Finally stopped using Outlook Express and went over to Thunderbird.

Finally stopped using Outlook Express and went over to Thunderbird. Microsoft finally admitted after 2 hours on the phone that they commenced rolling switch off from the 1st November 2019. I also understand people who use outlook 2007 are effected too. Never mind 18GB of Emails going back to 2000 imported no problem to Thunderbird.

 

Yeah, I switched over to T-bird a month or so ago. I DO NOT like t-bird.
My i-net/e-mail provider changed their various required settings & OE could send mail, but not recieve anymore.

Cox cable here.

 

I think many hundreds of thousands of people are effected, as Microsoft - at source has gradually shut down the option for people to use. So your “i-net/e-mail provider” had no choice whatsoever.

It is meaningless whatever ports one uses. I use 3 separate Internet Service Providers for redundancy. All ports are open, they are not blocking anything – I pinged to check I also used TELNET to check handshakes. All working through ISP’s right to Microsoft it is just they have blocked anyone who uses OE or up to Outlook 2007 and up to 2013 I believe if you don’t have all updates.

You can still use - if you use Outlook 2016 along with same old -

pop3.live.com and pop3.live.com or pop-mail.outlook.com smtp-mail.outlook.com.

My concern has always been redundancy, Integrity and Archiving. Outlook is grossly inferior to Outlook Express, because using one giant PST file that is easily corruptible is idiotic. Outlook Express used DBX files. So I can not only transfer all my emails from one computer to another and my laptops. I can take specific folders over regardless of if one has different operating systems on the machines.


However Thunderbird also has great redundancy, it uses MSF files, which one can do exactly the same.

I checked many of the delicate attachment files of my 18GB of Emails over 20 years when moving to Thunderbird – Zip Files and AutoCad files being prone to corruption. They are all perfect.


Regarding Thunderbird – I actually really like it – it is a massive step up in functionality for me and I find the layout very similar to Outlook Express. It is usually really irritating learning a new interface for no massive upgrade in functionality. AutoCad 2004 to AutoCad 2012 springs to mind or Photoshop 7 to Photoshop CS6. But in this case I was massively pleasantly surprised.

You will find your back up folders at

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\1pu4wrmd.default\Mail\Local

If you are using Windows XP like me. Which I am sure you are. After all it is still the most secure operating system and the most widely used world wide in the form of PosReady if you live in the real world of Engineering, Commerce, Flight and Banking.

 

This isn't being 'funny', or 'taking the p***', or anything like that, but....I have to admit, I'm curious. Why do you feel the need to hang onto e-mails all the way back to the year 2000? Are they still relevant to you?

Having always used IMAP (and regularly 'pruning' my e-mails, except for archiving the occasional, important one), I've never really understood the point of POP3.....


Mike.

 

Very good question Mike.

1. Personal Messages to and from, friends I treasure living and dead.

2. Legal Emails regarding, work, health, house, car and finance, that are needed. Always very important if one is suing for medical negligence and need to prove – No I don’t want my left Kidney removed even if you do find a lump. Or how about “You quoted me this price for roofing work that in included this- it wasn’t an add on or variation. (Remember 7 years responsibility for a roofer, 3 years for a doctor and 50 for an Architect or Engineer)

3. All work emails, as to who said what on any construction project regarding variation health and safety, government changes to contract, sometime by a daft snide email. You know the sought of stuff that I am legally required to keep for 15 years for anything outside architecture and for a good 50 years with architectural remit along with Indemnity Insurance. (Insurance companies and Lawyers love it when you can prove the case and make the opposition look idiots in one forwarded email.)

4. Publishing work, scientific work from University. Questions asked of me for instance that might be outside work, that may have implications for it.

To be honest I have never met a Surgeon, Specialist Doctor, Barrister, Architect, Author, Chartered Engineer (regardless of Civil, Electronic, Chemical or Mechanical) who would “Prune Emails”

I don’t save spam or garbage, just everything that has substance all in it’s relevant folders. I don’t really have time to waste sitting there pruning emails even in retirement.

The point of POP3 is so one doesn’t have to constantly log on to Hotmail, especially when I might have a day where there is 150mb of emails with data and instructions exchanged. That’s why I pay my £15 a year to Microsoft and can spend 2 hours shouting at them and get answers eventually.

My ex wife doesn’t use or need POP3. But then she has never worked a day in her life, she just looks pretty and so has no need for facts, data, legal records or recordings. She ended up marrying her divorce solicitor. They are perfect for each other – he doesn’t understand POP3 or email either. That’s probably why she ended up with absolutely Zero from the divorce and why he is now a bankrupt.

 

An Update after considerable use of Mozilla Thunderbird.

I have to correct my early impressions of Thunderbird. Although stable and able to transfer huge data files over while retaining email formatting.

The interface is very heavy it’s slow to load.

Trying to compose new emails is frustrating. It won’t retain cut and past formatting from either Office or WordPerfect. So every Email has to be painfully fought with and formatted.

The actual formatting with in Thunderbird is Sub- Outlook Express standard. I would go so far to say the formatting is back to 1995 standard.

It is obvious why Microsoft have not felt the need to compete. I am retired so hadn’t needed to compose formal emails until recently. It is a tedious and irritating process using Thunderbird.

I would suggest the only way forward regarding email is a dedicated remote Laptop/server using Outlook 2016 on windows 7. You are far better cutting and pasting from XP to the windows 7 machine.

 

I have always used yahoo mail, they keep changing the window, but have not had any problems ever creating emails.

 

Switched most of my computers over to Linux distros.
Tired of Microsoft's arrogance & extortion.

 

I had started using Thunderbird around 2010 when I couldn't get Windows Live Mail to install anymore. Still using the same version of it.

I remember the learning curve well, but we always make adjustments as we use it daily.

 

Advice and Thoughts Required Please

I note you have used AutoCad and might have experimented with Outlook 2016.

I am legally required to use Outlook 2016 on a Windows 7 machine, as obviously I can only copy my emails from work servers at home and then take data files across to my XP Workstation.

I am getting data corruption when transferring Win 7 to XP on:

RVT, RFA, DWG also some problems with Unigraphics.

There is no problem with any corruption of Files on Win7 so I think VPN, security is fine.

Machine:

Cisco managed switch behind VPN Sonic from Company

Running 4GB Bridged Network on both machines.

Raid 6 M2 4 of Array for Programs Packages and Data on XP with SCRATCH Disk of SCSI 15K Raid 5 - 3 disk array.

Win7 Raid 5 M2 3 Array

Programs

AutoCad, Solidworks, Bentley Microstation, Inventor, CamWorks, REVIT, Dassault Systemes.

Finally I do not use FAT32 on Scratch or XP, banned in company 7 years ago everything is NTFS. I remember the problems, but miss they high end usability to be honest.

Hope you may have some ideas.

 

Hi Madeleine

I have only just seen your personal message (Conversation Thingy) I didn’t get an alert from the Forum or I would have got back sooner. Sorry about that.

First of all, I am hoping I can solve your problem with an easy fix.

Checksum Offload - You need to disable it on all network adapter’s/ports on both of your machines. I am guessing you are using at least 4 ports and cables per machine, so you may need to disable the checksum offload on each port separately. Then re-bridge if you have to and check that checksum offload is disabled.

The performance hit you get I would imagine will be minimal, even though I can see you are throwing huge amounts of data back and forth. You can’t trust the Network cards to handle Checksum Offload between an XP and Win7 even if they are both on NTFS. Yes I know that sounds ludicrous, but you covered it when you mentioned FAT32. Let me explain.

When people started migrating from FAT32 to NTFS there was constant corruption of files with DWG’s, ZIP’s and of course huge Revit Files. It was simply that the 1gb Nic’s then standard did the checksum wrong for FAT32 they worked fine when both machine were NTFS. Just costs I presume.

A DWG file from 2011 is not the same one from 2013 and cant even be opened by earlier versions. AutoDesk keep changing the file formats even though they look the same they also do in REVIT every 2 years.

I think that AutoDesk have done something to the DWG files where the Network card is no longer performing the right checksum between XP and WIN7 even when both NTFS. I have no idea how they have managed this, but I am pretty sure that your CPU’s will handle it better.

I think you are correct and in the case it is nothing to do with outlook or your VPN to work. It has to be the XP to WIN7 shift. Your Raid set up looks perfect (And seriously knowledgeable and impressive) I don’t see a problem there because it’s such low level formatting.

Obviously I am only commenting on rvt, rfa and dwg, which are all from the same suspect, regardless of if you open them in your very expensive Bentley software. Unfortunately I have no clue or knowledge of Unigraphics (CNC - stuff?)

Regardless it’s an easy fix, throw any files that are corrupting across the network after disabling CheckSum OffLoad and see if it cures the problem. The only other thing you could try after that is the depressingly annoying going back to 1GB on your very expensive managed switch. IE 1 cable per computer.

If that doesn’t work, I am afraid I am out of ideas and AutoDesk have successfully destroyed yet another XP users work.

 

Thank you so much. You have saved my weekend and turned next week from misery into contentment.