problem with new vista box - comcast - email - thunderbird

I'm posting this to different forums that touch on all the players,
hoping someone might have the missing piece.

Here's my setup:

ISP is Comcast.
Cable modem feeds to a Linksys wireless router with 4-port switch.
IBM Aptiva running XP-Pro is attached to the switch.
Email client is Thunderbird.

All of the above has been working flawlessly for well over a year.

Now, I purchase an HP Pavillion dv6405us (laptop), running Vista.
Connected the HP to the Linksys switch (not using the wireless yet)
Downloaded and installed Firefox to the HP. Configured and
connecting.
Downloaded and installed Thunderbird. Created new profile, identical
to what I have on the XP.
After a couple of false starts, am able to get email from
mail.comcast.net
All attempts to send email to smtp.comcast.net fail, with message that
connection is refused.
Called Comcast, walked through mail settings (mail server for
incoming, smtp server for outgoing, ports, account names, etc.). No
joy.
Copied entire Thunderbird profile from XP to Vista box. Adjust the
profile.ini file and restart Thunderbird. It recongnizes the new
profile (including already populated inbox, trash, sent, etc.), is
able to download new mail, but attempts to send still result in smtp
server refusing the connection.

Any ideas? I have half a mind to follow up on several threads on the
HP site and do clean install of XP (downgrading from Vista) on the new
HP box.

Set your mail up with Windows Mail as a test. If it also will not
go through then your problem is likely systemic,,,,,,,, if it works
then problem is software. Have you tried by setting Firewall to
ALLOW all or even turning it off?

"EdStevens" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> I'm posting this to different forums that touch on all the players,
> hoping someone might have the missing piece.
>
> Here's my setup:
>
> ISP is Comcast.
> Cable modem feeds to a Linksys wireless router with 4-port switch.
> IBM Aptiva running XP-Pro is attached to the switch.
> Email client is Thunderbird.
>
> All of the above has been working flawlessly for well over a year.
>
> Now, I purchase an HP Pavillion dv6405us (laptop), running Vista.
> Connected the HP to the Linksys switch (not using the wireless yet)
> Downloaded and installed Firefox to the HP. Configured and
> connecting.
> Downloaded and installed Thunderbird. Created new profile, identical
> to what I have on the XP.
> After a couple of false starts, am able to get email from
> mail.comcast.net
> All attempts to send email to smtp.comcast.net fail, with message that
> connection is refused.
> Called Comcast, walked through mail settings (mail server for
> incoming, smtp server for outgoing, ports, account names, etc.). No
> joy.
> Copied entire Thunderbird profile from XP to Vista box. Adjust the
> profile.ini file and restart Thunderbird. It recongnizes the new
> profile (including already populated inbox, trash, sent, etc.), is
> able to download new mail, but attempts to send still result in smtp
> server refusing the connection.
>
> Any ideas? I have half a mind to follow up on several threads on the
> HP site and do clean install of XP (downgrading from Vista) on the new
> HP box.
>

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:16:43 -0700, EdStevens <>
wrote:

>Downloaded and installed Thunderbird. Created new profile, identical
>to what I have on the XP.
>After a couple of false starts, am able to get email from
>mail.comcast.net
>All attempts to send email to smtp.comcast.net fail, with message that
>connection is refused.
>Called Comcast, walked through mail settings (mail server for
>incoming, smtp server for outgoing, ports, account names, etc.). No
>joy.
>Copied entire Thunderbird profile from XP to Vista box. Adjust the
>profile.ini file and restart Thunderbird. It recongnizes the new
>profile (including already populated inbox, trash, sent, etc.), is
>able to download new mail, but attempts to send still result in smtp
>server refusing the connection.

I used the academic upgrade (XP to Vista), as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed
qualifies, to keep everything that I already had. That included
Thunderbird which without any alterations ran under Vista.
--

Julian Richards

www.richardsuk.f9.co.uk
Website of "Robot Wars" middleweight "Broadsword IV"

I went from XP to Vista using MozBackup (
http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/ ) without any problems. You might try
removing TBird, reinstall, and then run the backup utility.

Fitz

It was the firewall. Of course, the router is providing firewall
services, but the HP laptop is also running Norton Internet security.
The Windows firewall is turned off.

Following up on a search of MS technet, I followed up on a suggestion
to simply "telnet servername port", so I tried 'telnet
smtp.comcast.net 25' on both the XP and Vista machines. It connected
on the XP, rejected on the Vista. That confirmed that it wasn't a
configuration issue with my mail client.

Next I temporarily turned off the Norton firewall, and everything
worked. Now I just need to figure out how to configure a rule for the
firewall. This, I don't know how to do. I open the firewall options,
open 'program control' to get a list of program specific rules, find
an entry for t-bird at the bottom of the list. Select 'modify' and
find two rules:

Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
specific, protocol TCP and UDP

Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
specific, protocol TCP.

Looks like this should be good to go, unless it is being overridden by
some other rule. This is out of my lane. I'm an old programmer (cobol
and others) turned DBA (Oracle). Just peripheral experience with
network engineering and admin.

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:32:42 -0700, "Spirit" <>
wrote:

>Set your mail up with Windows Mail as a test. If it also will not
>go through then your problem is likely systemic,,,,,,,, if it works
>then problem is software. Have you tried by setting Firewall to
>ALLOW all or even turning it off?
>
>"EdStevens" <> wrote in message
>news: roups.com...
>> I'm posting this to different forums that touch on all the players,
>> hoping someone might have the missing piece.
>>
>> Here's my setup:
>>
>> ISP is Comcast.
>> Cable modem feeds to a Linksys wireless router with 4-port switch.
>> IBM Aptiva running XP-Pro is attached to the switch.
>> Email client is Thunderbird.
>>
>> All of the above has been working flawlessly for well over a year.
>>
>> Now, I purchase an HP Pavillion dv6405us (laptop), running Vista.
>> Connected the HP to the Linksys switch (not using the wireless yet)
>> Downloaded and installed Firefox to the HP. Configured and
>> connecting.
>> Downloaded and installed Thunderbird. Created new profile, identical
>> to what I have on the XP.
>> After a couple of false starts, am able to get email from
>> mail.comcast.net
>> All attempts to send email to smtp.comcast.net fail, with message that
>> connection is refused.
>> Called Comcast, walked through mail settings (mail server for
>> incoming, smtp server for outgoing, ports, account names, etc.). No
>> joy.
>> Copied entire Thunderbird profile from XP to Vista box. Adjust the
>> profile.ini file and restart Thunderbird. It recongnizes the new
>> profile (including already populated inbox, trash, sent, etc.), is
>> able to download new mail, but attempts to send still result in smtp
>> server refusing the connection.
>>
>> Any ideas? I have half a mind to follow up on several threads on the
>> HP site and do clean install of XP (downgrading from Vista) on the new
>> HP box.
>>
>

Ed Stevens wrote:
> It was the firewall. Of course, the router is providing firewall
> services, but the HP laptop is also running Norton Internet security.
> The Windows firewall is turned off.
>
> Following up on a search of MS technet, I followed up on a suggestion
> to simply "telnet servername port", so I tried 'telnet
> smtp.comcast.net 25' on both the XP and Vista machines. It connected
> on the XP, rejected on the Vista. That confirmed that it wasn't a
> configuration issue with my mail client.
>
> Next I temporarily turned off the Norton firewall, and everything
> worked. Now I just need to figure out how to configure a rule for the
> firewall. This, I don't know how to do. I open the firewall options,
> open 'program control' to get a list of program specific rules, find
> an entry for t-bird at the bottom of the list. Select 'modify' and
> find two rules:
>
> Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
> specific, protocol TCP and UDP
>
> Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
> specific, protocol TCP.
>
> Looks like this should be good to go, unless it is being overridden by
> some other rule. This is out of my lane. I'm an old programmer (cobol
> and others) turned DBA (Oracle). Just peripheral experience with
> network engineering and admin.
>
> On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:32:42 -0700, "Spirit" <>
> wrote:
>
>
>> Set your mail up with Windows Mail as a test. If it also will not
>> go through then your problem is likely systemic,,,,,,,, if it works
>> then problem is software. Have you tried by setting Firewall to
>> ALLOW all or even turning it off?
>>
>> "EdStevens" <> wrote in message
>> news: oups.com...
>>
>>> I'm posting this to different forums that touch on all the players,
>>> hoping someone might have the missing piece.
>>>
>>> Here's my setup:
>>>
>>> ISP is Comcast.
>>> Cable modem feeds to a Linksys wireless router with 4-port switch.
>>> IBM Aptiva running XP-Pro is attached to the switch.
>>> Email client is Thunderbird.
>>>
>>> All of the above has been working flawlessly for well over a year.
>>>
>>> Now, I purchase an HP Pavillion dv6405us (laptop), running Vista.
>>> Connected the HP to the Linksys switch (not using the wireless yet)
>>> Downloaded and installed Firefox to the HP. Configured and
>>> connecting.
>>> Downloaded and installed Thunderbird. Created new profile, identical
>>> to what I have on the XP.
>>> After a couple of false starts, am able to get email from
>>> mail.comcast.net
>>> All attempts to send email to smtp.comcast.net fail, with message that
>>> connection is refused.
>>> Called Comcast, walked through mail settings (mail server for
>>> incoming, smtp server for outgoing, ports, account names, etc.). No
>>> joy.
>>> Copied entire Thunderbird profile from XP to Vista box. Adjust the
>>> profile.ini file and restart Thunderbird. It recongnizes the new
>>> profile (including already populated inbox, trash, sent, etc.), is
>>> able to download new mail, but attempts to send still result in smtp
>>> server refusing the connection.
>>>
>>> Any ideas? I have half a mind to follow up on several threads on the
>>> HP site and do clean install of XP (downgrading from Vista) on the new
>>> HP box.
>>>
>>>
i have vista, NIS2007, comcast, thunderbird, on 2 Vista machines. No
issues whatsover with the email functions. Seems silly to blame vista
for your configuration problems, IMO.

Ed Stevens;421092 Wrote:
> It was the firewall. Of course, the router is providing firewall
> Next I temporarily turned off the Norton firewall, and everything
> worked. Now I just need to figure out how to configure a rule for the
> firewall. This, I don't know how to do. I open the firewall options,
> open 'program control' to get a list of program specific rules, find
> an entry for t-bird at the bottom of the list. Select 'modify' and
> find two rules:
>
> Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
> specific, protocol TCP and UDP
>
> Thunderbird: allow - direction outbound; computer any; communications
> specific, protocol TCP.
>
> I had exactly the same problem. I had to add a special rule in Norton
> to allow SMTP (port 25) to and from any machine for Thunderbird and then
> everything worked. I think you could restrict the rule to just your mail
> server and it would still work okay. HTH Russell.


--
thesilmarilion