If you're trying to check your mail every 2 minutes that may well be too often. Most mail providers set a limit to the frequency: if you exceed it, the server will stop responding (which is what you are experiencing). The limit for Google mail, for example, is ten minutes: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14257?rd=1

CHANGED ACCOUNT TO 10-MINUTE REFRESH NO E-MAILS STILL DOWNLOADING, UNTIL CLOSING THUNDERBIRD AND REOPENING.

To diagnose problems with Thunderbird, try the following:

Restart Thunderbird with add-ons disabled (Thunderbird Safe Mode). On the Help menu, click on "Restart with Add-ons Disabled". If Thunderbird works like normal, there is an Add-on or Theme interfering with normal operations. You will need to re-enable add-ons one at a time until you locate the offender.

I TRIED IN RESTART WITH ADD-ONS DISABLED TYPED E-MAIL TO MYSELF AND REPEATLY TRIED GET MESSAGES NO E-MAILS DOWNLOADED. RESTART THUNDERBIRD MESSAGE DOWNLOADS. ONLY HAVE SHOCKWAVE FLASH PLUG IN VERSION 21.0 ACTIVE.

Which company is your email provider?

Thanks for trying to help. It is Charter Communications, but I think the problem is in thunderbird. Every e-mail that is sent to my charter e-mail auto forwards to a gmail e-mail address of mine also. The g-mail one receives instantly. Can only Receive the one thru Thunderbird after closing and reopening.

open the error console. (alt_Ctrl+J) Clear it manually get mail.

What shows up? (right clicking error allows you to copy them)

Timestamp: 4/30/2016 8:10:52 AM Error: mobile.charter.net : server does not support RFC 5746, see CVE-2009-3555

this is what came up after clearing error console

So I just reopened Thunderbird and went to the error console and this is also in it for error messages if you know what this helps, thank you for trying to help

Timestamp: 4/30/2016 8:23:36 AM Error: downloadable font: kern: Too large subtable, table discarded (font-family: "Open Sans Light" style:normal weight:normal stretch:normal src index:1) source: https://www.mozilla.org/media/fonts/OpenSans-Light-webfont.1c8075cacedb.woff Source File: https://www.mozilla.org/media/css/thunderbird-start-bundle.08a09d25e7a1.css Line: 1, Column: 36 Source Code: @font-face { font-family: "Open Sans Light"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; src: url("/media/fonts/OpenSans-Light-webfont.804037562eab.eot?#iefix") format("embedded-opentype"), url("/media/fonts/OpenSans-Light-webfont.1c8075cacedb.woff") format("woff"), url("/media/fonts/OpenSans-Light-webfont.ecb4572a5e47.ttf") format("truetype"); }

I think there are now four people posting in this forum (you're one of them) reporting exactly the same problem with their Charter email account: mail only downloads when they start Thunderbird. Keep watching the forum, if anything gets solved I hope it will be reported here.

There is no shortcut for this.

Tools menu (alt+T) > activity manager

what if anything shows there when you are getting messages? (Sometime server errors appear there as a status report. they should also appear in a dialog. but perhaps not in this case.

gives my e-mail address and says is up to date. total number of messages downloaded 2

I also have this exact same issue.

I noticed today some auto-downloaded but not at the timed intervals that is in setup. None will download if I click get messages still.

Same problem here. Uninstalled Thunderbird 3 times, tried an older 38. version, same....nothing. Tried different Charter settings...nothing.

Just to pile on here, I, too, have the same issue. Even in Safe Mode, even after uninstalling and reinstalling a fresh copy of Thunderbird 45.0. For me, the problem started about the same time as the update to 45.0 (4/21/16 IIRC). I'm running Windows 10. I believe this is the first update I've had since I converted to Win 10 (I'm a late-adopter). I, too, have Charter.net. I'm getting the same error message: 'mobile.charter.net does not support RFC 5746' So I asked to be included in replies to this thread. Having researched this for a few days now I'm beginning to wonder if this is going to require another update. Thanks!

I just had a crazy thought. Since, in talking to Charter.net, I found they only support SSL, and since they are not following protocol to protect us from the described potential security breech, what if I set my TB Server Settings/Security Settings to "none" instead of "TSL/SSL"? Would I be any less secure than I am now? Might it resolve the issue? Just brain-storming, here.

No, I've tried both.

http://www.charter.net/support/internet/adding-new-account-mozilla-thunderbird/

I followed the above link and established a new mail account (having deleted the old one). Cold-booted my PC. Still have the same problem. Guess I just have to live with it. *sigh* I really think Mozilla is going to have to find a fix for this (since Charter refuses to change its protocol). I don't want to migrate to Outlook. And, in fact, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have the same problem with them!

I see some reports in this forum for using "Thunderbird safe mode. I also only see windows users!

• Restart the operating system in safe mode with Networking. This loads only the very basics needed to start your computer while enabling an Internet connection. Click on your operating system for instructions on how to start in safe mode: Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OSX

If safe mode for the operating system fixes the issue, there's other software in your computer that's causing problems. Possibilities include but not limited to: AV scanning, virus/malware, background downloads such as program updates.

I am guessing that there is something else in common here. Charter security suit. A product of F-secure, for those that do not know. Is it configured to scan emails? it does not support SSL/TLS so turn that feature OFF.

Even if my supposition of the brand of anti virus is incorrect, the hypothesis needs to be tested in Safe mode to see if it is the cause anyway.