Connection to Comcast server has suddenly started failing. I can't download my email
Four months ago, I tried to change a POP3 account to an IMAP account. That didn't work, but when I returned the settings to their POP3 configurations, I stopped being able to get email from that account on Thunderbird. I would see, in the wee progress bar at the bottom, the confirmation that Thunderbird was reaching out to Comcast, which said [username@]comcast.net: Host contacted, sending login information. It would sit in that condition for a few minutes and then send the error message "Login to account "[username@comcast.net" failed. Login to server mail.comcast.net with username [username@comcast.net] failed. That error message offers me the options to enter a new password (which I tried once, but it made no difference at all), to cancel, or to retry. Retry gets exactly the same response, and cancel closes the error message until Thunderbird tries to go fetch mail again.
I had assumed that I'd made a hash of the IMAP/POP3 configurations, and sucked it up, using Comcast's far inferior webmail system. My other two Comcast accounts worked perfectly, connecting to Comcast's mail servers and downloading my emails. Until yesterday. Now, even though I've changed nothing at all, I am suddenly getting the login failed error message for all three of my Comcast accounts. All three accounts are accessible through the webmail.
I would LOVE some advise on how to persuade Thunderbird to resume talking with Comcast.
All Replies (4)
Perhaps the problem is email scanning, not Thunderbird or comcast. What antivirus do you use?
On my Mac, I manually run malware bytes. I don't have a continuous email scanning feature. As I said, everything worked until the 26th. I'd assume that an email scanning issue would have been present before.
Assume nothing! Malware bytes was the root cause of someone else here not being able to sign into Google using oauth only Yesterday and as it updates from the cloud about once an hour nothing can be assumed constant.
Interestingly folk are now expected to connect to comcast using oauth. What is your connection setting looking like? They should be as shown on the Comcast web site https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/email-client-programs-with-xfinity-email. except oauth has been enabled for comcast in the database used to set up new accounts.
Do you have a mail client even allowed on the comcast web site. https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/third-party-email-access
Interesting. I don't keep malware bytes running continually. I manually run scans. But I'll see what happens when I shut it off.
I have been using Thunderbird to access my comcast accounts for years. When I contacted Comcast, they confirmed that my settings are correct for Thunderbird, and then said the issue isn't on their end (got up to a tier 3 tech support).
Checking the above links, my connections are correct, and the "Access Security" check box has been checked. Comcast does allow Thunderbird as an email client.
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