Transition from Netscape Mail Server to AOL Server not Working!!!

Hi,

Hope you all don't mind helping out someone who is not a regular poster here. I have looked for help everywhere and don't know where else to go.

I have several Netscape.net mail addresses, both business and private and since the server changes, I can't get my mail no matter what I do. I use Thunderbird v.1.5 Beta1 on Windows XP SP2.

I first changed all my settings according to the instructions (server imap.aim.com, port 143, username without the @netscape.net, etc.). Didn't Work. Then I tried setting up an entirely new account as IMAP with the new settings. Didn't work. I get other IMAP mail just fine, though. I then tried imap.aol.com as the incoming server. Didn't work. Then I changed my e-mail from @netscape.net to @aim.com then to @aol.com, and that didn't work either. Tried the user name with and without Caps. When I try to get my mail, the server responds asking me for my password, then I get a message saying "Login to server imap.aim.com failed. "

Then I tried to get into my mail online. I kept getting a message saying the server is unavailable, error msg "C..." something or other. I tried every AIM or AOL logon site I could find.

Now when I try to log on online I get a message saying the information I have provided is incorrect. I thought that maybe my password got mangled in the transition, so I tried to change my password. It would throw up a screen with username and security code (the funny-looking numbers/letters) which I would enter and then it would throw up the same screen again, saying the information I provided was incorrect. I thought maybe it had something to do with the fact that I use the Opera web browser, so I tried IE and I pulled up the logon page, then when I tried to log on, I kept getting an IE error msg page saying "Page cannot be Displayed. "

I have spent 5 days looking for an AOL or AIM user support forum and can't find one, only Trillium sites. I put in a bug report, but of course they haven't responded. I can't find an AOL knowledgebase, if they even have one. I can't find any AOL or AIM technical info at all, only very simplistic general user stuff. I finally found a brand new blog site about the changeover, "AOL/AIM Web Suite Product Insider Blog" and when I tried to comment, guess what? It wanted me to log in, and the login failed!

I am very, very frustrated. Between the problems I had with the newer versions of the Netscape e-mail software (which caused me to move to Thunderbird), the problems I am having now, and all the bugs and security problems I am hearing about with the AIM system (which in AOL's words will make our e-mail system more robust and secure than the old Netscape one, yeah, right ), I am giving up on my old e-mail accounts. I just want to get the mail that's currently on there.

Anyone have a suggestion for their favorite free e-mail service that I can receive in Thunderbird? Anyone know of any way I could try to fix this problem? Anyone know of an AOL/AIM user forum?

Cathy

 

Welcome to the Forum, Cathyb!

Cathyb,

Here are instructions, complete with screen shots on Setting up AOL Netscape Webmail.

More information from AOL FAQs

This Forum supports AOL Mail.

 

I assure you that the transition is working. I have been fielding a lot of questions at other newsgroup, and, with no exception there were serious misunderstandings on the procedure, and unbelievable reactions.
If Ramona's clue are not clear, tell me what you did, and I will tell you what i did. I get aim.com mail in mozilla Thunderbird, Seamonkey and Outlook Express, And, the little @netscape.net mail which I am still getting (all spam) goes into the aim.com account.

 

No trouble with link / downloading email (all my username/netscape.net mail) (this account is a junk account). But I thought I would help out TB and filter Netscape mail directly to Junk folder .. TB would not sort. Then tried filtering to Spam folder (aim default folder), TB will not sort. When I use TB option to "Run filter ", it sorts flawlessly. I'm sorting on "TO email field ", which contains my old netscape address. My other email accounts managed numerous filters request. I'm suspicious it is how AOL has set up the imap interactivity between email client and AOL's/aim email server. Anyone else try filtering mail in aim/imap account?

 

Dennis,
did you see how the account is set up? There are three Sent folders. One is the regular one, one in imap.aim.com, and then the Sent Items.
I never had to try filters, but I would direct them to a Trash folder, but where?
With aol.com mail, one has to select the Local folders. Since, I had changed over completely, at least six months ago, I have had very little @netscape.net mail, both messages, one/account were Spam, and I select them to go to Trash.
A third message did not even have the username, but it got to me (it was a cross between the two usernames).
Contrary to what they say, the folders can be deleted, but they come right back.
Anyway, it can be trouble, indeed.

 

Dennis,

I set up Junk Mail Control on my AOL Account. Then marked a couple of the messages in the Inbox as Junk, and they instantly moved to the Junk Folder. So it wasn't necessary to run the Junk Controls on the Inbox.

 

Cathyb,

I set up my AOL Account in Thunderbird, following the above instructions, with screen shots. I used my ISP SMTP server. I had no problems receiving mail, or sending.

Are you closing Thunderbird once the account is set up? This is necessary in order to write the new information to your prefs.js file.

Let us know if you have had success... or not.

 

Cathyb,
I noticed that you listed Thunderbird1.5beta1 as your mail client. I am using 1.5.0.5. It, probably, makes no difference what what you have is outdated.

 

Thanks everyone. Found out Thunderbird was retaining my old settings and folder names even though I had renamed my old account before I set up the new one. In order to save my old mail (I had an extensive mail file system local to my computer and not on the Netscape server) without dealing with going into the profile and copying or renaming folders manually, I had to go into the old account, rename everything, remove or change e-mail addresses, folder names and server settings, etc. Even then, it still was hard to get it to work. I had to re-do it a number of times, even when closing out Thunderbird, etc.

Probably would help if I had the new version of Thunderbird or if I would take the time to understand the profile folders so I could have just renamed and moved things manually. Just haven't had the time to upgrade stuff on my computer since I have a severe chronic illness, and Thunderbird was low priority since I never had any issues with it until now.

Seems like the softwares I understand best are the ones that don't work! If they work seamlessly, I never need to know anything technical about them. For example, I never knew a single thing about operating systems, until my son started playing games and told me we had to switch from Mac to Windows so he could get the latest and greatest. Now I know more about operating systems than I ever cared to know, and I'm a retired computer programmer!

I have mail now! Thanks.

Cathy

 

Computer programming won't help to navigate a program which you did not develop.
As for the original issue, I had set up aim.com in Thunderbird1.0.7, which I no longer use (sort of a mail backup), Thunderbitd1.5.0.5, and Outlook Express (which I don't use, except for comparison). However, I found an annoying list of folders, duplicate or nearly triplicate. But, with IMAP account it is possible to subscribe to as many or few folders as desired. Right click|Subscribe on the account from the Mail Accounts list will bring up a wizard, and unchecking the unwanted folders will put them out of sight. The is an imap.aim.com folder which must be expanded to uncheck all items. When it is all said and done, I am left with Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Trash and Spam(which is an AOL folder). However, 1.0.7 showed what I wanted, but 1.5.0.6 did not show all folders in the wizard. I, finally decided to remove the account, and then add it back, exactly the same way. All folders were available now. And, with IMAP accounts mail is not lost like with POP accounts. I could totally ignore the previous faulty account, and addition of the same account did the job. There is no need for renaming anything.
Just to prove the point that I can set up an @aim.com account in any mail client, I proceeded to add both aim accounts in TB2.0a1, and Seamonkey1.0.4. In each case the same mail showed up, incoming as well as sent mail. At this point, I don't understand why it has been so difficult for some, but, in my hands there is nothing more user friendly than setting up these accounts, after I learned to clean up the folder structure.