This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

pop3 to imap conversion killed both accounts - Catch 22 in effect - again.

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 9 views
  • Last reply by Outernaut

more options

I followed the instruction to create a IMAP account from POP3.

After creating the second account using IMAP, and restarting, when I access either one of them, or now even the OUTGOING server settings, I get ...'This email account already exists. Please enter a different account name." No kidding - well that worked just fine. But I don't want a different one, I want this one with the mail in it!

Too bad this 'question" system doesn't allow for anything other than etch-a-sketch input sans any text formatting - it would make it easier for us all.

DETAILS:

1 - I have a pop3 account we'll say is me@myplace.com

2 - Following the instructions, I created a new account for but IMAP instead of POP3. same address of course.

3 - I copy and pasted all the Inbox, and Sent box items from the POP3 me@myplace.com to the me@myplace.com IMAP account.

Now there is an error with the settings in the IMAP - stating ..."this account does not support encrypted email". So to change it's settings I can't. I get the ..."already exists" Catch22 dilemma as soon as I try to access either the Pop3 or IMAP accounts server settings.

It's not all that bad since it is where I receive my bills, but I doubt Moz will pay them for until this works :)

O

I followed the instruction to create a IMAP account from POP3. After creating the second account using IMAP, and restarting, when I access either one of them, or now even the OUTGOING server settings, I get ...'This email account already exists. Please enter a different account name." No kidding - well that worked just fine. But I don't want a different one, I want this one with the mail in it! Too bad this 'question" system doesn't allow for anything other than etch-a-sketch input sans any text formatting - it would make it easier for us all. DETAILS: 1 - I have a pop3 account we'll say is me@myplace.com 2 - Following the instructions, I created a new account for but IMAP instead of POP3. same address of course. 3 - I copy and pasted all the Inbox, and Sent box items from the POP3 me@myplace.com to the me@myplace.com IMAP account. Now there is an error with the settings in the IMAP - stating ..."this account does not support encrypted email". So to change it's settings I can't. I get the ..."already exists" Catch22 dilemma as soon as I try to access either the Pop3 or IMAP accounts server settings. It's not all that bad since it is where I receive my bills, but I doubt Moz will pay them for until this works :) O

All Replies (4)

more options

It says the name of the account. That is the account's name as shown in Thunderbird. It doesn't mean your name, or the server's name, or the email address. So add "pop" to the POP account's name and "imap" to the IMAP account's name. Then they will be different and more importantly, you'll know which is which.

more options

It isn't that I can't tell one from the other - I can, but I changed the account to me@myplace.comPOP. Neat, it deleted all the emails in/out boxes in the IMAP account and triplicated them again by adding 2 copies of each email back in to the pop3 account. The pop3 (me@mylace.comPOP) now has 3 copies of each email, and the IMAP that had only one copy now has nothing. I think pop3 is trying tio tell me to forget it. I'll just stick with the pop account, triplicates and all, and delete the IMAP since it refuses to hold any email now, copied in or downloaded. They just vanish after they are downloaded.

Security is my billy-wag, not email programs and I do not have the luxury to play any more - back to work. Thanks any way. Maybe when I have the time I can do a crash course on Tbird email and try then.

more options

You have chosen to withhold the provider's name. That doesn't help any. You may be having server-related problems that might appear in other threads on this forum.

The "post a reply" box here has tools just above it to format bold and italic, insert links and create lists using bullet points or numbers.

  1. Line 1
  2. Line 2
  3. Line 3
  • Bullet point

Looks like you changed the account's address not the name of the account. If you change the address then yes it will fail to connect to the server and will therefore not show IMAP server folders.

The repeated messages are a bit of a mystery, but if a POP server thinks you have set up a new email client, it may well dump all of its contents down to you.

more options

Zenos said

You have chosen to withhold the provider's name.

I did not chose anything of the sort. There is no need for it. I'm not that much of a idiot as you intimate.

Zenos said

The "post a reply" box here has tools just above it to format

On focus, did you know it is not allowed in the original post?

Zenos said

Looks like you changed the account's address ....

It's not an email account address. As was suggested I renamed the account name, not as you conclude - the address. I manage 36 email addresses for various domains and the addresses are the account name. i.e.:

me@zenos.comPOP

  Inbox
  Sent
  Trash

and

me@zenos.comIMAP

  Inbox
  Sent
  Trash

It was your suggestion.

Most of the accounts I maintain are NOT like most people. Mine skirt my IP server and use my clients domains mail server. Naturally, for POP, Port 25 must change to Port 26. All accounts are private email servers. None are gMail or any of the other public webmail hosts/servers. To make it easy, every 'account name' is the email address and the account name doesn't rule the account address.

Zenos said

The repeated messages are a bit of a mystery, but if a POP server thinks you have set up a new email client, it may well dump all of its contents down to you.

Thank you for your time Zenos. Renaming the account names with pop and imap certainly helped me tell them apart ;)

Thanks again Zenos. Your and others support for Tbird is what we need to help fend off the impending drive to herd everyone in to using webmail (i.e. gMail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook mail, LookOut mail etcetera) and losing real email as many ISPs are hoping for. Tbird must be one of the only safe remaining real E-mail clients left. Please - hang in there.

p.s. I dropped the IMAP and just kept the POP account for this one address/account that was giving me grief. I also tried some of the add-ons that purportedly find and remove triplicates, but none of their filters I tried wold do it, so the easiest, was to sort by Unread, and deleted those :)