changing ISP!!

Hello - Ramona and All,
Haven't had to bother you folks for some time!! NOW-I may be facing a problem.
My old ISP is going out of business, I will be forced to use sbcglobal.net, my dsl isp. I kept my old dail-up isp since I didn't want to change my email!!!
Now, when I change my settings in TB, will I loose all my existing mail attached to my old isp? Won't the new SBC account appear as new with nothing in it?
By setting up a different account/profile, is that the way to proceed? Then eventually importing old into new when I've d/l all emails from the old ISP????
I certainly don't want to corrupt my mail by doing something I'm not sure of!!
Thanks for help/suggestions.
John in Dallas.

 

Hi John,

You shouldn't lose a thing, unless you leave your messages on your ISP's server (which I don't recommend, except for short periods of time). If you download them on a regular basis there's no problem, as then they're on your hard drive.

Your mail server information is contained in TB's Account Settings, and can be changed quite easily. Messages received via SBC's servers will appear in your inbox just like messages from your old ISP. No need to set up a new account or profile.

I do suggest changing your email address, even though it's a PITA (dialup is a worse PITA). You should be able to keep the same username (unless it's a common one), so you might go from "lonestar1(at)oldisp.com" to "lonestar1(at)sbcglobal.net ".

Be sure to send out a mass mailing to everyone in your address book plus anyone else you need to in advance of the changeover, giving the new address and an approximate date. Then, don't forget to go online and change the email address with banks, credit card companies, telephone company, etc. If you occasionally register software, you may want to advise those companies to update their files.

HTH. Any more questions, ask away.

 

John,

You are definitely on the right track. This is what I would suggest:

First: notify everyone in your Address Book (using dialup acct.) of your new SBC email address, giving them a date to start using this address.

Set up your new SBC email address
When you stop receiving mail in the dialup account then do this:

Close Thunderbird
Open Windows Explorer
In the dialup account, rename the Inbox to OLDinbox, or Inbox2, etc.
Do the same for Templates, Drafts, Sent, or any other folders you created
CTRL + Right click and select all renamed folders
Right click again, and select "Copy "

Now, right click the SBC Mail Account folder (e.g., pop.sbcglobal.yahoo.com)
Select: Paste

Open Thunderbird
Open Inbox2 and press CTRL+A
Right click the highlighted message
Select "Copy To"
Select the new Mail Account, then select "Inbox "
Then ensure that the messages have been copied

Follow the same process for all renamed folders

Leave the renamed folders in Thunderbird until you are certain that you have all messages in the new Account. Once you are certain, then you can delete the renamed files in Thunderbird.

Oops, I see JSS3rd has also answered. You can do as he suggests too, but I am ultra conservative, thus the extra steps...

 

changing ISP

Thanks, Ramona & JSS,
Well, I did make a new Account for Sbc, I don't know what to do for the smtp server? It still points to my old ev1 address. In the account settings, there's only one setting for my old isp, nothing for sbc??
TB cautions about having two smtp servers!! Can I or do I have to??
Is it impossible to have mail from two ISP's? Actually, I'm really using only one for connectivity - sbc. My dial up is only used for mail, it's routed through sbc. I did have a problem doing that initially, sbc had to give me a special smtp signature. "smtpauth.sbcglobal.net" That allowed dialup mail to come through.
I'm now confused as to what to do!!!! What's new!!!!! <g>
Hope you can explain it?
Thanks / John in Dallas

 

Hi John,

TB's setting changes don't happen automatically with a change of ISPs ... you'll have to change the settings yourself and, since SBC is your new ISP, the SMTP server probably will be "mail.sbcglobal.net ". Because you're a new customer SBC should provide you with all the necessary information by mail, but you can always get it by calling their tech support people.

Sure, you can receive mail through different ISPs. I do it with separate accounts for each, as I don't think you can do it with a single account. Ramona can answer that question better than I can.

I did that for a couple of years, using my cable ISP for outgoing mail and an Earthlink account for incoming mail. The Earthlink mail server to ISP server transfer was seamless, and I wasn't even aware of it.

Unless you really want to pay for the dial-up account, I'd use SBC for both outbound and inbound mail ... your choice.

I only maintained the Earthlink account because it allowed me to access the web and email from my laptop when traveling. But, I got tired of paying every month for a dial-up service I used only a few times a year, so I tied my email address to my website's host, and never should have to change my address again.

Since dumping Earthlink, I now use a dial-up provider that charges about half of Earthlink's cost and allows me to deactivate my account and not be charged unless I need to reactivate it for travel ... good deal!

 

John,

If this is your default SMTP server: smtpauth.sbcglobal.net

Then in Thunderbird's SMTP setting for your Mail Account, click on the down arrow to the right of the Outgoing Server (SMTP) Server field, and select:
Use Default Server

 

changing ISP

Update!!!!
Folks this isn't going at all well!!! Just spent over 2 hrs. with sbc, they have no idea what to do!! Go figure..
Jim, you mentioned I didn't have to set up a NEW account..If I change the smtp server settings, I'll lose all connectivity to my dial up acct. says sbc...
AND - probably lose all exisiting mail in TB??
I've set up a 2nd acct. according to Sbc, doesn't work, since the smtp settings point to the dialup acct. I'm very afraid to change the smtp settings and lose all mail from my dialup.
Below from jim
"Your mail server information is contained in TB's Account Settings, and can be changed quite easily. Messages received via SBC's servers will appear in your inbox just like messages from your old ISP. No need to set up a new account or profile." Jim - this doesn't work for me???
SBC says if I change the smtp settings, I'll lose everything from dailup????
Will I lose all mail in TB if smtp is changed....That's my concern. I can get dialup mail via the web, though it's a PITA!!!! I can't forward it to TB....
I'm making this much more difficult than necesaary, I'm sure!
Thanks everyone.
John in Dallas

 

John,

Right now, make a backup copy of your dialup Profiles folder, and you will lose nothing.

So you are saying that the SMTP setting you now have is used for both ISP's? Then it is your default SMTP setting. If this is working, and you are receiving Mail from both the dialup and SBC Mail Accounts, I wouldn't do anything... Am I misunderstanding you?

If you want to move the Mail as I suggested previously, simply rename the Inbox, etc. files in the dialup account, and copy them to the SBC Mail Account. Do this with TB closed, and renaming and moving the files using Windows Explorer.

 

John,

Don't fret, we'll get it figured out.

I quake in my boots at the thought of incurring Ramona's wrath, and I don't like contradicting her, but "smtpauth.sbcglobal.net" is NOT what your SMTP setting should be.

SMTP is for your outbound mail, and should be set to use your ISP's mail server, as I originally told you ... probably "mail.sbcglobal.net" (could also be "smtp.sbcglobal.net "). POP (or POP3) is for inbound mail and should be set to "smtpauth.sbcglobal.net ", so you'll continue to receive mail from your dial-up account.

To use my own situation as an example, Optimum Online is my (cable) Internet Service Provider, and handles my outbound mail, so my SMTP setting is "mail.optonline.net ". And, so far as I know, in a home environment your ISP always handles your outbound mail. My webhost, 1&1.com, handles my inbound mail, so my POP setting is "pop.1and1.com ". Before I switched to my webhost for inbound mail, I used Earthlink (for reasons explained previously), but my outbound mail was still handled by OptOnline.net.

If you've downloaded all your mail from your dial-up ISP's servers, as you should have, it's on your HD and you won't lose it.

I'm about to leave for the evening, but I'll check back tomorrow morning (with the hope that, in the meantime, you'll have gotten everything straightened out ).

 

Jim,

Just Kidding!

I didn't say that was the SMTP server he should use. I was merely quoting the SMTP server name that John was given by SBC:

Actually, I suggested that John use "Default Server "...

 

Ramona, John ...

I must be getting senile or, perhaps, I can blame it on the fact that I was in a hurry when I wrote my last post yesterday. I never should have said that "smtpauth.sbcglobal.net" should be the POP setting (it does include "smtp ", after all ... duh!). So, my apologies to you both, and I'm sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

John ...

If "smtpauth.sbcglobal.net" is supposed to be your SMTP setting, can you send test messages to another account you may have, such as Yahoo mail or Hotmail?

Please clarify something for me ... I've been assuming that your "old ISP" and your "old dail-up isp" were one and the same but, if they're two different entities, I don't see why you can't continue to use your dial-up email address and its POP setting. SBC will be your new ISP, but they only need to be named as your outbound (smtp) mail handler ... you can use a different ISP for your inbound mail.

Once your mail is downloaded from an ISP's mail server to your HD, it no longer has any connection to that ISP. Let's call your TB account folder JOHN ... you can have mail in it that was delivered via half a dozen different ISPs as long as the ISP you currently use for inbound mail is the one listed in the POP window in TB's Tools > Account Settings > JOHN > Server Settings. What I'm trying to say is that you can have an SBC account folder if you want one, but you don't need one.

John, in all honesty, I think you should bite the bullet and start using SBC for both inbound and outbound mail, even though it means changing your email address. In the long run, it will simplify your life.

 

John ...

I've found some information that may be of help to you ... AT&T/Yahoo/SBCGlobal.net's help page and, more specifically, a page showing your SMTP setting, "smtp.sbcglobal.yahoo.com ".

I wasn't aware that AT&T and Yahoo had hooked up but, it seems, they have.

The chart at the second link also shows the POP setting to use, should you ever decide to use SBCGlobal for inbound, as well as outbound mail.

The help pages aren't as up-to-date as they might be because, although they tell you how to set up Outlook, Outlook Express, and Netscape, they don't mention Firefox (perhaps because it's easier to set up than the others ).

 

ISP misery update!

Hi-Ramona and Jim,
Thanks SO much for all you help with this MESS!!! lol....
Since I work weekends PM, I wake up sometime Monday, sort of!!
I closed this mess down sat. and walked away!!! Period!!!!
SBC is postively worthless, as far as tec support is concerned. I finally found an "english" speaking one that asked if my sub account was activated???????
No others mentioned that, naturally - since I built it I "assumed" it was working; it was NOT!!!!! SBC had to "activate it!! "
Now I can receive mail from SBC and EV1 - but can send mail from only the dial up acct. , since I've not changed the smtp settings YET!!!!! That won't be till later this week, when I close down the dial up acct.
I noticed I have only the inbox settings for SBC, shouldn't that be Global inbox (for local folders) If I make that change, I lose the acct. settings in the left tree pane, SBC acct. is gone??? I have that setting for ticked for my dial up and it shows the entire tree. TB warns about those settings if changes are made you will lose ALL main stored in said acct.!!!!!
John, From Ramona

Right now, make a backup copy of your dialup Profiles folder, and you will lose nothing.

So you are saying that the SMTP setting you now have is used for both ISP's? Then it is your default SMTP setting. If this is working, and you are receiving Mail from both the dialup and SBC Mail Accounts, I wouldn't do anything... Am I misunderstanding you?
Yes, Ramona SBC is my ONLY smtp server, I've tired changing to Default and it didn't work but-that was before I realized my sbc acct. wasn't activated!!!
Do you think using the default setting will be all I need?

Now the delimma remains!!!! When I close down dial up, and change my smtp settings to read SBC (smtp.sbcglobal.yahoo.com) I shouldn't lose any mail stored in TB??!! Here's hoping!!!!
Thanks so much for ALL you help..
John in Dallas

 

If you select the Global setting all the mail accounts mail goes to the "Local Folders" folder. There will be nothing shown in the Account listing in the left pane. If you read the warning carefully, it also instructs users to copy the mail contained in the Account you wish to change, to another Mail Account. Backing up your Profiles folder before editing will also save all Mail in its original folder. Frankly, I would never use the Global setting, but other users prefer it, so it's definitely a personal choice.

Before you close your dialup account copy your Inbox, and all other folders to your SBC account. Rename the files first, e.g., Inboxdialup, or Inbox2, etc. Then close the dialup account.

 

ISP update Ok

Hi-All,
Glad to report ALL went well with the conversion to SBC!!! What a headache!!
However, it took all my STEALTH settings out of my NAT router!!! BAD!!!!
Thanks to grc.com for getting them back....I only run in stealth mode!!
Listening to Steve's podcast, this am - he and Leo mentioned om FF 2.0 they took OUT the option for blocking 3rd party cookies? Only way now is in about:config and hunt for browser options or something???? Wonder why they did that?
I'll wait a while for more feedback before I "dive" in!!
Thanks Ramona and Jim for all your help last week....I couldn't or wouldn't be on the internet without folks like you watching our backs....
John in Dallas.

 

John,

Glad to hear that you are finally squared away.

You can change the setting in about:config for third-party cookies, but the developers claim it doesn't always work:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Network.cookie.cookieBehavior

This is why the preference wasn't included in Version 2.0.