain the server info, even when accounts are deleted. Once you identify which are the real ones, you can remove the others.

In the end I moved all emails on Yahoo to a new folder on Yahoo and everything started to work again.

Before doing this it tried to download all messages again and Yahoo timed out each time. I couldn't find a solution to the issue using the restored popstate.dat files.

I wish TB would develop a program to clear up old profiles and read the index to create a new popstate.dat file.

My profile is still filled with old files that I am sure TB no longer uses but I really don't know which ones are safe to delete.

If you post a screenshot, I or others may be able to assist.

I'm afraid that there is no screenshot that would help. TB shows a message saying downloading 1 of x but nothing gets downloaded. But, the same emails get downloaded multiple times even though I have deleted them from TB and logged into Yahoo and deleted them there.

When I delete emails in TB they appear in my deleted folder. I then select to empty the deleted folder. That used to cause the deleted emails to appear in the deleted folder in Yahoo but that stopped happening.

When I go into my inbox on Yahoo and delete the message above the last one TB downloaded, emails suddenly start downloading. So something is clearly stopping that email downloading, but I don't know what.

I can't see any pattern regarding the emails that fail to download and I've no idea how to sort out the Yahoo side of things. I have done multiple repairs on the TB Inbox but that makes no difference.

I guess I need to repair the Yahoo Inbox but I don't know how?

I'm afraid that there is no screenshot that would help. TB shows a message saying downloading 1 of x but nothing gets downloaded.

This is a common antivirus failutre with POP mail. Norton get the most mentions here for it, but I have seen it with other antivirus products. Basically just turn of mail scanning. I have not had it for years and have not had an issue.

But, the same emails get downloaded multiple times even though I have deleted them from TB and logged into Yahoo and deleted them there.

See my previous comment. When the antivirus crashes quiielt in the background it takes the entire connection to the server with it, eventually the connection times out locally and Thunderbird just restart at the beginning next time so you see the same old few emails over and over, you antivirus crashed and the connection drops and next time the same repeats, a bit like groundhog day really.

When I go into my inbox on Yahoo and delete the message above the last one TB downloaded, emails suddenly start downloading. So something is clearly stopping that email downloading, but I don't know what.

I think I have told you what!

Matt, I turned off email anti-virus scanning a while ago and it makes no difference so it is not that.

Also, keeping pop messages on a pop server after download is not a great operating model. Perhaps especially with yahoo. If you are going to do that, you might as well recreate the account as imap.

Also, keeping pop messages on a pop server after download is not a great operating model. Perhaps especially with yahoo. If you are going to do that, you might as well recreate the account as imap.

I'm sorry? Who said I kept them on the server?

What does especially with Yahoo mean?

Your comments are not particularly helpful.

Leo.Levosky1 said

I'm afraid that there is no screenshot that would help. TB shows a message saying downloading 1 of x but nothing gets downloaded.

This is a common antivirus failutre with POP mail. Norton get the most mentions here for it, but I have seen it with other antivirus products. Basically just turn of mail scanning. I have not had it for years and have not had an issue.

But, the same emails get downloaded multiple times even though I have deleted them from TB and logged into Yahoo and deleted them there.

See my previous comment. When the antivirus crashes quiielt in the background it takes the entire connection to the server with it, eventually the connection times out locally and Thunderbird just restart at the beginning next time so you see the same old few emails over and over, you antivirus crashed and the connection drops and next time the same repeats, a bit like groundhog day really.

When I go into my inbox on Yahoo and delete the message above the last one TB downloaded, emails suddenly start downloading. So something is clearly stopping that email downloading, but I don't know what.

I think I have told you what!

But I told you that my anti-virus was turned off. So you didn't tell me what.

Wayne Mery said

Also, keeping pop messages on a pop server after download is not a great operating model. Perhaps especially with yahoo. If you are going to do that, you might as well recreate the account as imap.

I'm sorry? Who said I kept them on the server?

I extrapolated from your initial statement "On restoring it from backup TB keeps trying to download all messages again.", which to me implies that messages remain on your server after initial download.

What does especially with Yahoo mean?

Yahoo is one of the more unreliable of the most used ISPs.

Leo.Levosky1 said

Wayne Mery said

Also, keeping pop messages on a pop server after download is not a great operating model. Perhaps especially with yahoo. If you are going to do that, you might as well recreate the account as imap.

I'm sorry? Who said I kept them on the server?

I extrapolated from your initial statement "On restoring it from backup TB keeps trying to download all messages again.", which to me implies that messages remain on your server after initial download.

TB is set to delete messages from the yahoo servers when I delete them in TB. One of the strange things that I have not managed to understand is how TB can download messages again after I have deleted them.

I have even logged in to Yahoo and deleted them manually, but somehow they get downloaded again. I thought that could not be possible but it has happened. I would love to know how. It makes no sense to me. I can only assume that Yahoo is not deleting them. But when I login to Yahoo I don't see them there. Then TB downloads them again.

Leo.Levosky1 said

What does especially with Yahoo mean?

Yahoo is one of the more unreliable of the most used ISPs.

But instead of saying that it would be more helpful if you said what makes them unreliable, and what you suggest instead. I have been looking to replace Yahoo. Years ago I found them very good but now I'm not at all happy with them. I do not want to move to Gmail so I would love recommendations.

> TB is set to delete messages from the yahoo servers when I delete them in TB. One of the strange things that I have not managed to understand is how TB can download messages again after I have deleted them. I have even logged in to Yahoo and deleted them manually.

So they are actually showing in Yahoo - had not been deleted??

Please post a screen shot of your account settings in Thunderbird?

> TB is set to delete messages from the yahoo servers when I delete them in TB. One of the strange things that I have not managed to understand is how TB can download messages again after I have deleted them. I have even logged in to Yahoo and deleted them manually. So they are actually showing in Yahoo - had not been deleted?? Please post a screen shot of your account settings in Thunderbird?

So they are actually showing in Yahoo - had not been deleted??

I don't understand the question. When I delete them manually they are no longer showing in Yahoo but are downloaded again. Is that not clear?

Could you please respond to what I am asking? You have said Yahoo is unreliable but you haven't said in what way or who you consider better.

>> So they are actually showing in Yahoo - had not been deleted?? > I don't understand the question. When I delete them manually they are no longer showing in Yahoo but are downloaded again. Is that not clear?

And logically, it is absolutely clear that even though you "deleted them manually" they must still be on the yahoo server in order for Thunderbird to think they are available to be redownloaded.

> Could you please respond to what I am asking? You have said Yahoo is unreliable but you haven't said in what way or who you consider better.

Almost anyone here in support will tell you about yahoo's quality. I'm not going to attempt the litany of reasons (which include BTW serious security breaches in the past decade), nor advise on better providers when I don't know your requirements. These are things you can easily internet research - you can start for example with https://share.google/gzRX8DADi8i9axqBD

...

Let's back up through your history in this thread...

> My profile is still filled with old files that I am sure TB no longer uses but I really don't know which ones are safe to delete.

There is no value in doing this.

> TB shows a message saying downloading 1 of x but nothing gets downloaded. But, the same emails get downloaded multiple times even though I have deleted them from TB and logged into Yahoo and deleted them there.

How do you know they are the same emails? Are messages being duplicated in thunderbird?

> When I go into my inbox on Yahoo and delete the message above the last one TB downloaded, emails suddenly start downloading. So something is clearly stopping that email downloading, but I don't know what.

Maybe something is wrong with the message itself.

Anyway, here are my requirements before going any further:

• Based on your past postings https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/user/Leo.Levosky1/questions we have to wonder if there are not hardware issues. Have you run the full battery of hardware checks on your computer?
• You have yet to list your Thunderbird version number. Please do when making your initial posting
• Please do Help > Troubleshoot Mode and tick the checkbox for Disable all add-ons https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-mode-thunderbird
• Please post a full screen shot of your Server Settings from Account Settings
• Does the problem reproduce with Windows started in Safe Mode with networking enabled ? https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode

If you are not prepared to say why Yahoo is bad or recommend another email provider why do you make comments about them in the first place? I've read about past Yahoo security issues and nearly every company seems to have them now. Yahoo seem no worse than others. But recently Yahoo has done some things I hate like redesigning what was a great web interface into a terrible one.

You seem to assume I'm stupid or something. With regard to old TB files being in the TB directory surely it is TB that should remove them when it does an update. How am I supposed to know what it needs and doesn't need? If you can tell me how, then please do so.

With regard to my account settings, hardware, anti-virus etc. let me be clear. I have two Yahoo accounts in TB. One downloads fine. The other doesn't. The account settings are the same for both accounts. Only the email address and password are different. The hardware is the same, the anti-virus is the same. If I forward messages from the account that doesn't download to the one that does, those messages download.

I understand that if TB is downloading the messages that I no longer see, it must be finding them somewhere. I was hoping that someone with expertise/experience of such things could explain it, because I don't understand it.

I have tried following instructions regarding popstat files to fix it but it only worked for a very short time.

I posted on here in the hope that someone would either explain what is happening or tell me how to recover from it.

I am more than happy to install TB on another machine with a fresh installation and export everything from this machine to the new one. But I'm not sure of the best way of doing that without exporting problems too. I tried before and I obviously failed.

I use TB to read RSS feeds too.

> If you are not prepared to say why Yahoo is bad or recommend another email provider why do you make comments about them in the first place?

Because you claim to want a functioning email. I'm offering decades of experience as you can see at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/user/wsmwk/

> security issues and nearly every company seems to have them now.

No

Decades of experience but you are not answering what I ask.

From No I can only assume you don't follow the security news.

I will concede that many providers have major security breaches. My point is there are major providers that have great records - Proton Mail, Posteo, and Fastmail to name a few.