Unable to read/save passwords on Thunderbird 60.2.1 on Xubuntu
Hello,
After upgrading my Thunderbird install to version 60.2.1 on my Xubuntu 18.04 machine, I cannot access my mail anymore, because there seems to be a problem with passwords.
Symptoms:
- When starting Thunderbird, I get an "Enter your password" box for each of my accounts even though I had my passwords saved.
- When I go to Preferences -> Security -> Passwords -> Saved Passwords, the list is empty.
- When I try to enter a password and save it, it does not actually get saved and Thunderbird will ask again soon after.
- The following line is logged to console a whole bunch of times:
JavaScript error: jar:file:///usr/lib/thunderbird/omni.ja!/components/crypto-SDR.js, line 179: NS_ERROR_FAILURE: Couldn't decrypt string
Other findings:
- Downgrading Thunderbird to 52.7.0 fixes the problem. The old saved passwords just reappear again and Thunderbird has no problem logging in.
- Starting Thunderbird 60.2.1 on a Windows 10 box with exactly the same profile folder works fine. It can read the passwords and access my mail accounts.
Can you please tell me what to do to fix this, so I don't need to keep using an old version of Thunderbird just to access my mail?
Thanks,
Modified by Carbon_dioxide
Chosen solution
sfhowes said
Safe mode disables more than just add-ons. Launch TB in safe mode, check 'Reset toolbars and controls' and click 'Make changes and restart'. If the problem still remains in normal mode, change the hardware acceleration setting in Edit/Preferences/Advanced/General.
I tried both. Neither solved the problem. Hardware acceleration was off, turning it on didn't help and turning it back off afterwards didn't help either.
Clicking through on your link I did find this page: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Thunderbird
None of the steps up till "Create a new profile" worked. At that point I decided to not create a completely new profile but to restore an older backup version of the same profile as a new profile instead. For some reason, that worked. It took a little while to sync up everything but now it's working well again.
I still have no clue what actually caused this but at least it has been resolved. Thanks for the help.
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (10)
Did you set a master password? Is one or more of the password prompts you get for the master password?
I am not using a master password and did not get a prompt for that.
Are you using the Thunderbird version provided by your distribution or the vanilla version from https://www.thunderbird.net/ ?
Modified by christ1
I use the version installed through apt.
However, I just tried installing the version from thunderbird.net and I run into the exact same password problem. The only difference is that the error message is not logged to console this time.
Try to start Thunderbird in safe mode. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/safe-mode-thunderbird
Does the problem go away?
Yes, the passwords work again in safe mode.
I decided to see if switching off any plugins/extensions in regular mode did anything but I barely got any - a spellchecker dictionary and "Messaging Menu and Unity Launcher integration" which I realize I actually don't need. Anyway, disabling those by hand in regular mode does not solve the problem, but starting Thunderbird in safe mode does.
disabling those by hand in regular mode does not solve the problem, but starting Thunderbird in safe mode does.
Did you try that with the Ubuntu version of Thunderbird or the vanilla one?
Same effect on both.
Carbon_dioxide said
Yes, the passwords work again in safe mode. I decided to see if switching off any plugins/extensions in regular mode did anything but I barely got any - a spellchecker dictionary and "Messaging Menu and Unity Launcher integration" which I realize I actually don't need. Anyway, disabling those by hand in regular mode does not solve the problem, but starting Thunderbird in safe mode does.
Safe mode disables more than just add-ons. Launch TB in safe mode, check 'Reset toolbars and controls' and click 'Make changes and restart'.
If the problem still remains in normal mode, change the hardware acceleration setting in Edit/Preferences/Advanced/General.
Chosen Solution
sfhowes said
Safe mode disables more than just add-ons. Launch TB in safe mode, check 'Reset toolbars and controls' and click 'Make changes and restart'. If the problem still remains in normal mode, change the hardware acceleration setting in Edit/Preferences/Advanced/General.
I tried both. Neither solved the problem. Hardware acceleration was off, turning it on didn't help and turning it back off afterwards didn't help either.
Clicking through on your link I did find this page: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Thunderbird
None of the steps up till "Create a new profile" worked. At that point I decided to not create a completely new profile but to restore an older backup version of the same profile as a new profile instead. For some reason, that worked. It took a little while to sync up everything but now it's working well again.
I still have no clue what actually caused this but at least it has been resolved. Thanks for the help.