Emails hang on send unless shortened.

haryo · 12 Sep 2016, 08:23 AM

Windows 8.1, Thunderbird, Fastmail POP account.

Lately emails that have a couple of links and go back and forth between someone and myself a few times can hang on sending unless I delete some of the old content. I haven't experimented enough to say more than what I have. It could be my isp having a laggy moment, but I thought I'd mention it in case it's a known issue with a solution. Thanks

n5bb · 12 Sep 2016, 11:22 AM

POP only has to do with receiving messages. So if you are sending from Thunderbird when you see a slowdown, this is your SMTP connection. Here are some troubleshooting questions:

In Thunderbird, go to Tools>Account Settings and look at the bottom of the list at the left for Outgoing Server (SMTP). You may need to scroll down to see that entry. Select Outgoing Server.
On the right, select the account you are using to send the messages. If you are using the Fastmail SMTP to send, you should see something like:
- Server Name: smtp.fastmail.com
- Port: 465
- User Name: (your login email address at Fastmail)
- Authentication method: Normal password
- Connection Security: SSL/TLS
If you need to make changes, see:
https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/thunderbird.html
The SMTP server name has changed over time.
If you happen to have a legacy Guest free account, then you can't use the Fastmail SMTP. So you might be sending using your ISP's SMTP server.
If you are using the Fastmail SMTP server, the sending speed should be very fast if your ISP and network connection to your ISP are fast. I just sent a test email using Thunderbird on my PC using WiFi to a hotspot using my iPAD (LTE cellular connection). So the message was sent from Thunderbird over WiFi then cellular LTE to get to the Internet and then the Fastmail outgoing SMTP server. The email size (as sent) was 3 MB and it took about 10 seconds to send. Half of that was sending the actual message, and the other half was synchronizing the Sent folder copy to the server.
So tell us how big the messages are (in MB) and how long it's taking to send them.

Bill

haryo · 15 Sep 2016, 01:59 AM

Thank you for responding I haven't had much time to play with settings, but I did just try smtp.fastmail.com as suggested, which totally choked. I've been using mail.messagingengine.com for years and it works fine except lately for the occasional email that stalls out on sending. I use POP3 mail, not IMAP. I notice the Thunderbird configuration page shows the setup for an IMAP account, using smtp.fastmail.com. It doesn't show the outgoing settings for a POP3 account, unless the implication is that they are the same.

Update: When a 'reply' email doesn't go I eventually get a timeout error message. However, I've discovered if I delete my signature (which is a link to a web page) the emails go fine. I disabled the AV, so that's not it. Anyway, I can live with it for now, but the intermittentness of it is curious, All my settings are as you indicate, except the outgoing setting which is mail.messagingengine.com.

BritTim · 15 Sep 2016, 03:26 AM

Not a solution to your problem, but just an explanation of why smtp.fastmail.com does not work. When using this (new) server, you must create and use an app password. This is "good" in that the password cannot be used elsewhere if the password is compromised.

My guess is that network congestion is causing your problem. Sending large emails through an external mail client (like Thunderbird) is one of the first things to break, as upload speeds are usually much more constrained than download speeds. You only need a brief period of overload to have your transmission of the message to the server freeze, and the longer the send takes, the more likely you are to encounter the problem.

12 Sep 2016, 08:23 AM	#1
haryo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 106	Emails hang on send unless shortened. Windows 8.1, Thunderbird, Fastmail POP account. Lately emails that have a couple of links and go back and forth between someone and myself a few times can hang on sending unless I delete some of the old content. I haven't experimented enough to say more than what I have. It could be my isp having a laggy moment, but I thought I'd mention it in case it's a known issue with a solution. Thanks

12 Sep 2016, 11:22 AM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 8,929	POP only has to do with receiving messages. So if you are sending from Thunderbird when you see a slowdown, this is your SMTP connection. Here are some troubleshooting questions: In Thunderbird, go to Tools>Account Settings and look at the bottom of the list at the left for Outgoing Server (SMTP). You may need to scroll down to see that entry. Select Outgoing Server. On the right, select the account you are using to send the messages. If you are using the Fastmail SMTP to send, you should see something like: Server Name: smtp.fastmail.com Port: 465 User Name: (your login email address at Fastmail) Authentication method: Normal password Connection Security: SSL/TLS If you need to make changes, see: https://www.fastmail.com/help/clients/thunderbird.html The SMTP server name has changed over time. If you happen to have a legacy Guest free account, then you can't use the Fastmail SMTP. So you might be sending using your ISP's SMTP server. If you are using the Fastmail SMTP server, the sending speed should be very fast if your ISP and network connection to your ISP are fast. I just sent a test email using Thunderbird on my PC using WiFi to a hotspot using my iPAD (LTE cellular connection). So the message was sent from Thunderbird over WiFi then cellular LTE to get to the Internet and then the Fastmail outgoing SMTP server. The email size (as sent) was 3 MB and it took about 10 seconds to send. Half of that was sending the actual message, and the other half was synchronizing the Sent folder copy to the server. So tell us how big the messages are (in MB) and how long it's taking to send them. Bill

15 Sep 2016, 01:59 AM	#3
haryo Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 106	Thank you for responding I haven't had much time to play with settings, but I did just try smtp.fastmail.com as suggested, which totally choked. I've been using mail.messagingengine.com for years and it works fine except lately for the occasional email that stalls out on sending. I use POP3 mail, not IMAP. I notice the Thunderbird configuration page shows the setup for an IMAP account, using smtp.fastmail.com. It doesn't show the outgoing settings for a POP3 account, unless the implication is that they are the same. Update: When a 'reply' email doesn't go I eventually get a timeout error message. However, I've discovered if I delete my signature (which is a link to a web page) the emails go fine. I disabled the AV, so that's not it. Anyway, I can live with it for now, but the intermittentness of it is curious, All my settings are as you indicate, except the outgoing setting which is mail.messagingengine.com. Last edited by haryo : 15 Sep 2016 at 02:14 AM.

15 Sep 2016, 03:26 AM	#4
BritTim The "e" in e-mail Join Date: May 2003 Location: mostly in Thailand Posts: 3,095	Not a solution to your problem, but just an explanation of why smtp.fastmail.com does not work. When using this (new) server, you must create and use an app password. This is "good" in that the password cannot be used elsewhere if the password is compromised. My guess is that network congestion is causing your problem. Sending large emails through an external mail client (like Thunderbird) is one of the first things to break, as upload speeds are usually much more constrained than download speeds. You only need a brief period of overload to have your transmission of the message to the server freeze, and the longer the send takes, the more likely you are to encounter the problem.