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Cannot save passwords

  • 2 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by davidlark

davidlark
davidlark
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I just migrated my profile to a new computer. Here's the (mis)steps I took:

1. Copied my old profile from .../appdata/local/... (I since figured out it would have been better to copy from roaming). 2. Installed TBird, which created a new default profile. 3. Copied the folders inside the old profile folder to the new one (roaming this time per instructions). 4. Started up TBird. The old mail all seemed to be there. 5. Checked my mail. None of the passwords were saved.

Now I can check and send mail, but must manually enter my passwords the first time each session. If I check "Use Password Manager to remember this password" while checking for messages, the program fails silently (bad design, IMHO, as this behavior suggests to users that ). If I do this while sending, I get this error message:

Sending of the message failed. An error occurred while sending mail: Could not get password for mail.example.com. The message was not sent.

Digging into TBird's options shows that no passwords are saved. I am suspecting a permissions problem which prevents writing to some file, or a profile file that is missing or corrupted. I did change my username on the new machine, FYI.

Anyone with a solution?

I just migrated my profile to a new computer. Here's the (mis)steps I took: 1. Copied my old profile from .../appdata/local/... (I since figured out it would have been better to copy from roaming). 2. Installed TBird, which created a new default profile. 3. Copied the folders inside the old profile folder to the new one (roaming this time per instructions). 4. Started up TBird. The old mail all seemed to be there. 5. Checked my mail. None of the passwords were saved. Now I can check and send mail, but must manually enter my passwords the first time each session. If I check "Use Password Manager to remember this password" while checking for messages, the program fails silently (bad design, IMHO, as this behavior suggests to users that ). If I do this while sending, I get this error message: Sending of the message failed. An error occurred while sending mail: Could not get password for mail.example.com. The message was not sent. Digging into TBird's options shows that no passwords are saved. I am suspecting a permissions problem which prevents writing to some file, or a profile file that is missing or corrupted. I did change my username on the new machine, FYI. Anyone with a solution?

Chosen solution

1. Find & open your Thunderbird Profile folder:

Select Help: Troubleshooting Information from the Thunderbird menu (either from the menu button , on the top right, or the normal menu at the top of the window.)

Under "Application Basics", beside "Profile Folder", click the "Show Profile" button. This will open a window showing the contents of your Thunderbird Profile folder.

2. Quit Thunderbird, but keep that window open showing your Thunderbird Profile folder.

3. Delete "cert8.db" and "key3.db" from the profile folder.

4. Start Thunderbird. See if it will save your passwords now.


To see what passwords are saved:

Menu bar: Tools: Options: Security section: Passwords tab Or Menu button: Options: Options: Security section: Passwords tab

Click the Saved Passwords button.

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All Replies (2)

user1121639
user1121639
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Chosen Solution

1. Find & open your Thunderbird Profile folder:

Select Help: Troubleshooting Information from the Thunderbird menu (either from the menu button , on the top right, or the normal menu at the top of the window.)

Under "Application Basics", beside "Profile Folder", click the "Show Profile" button. This will open a window showing the contents of your Thunderbird Profile folder.

2. Quit Thunderbird, but keep that window open showing your Thunderbird Profile folder.

3. Delete "cert8.db" and "key3.db" from the profile folder.

4. Start Thunderbird. See if it will save your passwords now.


To see what passwords are saved:

Menu bar: Tools: Options: Security section: Passwords tab Or Menu button: Options: Options: Security section: Passwords tab

Click the Saved Passwords button.

davidlark
davidlark Question owner
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Thanks, Bruce. Problem seems to be solved, if not I'll bump this post.

I'm not sure where the best place to look for this type of "under the hood" information would be.