How do I download old emails from my webmail into Thunderbird?
I'm switching ISPs and want to download all existing emails from the Comcast server into TB on my external hard drive before cancelling Comcast. However, TB gives "No new messages" whenever I fetch mail. There are 87 old (read) messages in my Comcast inbox, but TB doesn't see or download them. It will successfully download any new messages that are sent to the Comcast address, but I want to save all my archived emails.
Settings: TB 31, Windows 7, POP 3, Auto Configuration using Port 995 SSL/TLS, Auto download new messages and check for new messages at startup are enabled
All Replies (6)
Close Thunderbird locate the popstate.dat file in your comcaast folder in the Thunderbird profile folder and delete it.
Restart Thunderbird
Matt, Thanks for the idea. I located my profile folder and deleted the popstate.dat file, exited and then restarted TB. Still not downloading any of the emails sitting in my Comcast inbox. In fact, I have set up 3 Comcast accounts in TB, and went into all 3 profile folders, deleted each of the popstate.dat files and after rebooting TB, tried to get emails from all 3 of these accounts. "No new mail" is all I get.
Any other ideas? Gail
By deleting that file, Thunderbird has no record of what has or has not been downloaded. Therefore it simply asks the server for everything it has.
According to the RFCs for mail such a request should get all mail stored on the server in the inbox (the only folder the pop protocol knows exists)
Some providers have decided to ignore this and institute their own interpretations. Google require to to explicitly allow all download or one "new mail" for instance. Perhaps Comcast have done something similar.
It is also possible (not all that likely) that your anti virus remembers mail checked and replaces Thunderbird's request for all with a next after type request. (I am guessing based on Nortons replacing passwords with those in it's "vault")
I use Kaspersky AV, and even tried disabling the email AV, but still, TBird doesn't download anything (I enabled the email AV again). Sending from TBird is fine, and any newly received emails in my Comcast inbox are downloaded properly to TBird.
I guess I could resend them to myself, but there are hundreds and it would take forever.
Searching online for Comcast help...
Are they in the account's Inbox on the comcast server/webmail? POP can see only the Inbox.
Yes, all the emails that I'm trying to retrieve from Comcast are in the inbox. I tried marking them all as "unread" to see if that made any difference, but Thunderbird still goes out to the mailbox and then tells me there's no new mail.
Gail