Looking for new local email client

I use NETZERO.com for my email account. This is a POP/SMTP EMAIL account and is accessible from the internet.

I use MS OUTLOOK as my EMAIL Client...

Don'r have any idea what a Thunderbird is...

Roy Ken

I had that problem myself. I ended up deleting the .MSF files, which worked, and TB rebuilt these (MSF means message summary files, or indexes/caches.) This cured my issues. There is a utility called ThunderFix that does the same thing.

Another alternative is a utility called SeaMonkey, which is an all-in-one E-mail program, NNTP reader, HTML editor, and Web browser. It isn't as full featured as TB, but it is an alternative.

Finally, there is always Outlook.

I am with you -- I far prefer a local E-mail client over Web stuff because I don't have to flip between all my E-mail providers and deal with their web pages.

Personally, I use Thunderbird as my "read-'em-all" client that hits all my E-mail accounts via IMAP. However, for my formal home/business address, I also have Outlook, so I can send out proper S/MIME signed messages and have better Exchange integration.

Plus, Thunderbird stores E-mail in a fairly sane format that is readable by almost any mail agent, which is great for long term storage.

Windows Live mail, looks and feels like Outlook. Downloads the messages to your PC but does synchronize across multiple PC's

IMHO, nothing has ever come close to Eudora 4.x and 5. There is an open source version, but it is really a modified Thunderbird- https://wiki.mozilla.org/Eudora_OSE.
I would try to fix T-Bird...

I ditched local or ISP supplied email and completely switched over to Gmail but when I did use the ISP's mail I used whatever was free with Windows which used to be Outlook Express and then Windows Live Mail.

I enjoy being able to access my email from anywhere I want using whatever I want.

mlts22 wrote:
I had that problem myself. I ended up deleting the .MSF files, which worked, and TB rebuilt these (MSF means message summary files, or indexes/caches.) This cured my issues. There is a utility called ThunderFix that does the same thing.

Another alternative is a utility called SeaMonkey, which is an all-in-one E-mail program, NNTP reader, HTML editor, and Web browser. It isn't as full featured as TB, but it is an alternative.

Finally, there is always Outlook.

I am with you -- I far prefer a local E-mail client over Web stuff because I don't have to flip between all my E-mail providers and deal with their web pages.

Personally, I use Thunderbird as my "read-'em-all" client that hits all my E-mail accounts via IMAP. However, for my formal home/business address, I also have Outlook, so I can send out proper S/MIME signed messages and have better Exchange integration.

Plus, Thunderbird stores E-mail in a fairly sane format that is readable by almost any mail agent, which is great for long term storage.

Thanks for the tip on ThunderFix. I'm trying that to see if it resolves the problem.

mlts22 wrote:
I far prefer a local E-mail client over Web stuff because I don't have to flip between all my E-mail providers and deal with their web pages.

Why do you have more than one email address?

My smartphone is now my email client, not that it's something I was looking for.

I've used seamonkey for years with few problems, I'm told that the mail subdirectories for thunderbird can be switched into a new install of seamonkey - the two programs are very similar.

mlts22 wrote:
I am with you -- I far prefer a local E-mail client over Web stuff because I don't have to flip between all my E-mail providers and deal with their web pages.

Nothing wrong with preferring a local email client, but your reason indicates you don't understand email options. The reason I prefer an email program like Gmail is that it can retrieve all my email from multiple addresses and when I respond to an email it can (by option) go out with a "from" email address the same that it was sent to. I never go to any email domain's webmail site. It can be configured to work any way the user wants.

Plus, it has the advantage of not being PC-based and available from any device and is always backed up.

I also prefer an email client over any web based solution. Many more advantages than not. And have used Thunderbird for personnel email pretty much since it was first introduced.

Outlook is powerful, but better suited for the Enterprise environment where its advantages out way Thunderbird. So use MS at work.

One useful feature is that an email client such as Thunderbird can keep a local copy of email on your system, not just on the email provider's server. You don't need web access to retrieve old email, as you would with most web based systems. Plus, you're not relying on a provider to back up your valuable email as most all have at one time or another experienced server failures, and were not able to restore all account holders mail. Not necessarily an issue with Thunderbird, as you can auto re-synced lost email on the provider's mail server when using IMAP protocol.

A big plus for Thunderbird is that it stores all local email, account settings, passwords, etc in a single profile folder which can be located anywhere on your system. You can copy this profile folder and use it to mirror your other desktop, notebook, or tablet email accounts without having to start from scratch.

But more importantly, you can easily secure your emails/passwords by encrypting the folder locally, and also back it up to a separate drive.

Mine gets backed up from an encrypted container to another encrypted backup drive twice daily automatically. Which makes it easy to restore as I did not too long ago when I accidentally uninstalled both Thunderbird and Firefox with all account info. Was back to normal in less than 15 minutes as if nothing had happened.