# Solved: Thunderbird will not open.



## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

Every time I try to open Thunderbird a window pops up stating "Close Thunderbird" inside the box it says "Thunderbird is already running, but is not responding. To open a new window, you must first close the existing Thunderbird process, or restart your system." However, Thunderbird is not running. I have not opened the program since a start up, I have even rebooted the PC as well as checked Task Manager and the application is not running. I am able to uninstall, and reinstall the program and still have the same trouble. Any assistance will be appreciated on figure out how to start this program. (I was once able to use it)


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## keithy397 (Jul 11, 2004)

Maybe an extension/Theme issue Calyus.

Open TB in Safe Mode (from Start> Programs) and disable your extensions. Re-Start and If it starts normally you can now begin the process of enabling them a couple/few at a time until you find the dodgy extension (or theme maybe).


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

This is a work PC that I have a roaming profile on, so it's installed on my own drive space. I generally use the program to help troubleshoot with customers. But I have since decied to use it for work email to filter out some of the spam I get. I've never added any extension or theme to TB. It is as if it were a clean install of the program. Minus this one little flaw. What is the name of the process in Task Manager?


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## keithy397 (Jul 11, 2004)

thunderbird.exe


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

If your work computer is on a server then you can...
Try the free open source MailWasher Server spam filter for Microsoft Exchange, Sendmail and QMail. Advanced filtering, but quick and easy to setup and use.


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

hewee said:


> If your work computer is on a server then you can...
> Try the free open source MailWasher Server spam filter for Microsoft Exchange, Sendmail and QMail. Advanced filtering, but quick and easy to setup and use.


Unfortunately, thats not an option for me. I work in a call center, and in no way am I in a position to change what type of mail our company uses. The project that I work on in the call center, is a DSL Telecom company that one of the things we support is email. Well some of our customers are using Thunderbird and it's gets hard to support the latest version of TB with outdated screen shots. So we're able to use the program directly. But no matter what I do it continues to tell me the program is in use. When it's never been opened. Like today, I just got into work. Boot up my pc, login. Take a few calls, try to open TB and I get the same issue. Last night I un-installed it, rebooted, reinstalled and still got same issue. The program is not running, yet continually tells me it is.

EDIT: Oh, and I tried opening it in Safe mode. It still told me it was already running, and I needed to close it first.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Darn how can it be running if the computer was just turned on and then when you want to open thunderbird it tells you it is already running.
I have thunderbird 1.5.0.14 and I can not find anything in the options and account settings for thunderbird to startup on it's own. 
Have you looked at what loads at startup to see if it is there after you start your computer? Look and see if it is listed in startup. Also look in the task manager to see what is running and do all this before you click on thunderbird.
If you got "Scheduled Tasks" running look in there and maybe it has thunderbird listed to startup. I never use it so not sure but it could be there.


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

My permission on my profile at work prevent me from checking msconfig to see what actual processes start and it is not in my startup folder under my profile. But under task manager, thunderbird.exe is not there. The only time "Thunderbird.exe" shows up is when I click on it and it tells me it's already running, then I hit ok on the error and the process ends.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

OK can you do a "ctrl+alt+delete" and that will things that are running. 
I would ask your company tech that has the rights to look at what is in startup and Scheduled Tasks if you can't get there. 
Now do your use thunderbird for email or just to look at to help others. 
I got netscape 7 still but have no email account setup anymore on it because after getting thunderbird I use it and I goofed a couple times when I open netscape mail to help out and download email so I did away with the account so that will not happen.


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

I've done that, going to the task manager shows nothing running in relations to TB. Except when I click on it, and it tells me it's already running. Then, and only then does "Thunderbird.exe" show up in the task manager. Generally, I use it to help others. Traversing to modemhelp.net for screenshots takes a lot of the computer. They're not exactly "Top of the line" lol Though, when someone quit from my work they sold a mailing list of all the agents who work there.. This has put a cramp on the email I get, I'm gone one day and I have to sort through 6-7 pages of spam to see my work related email. So I was looking at taking advantage of TB Junk Mail filtering system. But I can't start the fricken program!! lol I won't be back to work until Sunday, so I won't be able to try anything. If only I could access my work email, outside of work.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Darn and you have reinstalled thunder too. Have you don't a uninstall, rebooted and delete any of the folders and files left behind.

Look here on "uninstalling thunderbird"
http://www.google.com/custom?aq=0&o...nderbird&cx=003258325049489668794:ru2dpahviq8

That brings up another thing but my guess you got thunderbird 2.x

See this too.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Upgrading_(Thunderbird)

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Thunderbird_2.0_installation_issues


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

Well, I've uninstalled, deleted the folder I installed it in (My own personal drive [profile space]) even ran CCleaner thinking it may have been a registry issue, or something I can't think so. Cleaned it all out, rebooted and installed the latest version available. I guess I can uninstall, delete the folder and check ****\documents and settings\application data or where ever else it may be. Thats another thing that bites me in the rear, TB is on 2.x modemhelp.net is about the only site I know with Screenies of programs I can click on as if i were using it.. And that only goes up to 1.5 >< But I'll check out those 2 links when I get to work tomorrow, see if either one of them help resolve the issue.

Edit: What I don't under stand is no one else can use my profile, they would need my UN and PW. I log off, and reboot my PC every night I leave.. I was "_Once_ able to use it and all I did then was walk a customer through setting up email in it. Since then I've not used it, now that I'm interested in the program it's pulling my strings and pestering the hell out of me. Well, once forseeable resolution.. Soon I'll be getting a promotion, and will need my workstation re-imaged with the supervisor programs and what not.. Though I see that taking a while for it to get re-imaged.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I would check all the folder that Thunderbird is in and the registry only if you know what your doing.

MozBackup is great so you may want to get it. 
http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

Then once you get this trouble taken care of you can back up thunder bird.

I got 98 SE and thunderbird is...
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Thunderbird
C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Talkback\MozillaOrg\Thunderbird15\ - this is something you have option to install.
So maybe something is not being deleted in one of those folders and doing just a install it is seeing the file and not over writing it.

Look in the C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\uninstall folder and your have a install_wizard1.log.
Open it and make a copy of it so when your uninstall thunderbird your have it to look at. 
Mine was made on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 but the date it was last modifed was Thursday, December 20, 2007.
So it has info on updates and extensions and mine has lots of errors from one date when I did something  
But it well help you find all the folders and places in the registry.
I use RegSeeker to clean the regisrty and it is in a RegSeeker.zip that you can just unzip to it's own folder and run so no install is needed.
Now the first time I ran it it found like 500 or so things and I did clean them up but you should not do that.
You could run the scan and then pick select all and add them to the exclude list and then when you scan again they will not show up. 
Do this before you unistall thunderbird. Then reboot and run regseeker and most everything regseeker finds should have to do with thunderbird. After you clean that up scan it again till the scan comes up clean. Make sure the backup box if the bottom left is checked. 
http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

As long as I don't need Administrative permission for that prog, I'll try it tomorrow. At work, they are using Windows 2000 Pro, and I almost think by default TB installs a file under c: somewhere (As I said, the application data idea) even though I'm installing the program on h:. As far as the registry goes, I'm "Okay" with it. By no means am I that _savvy_. If I mess anything up, I just open a ticket with my call centers help desk and have them come re-image it either way. 

As far as the backup tool, I've never invested time into TB to worry about losing installed themes, or extensions. If the trouble were FF, then I'd absolutely use it.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

If your talking about RegSeeker I would think it should work being a stand alone program. 
Then again find that Thunderbird log file and cope it and you have it to look at to find where things are at on the drive and in the registry. 
Well reason for the MozBackup is if you do get things so thunderbird works right and and do a backup your have it in case something like the trouble you got now happen again. No install is needed either if you get the "ZIP file" version. 
Used it many times with firefox playing around with setting on cookies etc and at times you get something that you change but can not change back to the way it was before but do a restore and your back like nothing happen.
I had firefox 1.5.x and made a backup. Installed firefox 2.x over top 1.5.x and I had 3 extensions that did not work. Was able to get same extension version for 2.x on one and I changed to cookie safe but a 3rd extension there was no extension for firefox 2.x. I really wanted that extension too. So I made another backup of firefox 2.x. Then I installed firefox 1.5.x over top of 2.x. Had to redo the one extension and then I did a restore of firefox 1.5.x. All was like nothing happen after doing all that.


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## Calyus (Jul 26, 2007)

Okay, finally back to work. Dug into the *****\Application Data\Thunderbird and deleted the profile.ini since I had no worries of needing anything backed up. Tried to boot TB and success!!


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Wow that is great to hear just that one very small profile.ini file was all the trouble.
Glad thing are working now.


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