HOWTO HOTMAIL IN THUNDERBIRD (TD)

NOTE: specifics for linux are in red

NOTE: FIRST READ, THEN TRY
NOTE: I will not answer any mail if it seems that you didn't read this howto thoroughly
NOTE: everything between <> should be replaced with the appropriate values (forexample
<username> ==> tom)

1) Install TB:
- For windows: download the installer and install it

- For linux:
1. download the tarball (*.tar.gz ) file from the website
2. extract it: tar zxvf thunderbird*.tar.gz
3. move the folder to /opt (you have to be root)
su
type in your root password
mv thunderbird /opt
4. create a symlink so you can start it from anywhere
ln -s /opt/thunderbird/thunderbird /ussr/bin
(now you can type thunderbird to start it; if needed, add an icon with
thunderbird as the command)

2) Download the extensions:

1. Webmail: http://downloads.mozdev.org/webmail/web-mail-1-1-4.xpi
2. Webmail-hotmail: http://download.mozdev.org/webmail/hotmail-1-1-6.xpi
(those are for Thunderbird 2; for TB 1.5: http://webmail.mozdev.org/installation.html)

3) start TB

4) Go to Extra, Addons

5) Klik on install and point to where you downloaded webmail*.xpi

6) Restart TB

7) Do the same for the other extension

8) Restart again.

9) Now go to the first extension, and click on preferences: there you should see the servers
running.
!!!VERY IMPORTANT!!! If the servers are not running(for hotmail you only need smtp and
pop running): this means that you don't have enough permissions to start the servers to listen
on the standard port numbers.FIRST SOLVE THIS

To solve this:
- Windows: firewall is blocking something? Is your account an administrator account?
- Linux (2 possibilities):
1. start thunderbird as root user (although it is a normal stupidity on windows to
run all user software as administrator (aka root in the linux world), everybody
will tell you not to do so; SHORT: DON'T DO THIS, IT IS NOT SECURE)
 2. change the port numbers so they are above 1024 (be sure to change the ports
also in your server settings when you create an account.) and then start the
services pop en smtp.

10) Now go add an account and select “Webmail”. !!! Your username is your full hotmail
address. (Probably the port settings are already correct.

11) Don't download your mail yet.

Go to Extra, Addons, Webmail, Preferences, Domains
There you should see a list of some hotmail domains. If you don't probably the servers are not
running (or your firewall is blocking something.)

Linux: if the servers are running in the Webmail extension, but you still can't see the domain,
then your WebmailData directory has incorrect permissions. Give read, write and execute
permissions for your user to the WebmailData directory:
chmod 700 ~<username>/.thunderbird/<profile-directory>/WebmailData
If you have still this problem, try to disable your firewall. As root do:
iptables -F

If you don't have this list: then you will get an error “undefined is a unsupported domain”
when you try to download your email. (check your domains and servers as described before)
Otherwhise go to the next step

12) Click on the preferences button for the Webmail-hotmail extension now. Your account will
normally already be selected. For Windows Live Mail select “Hotmail Website (BETA)”
(called “Hotmail Live” in version 1.2 of webmail-hotmail extension) and for hotmail
“Webdav” or “Hotmail Website (Production)” (called “Hotmail (old website)” in version
1.2 of webmail-hotmail extension).

13) Download your mail, it will ask for a password, type it in and your mail should be
downloaded.
If you get "negative vibes from xxx@hotmail.com": this mostly means that the extension
can't understand the website. This is probably of changes to the website. Be sure you selected
the right option (Webdav, ...).

ADDED: 26-05-07
Alot of people had trouble with the error “negative vibes” after an update of the extension to Webmail
1.2, Hotmail 1.2 (also AOL 1.2, Yahoo 1.2, Lycos 1.2, MailDotCom 1.1.1). There are 2 possibilities to
solve this.
1. !only for Hotmail!: upgrade your hotmail account to Windows Live Mail(log in to hotmail
and somewhere you have to click a button with “Live” or something like that on it) and
change the mode in the hotmail extension to “Hotmail Live”.
2. Downgrade all webmail extensions (webmail, webmail-hotmail, ...):
Uninstall the new extensions. Go to this site and download the version BEFORE the latest
http://mirrors.ibiblio.org/pub/mirrors/mozdev.org/webmail
Then install those.

NOTE: You dont NEED to do the updates if there arent any security issues...
you can keep 1.1.4, 1.1.6, etc forever and it will be fine.
(solution 2 and NOTE taken from: http://groups.google.be/group/thunderbird-webmail-
extension/browse_thread/thread/ccbb33c7c6a4bda6/ )
Written by gvm999@gmail.com
Let me know your comments. Greetings!