? LM20.2 THUNDERBIRD - does new config DELETE from server?

[Webtest]

Blessings Esteemed Forum Participants & Lurkers!
NOTE: NEW setup LM 20.2 Mate 64-bit LiveMedia System (ROM)

The last time I set up a new version of Thunderbird, it loaded all the setup information and then promptly opened the account and, per the installation DEFAULT (which I could NOT change before this happened), it downloaded all of my mail, but it immediately DELETED all of my mail for that address OFF OF THE SERVER! That is one really crappy default setting.

I need to know if that will happen on my new LM20.2 system. I can NOT import my Tbird LM18.3 profile because it is NOT compatible with the new version. Thank you for any and all comments, suggestions, and assistance with this dilemma.

Blessings in abundance, all the best,
Art in Carlisle PA USA

[JoeFootball]

Thank you for any and all comments, suggestions, and assistance with this dilemma.

Guess: Disconnect from the network when you're configuring the new account, and ensure the "delete from server" option is disabled before you reconnect.

[djph]

That sounds a lot like a POP3 email server.
IMAP (at least in all the times I've configured tbird) doesn't delete-by-default.

[mikeflan]

What you say about IMAP is true, but . . to use IMAP you need to be able to trust that the mail servers will always be available and will always have the functions you need. I don't trust the mail servers I use (AT&T / Yahoo and HostGator). So I use POP3, and I choose to delete the e-mails off the server. But then you have to take on the role of archiving the e-mail over time, which I choose to do.

I wonder if there is a method for the OP to reload the e-mail from his computer to the server? I know of no easy method to do that in most cases.

[fbachofner]

I wonder if there is a method for the OP to reload the e-mail from his computer to the server? I know of no easy method to do that in most cases.

It is definitely possible to copy (or move) from any "local" folders back to an IMAP account.

My advice to people is to use IMAP for "current" e-mail and use TBird's archive feature and move older e-mail to a "local" folder. I generally keep 6 - 12 months on the server so I have a lot of e-mail available on mobile devices . . .


Keep in mind, with Thunderbird, IMAP accounts can store copies of messages on the local drive too, so even if you don't have a connection, e-mails in IMAP folders should be available.

[djph]

What you say about IMAP is true, but . . to use IMAP you need to be able to trust that the mail servers will always be available and will always have the functions you need.

My point was that the behavior sounds a lot like the OP selected "POP3" instead of "IMAP", hence the surprise auto-deletion from the server.

[Webtest]

Thanks to all responders ... the system is a POP/SMTP server.

Guess: Disconnect from the network when you're configuring the new account, and ensure the "delete from server" option is disabled before you reconnect.

Thank you Joe. That would work, but I believe Thunderbird needs to attempt to connect to the server to fetch the SMTP and POP and port information for the account (?). I could configure that all manually though, since I can resurrect it from my previous system. That takes a bit of time that would not be required if the default was set reasonably.

Thank you all very much. I'll try the manual configuration with the server disconnected, including turning the "instant delete from server" OFF.
Blessings in abundance, all the best,
Art in Carlisle, PA USA

[Webtest]

It gets WORSE!

I'll try the manual configuration with the server disconnected, including turning the "instant delete from server" OFF.

"thunderbird --profile <path>" results only in a MODAL pop up configuration screen: "Set up your existing Email address" which has only THREE control buttons:
Cancel which is enabled.
Configure manually and Exit ... which, certainly by Murphy's Law, are DISabled (grayed out).
How is THAT for a Catch-22 ??? Cancel not only closes the MODAL config screen, it also delightfully closes thunderbird!!!
Frustration, frustration, ... frustration.
Blessings in abundance, all the best,
Art in Carlisle, PA USA

[Webtest]

Blessings Esteemed Participants & Lurkers!
Spinning up this LM 20.2 LiveMedia system is the most ungodly painful process I have ever experienced. I have created LiveMedia systems and have the saved USB drives for versions 8, 10,13,15, 17, and 18, and have never had so many problems (example)

My solution for this Thunderbird problem is to:
1) Download all new email to my existing LM18.3 system.
2) In LM20.2 with the Internet connected: Open Thunderbird and enter the top account name and email address from my email directory (6 addresses) into the MODAL entry box, but enter a WRONG password so that the configuration fails. When this happens, Thunderbird falls into an advanced configuration mode which will allow me to MANUALLY configure my first email account. From there I can configure all the rest of my accounts.

If and when this is successful, I will mark the topic as solved.
Thank you for all of your kind assistance with this frustration.
Blessings in abundance, all the best,
Art in Carlisle, PA USA