thunderbird 78.13.0 64-bit marks all new mail as read immediately (Bitdefender)
I have just upgraded to thunderbird 78.13.0 64-bit from 78.10.0, win 10. When I get new mail it is now instantly marked as read before I even select it. The "automatically mark mail as read" setting in options/general appears to now do nothing at all.
As a test I checked on another computer that also has the same email account set up. It was running thunderbird 78.10.0. I downloaded some new mail and it correctly showed up in bold face until I selected it. I then upgraded to 78.13.0. Immediately all new mail started being marked as read on arrival. This system was at a different location.
This I believe shows that the issue is very likely a bug introduced on 78.13.0. It makes using Thunderbird very difficult.
Modified by Wayne Mery
All Replies (9)
Hi,
I have the exact same problem since upgrade 78.13.0 on Windows 10.
Thanks for your support
Using Bitdefender?
Many thanks - you're right, it would appear to be Bitdefender Total Security causing the problem. I don't know if AVG have just added Anti Spam to the product or if Tbird 78.13.0 has changed something that allowed it to suddenly work (sort of).
It would appear to have been included with the product since 2018 (although it's hard to tell from the internet) but I only encountered it since I upgraded Tbird to 78.13.0. Bitdefender has added an "anti spam menu toolbar" under the main menu at the top and there appears to be no way to get rid of it - which I'd like to do, as I'm quite happy with Tbird's own antispam.
You can turn the Bitdefender anti spam module off in the Bitdefender "protections" menu and that seems to stop the new mail from being marked as read immediately, but it doesn't turn off the new toolbar, which is an irritation. What it does do is grey the new toolbar out, so you now have a completely useless toolbar that doesn't do anything but can't be removed.
Looking back it seems there have been problems with this AVG option and Tbird for years, although this is the first time I've seen it.
Poor show for AVG to force additions into software that isn't their own, and not allow the customer to turn them off! I'll think twice before renewing this anti virus package . . .
To get rid of the toolbar, you could try starting in safe (troubleshoot) mode by holding Shift when TB is launched, and checking 'Reset toolbars & controls', 'Make changes & restart'.
Thanks, sfhowes. I had tried that with no result I'm afraid, the Bitdefender antispam toolbar is still there. I have posted on one of the AVG forums complaining about this. Looking back on that forum it would appear that the antispam, although advertised as working with both Outlook and Tbird, has been intermittently not working (mostly not) since 2004. Also, it doesn't happen on 78.13.0 32 bit version - no antispam toolbar, no marking of all new mail as read. So I assume that it just doesn't work with the 32 bit versions at all.
AVG are acting very irresponsibly by setting up their software to irreversibly modify another - especially an email client, one of the most important programmes to most users. And also, even though I just want to get rid of it, by advertising anti spam capabilities compatible with Outlook and Tbird when this has rarely been the case over the last 16 years - and even when it works it introduces unacceptable bugs (marking all new mail as read immediately)!
I don't have much hope that AVG will do anything about it though, as they appear to have ignored customer online complaints about this for over a decade. Time to change antivirus suppliers.
I have been using BitDefender for sometime so it may be the source of the problem as described by Paul380. I also found the new anti-spam toolbar added without user input can be quickly removed by using View menu and unchecking that menu option. Tried suggestion to restart TBird in Safe mode and checking 'Reset toolbars & controls'. Did not seem to change lack of bolding. Also noticed that messages moved to other folder rather than Inbox due to Message Filter set DO end up as bolded.
I've been fighting this battle for too long.
I turned off the Anti-spam on Bitdefender, as suggested, and the bold headings have appeared again. Don't know for how long. Thanks for the help.
This fixed it for me Go to SETTINGS for the BitDefender Anti Spam. Choose 'ToolBar Settings' Uncheck - Mark Spam email Messages as 'Read'
PERHAPS this might help!
I run TB 78.13.0 64-bit on Linux-Ubuntu and do not have AVG nor, as far as I know, BitDefender. But I had the same problem.
After reading all the above and realising my configuration is very different I looked for another cause - and found it!
I have never used the View/Layout/Message Pane but I noticed the message pane was just visible below my list of mails. So I switched it off...
The message pane disappeared and now all mails stay bold until I have actually read them!
Hope this helps.