What did you guess when setting up the Gmail account?

There is no such thing as a 'Thunderbird account'. You do have an account with an email provider. Thunderbird is just a means to access that account.

Messages are sent to the recipients (you) email address. If you have two email addresses (or accounts) you may receive messages in both accounts, depending to which email address the sender sent the message.

If you delete the Gmail account on the Google server, senders who are sending messages to the non-existing account will receive an error message. So you should notify people to send mail to your original account only.

If you delete the Gmail account in Thunderbird only, messages can still be sent to the Gmail account, but you'd only be able to see them via webmail.

Make sure to move any messages in the Gmail account you want to keep to your Local Folders account prior to deleting the Gmail account in Thunderbird.

I set up a gmail account too: in my ignorance, I thought it was a good idea. How wrong!!!

Since getting this computer several years ago, I've had no big problems with firefox; but wierdly I couldn't get thunderbird to connect to the server: so, I've just been using virginmedia's webmail. A year or so ago, Virgin passed their email service over to Google: making their webmail now over-complicated and messy on the screen- with many click-buttons duplicated, and some useful functions have been removed completely. Even with the old-style appearance option; my experience is worsened. For example, if I want to "add a new contact", I now have to open another tab in the new "standard" view: there is no longer any way to do it in the preferred previous view!! I don't like the new "standard" view because over half of the screen is covered by things other than my emails! I don't want to constantly have to look at multiple search boxes; and all those repeated clickables.

So, now I'll describe what happened when I registered for gmail: to my deepest regret!!!!! Suddenly I found my open virgin webmail page (tab) was being repeatedly HIJACKED, and taken a gmail login page. I never asked for any synchronisation/amalgamation of my virgin (blueyonder.co.uk) email account and this flaming gmail account. So I closed the gmail account: because it is too much trouble for sweet f.a. in benefit! Google confirmed the gmail account is closed.

But the same blasted thing keeps happening: my open blueyonder page disappears, and the gmail login page appears. Goggle must have installed some form of MALWARE.... IT IS HIJACKING MY FIREFOX !!!

I have hunted all around goggle, including forums, for info on how to remove this unwanted malware. There is no info on how to remove anything goggle! There is no access route to ask actual people at goggle.

Perhaps firefox folk can help? Please!