Thunderbird tip: Multiple accounts when you want to use POP instead of IMAP

[HopeHoops]

I recently installed Thunderbird 3.0.4 and set up a bunch of new e-mail accounts. There's a bit of a pain in the ass involved if you use a POP server instead of an IMAP server. I didn't encounter this with older versions.

After you enter your name (text), e-mail account ([e-mail]) and password, you go to a screen to set up your incoming and outgoing servers. The default incoming server is IMAP. If you want to use POP, you have to select it from the drop-down (and change your port number from the IMAP default of 143). This isn't exactly easy.

Immediately upon getting that window, you have to hit the "Stop" button to the right of the "Username field (second outlined box). It will change to "Re-test Configuration". On a fast machine, it may decide that it is happy with everything as it is and not let you change it! You can try, but it will reset your changes to whatever it had to begin with within a second or so. If you go on from there, the only way to switch from IMAP to POP is to delete the account and start over.

If you aren't quick enough to hit the "Stop" button, you will know. It will put a green dot to the left of the "Incoming" box. I found a simple way to deal with this. Click "Re-test Configuration" and IMMEDIATELY click the "Stop" button that replaces it. It will go back to "Re-test Configuration" but without the green dot. Make your changes to the Username, Incoming, Outgoing and port fields for incoming and change the drop-down to "POP". Then hit "Re-test Configuration". It should give you an orange dot to the left of "Incoming" (at least with no connection security - it might be green otherwise - I don't use it so I don't know) and then you are good to go by hitting "Create Account".

This is a MAJOR pain in the ass, but fortunately it has a simple work-around. It took me a while, but I found it. I'll gripe at Mozilla about it tomorrow.