I have the same problem as reported some days ago. I have used version 2.0.0.17. And as soon as I got an email with an attachment, mainly pdf-files, the program needs up to 10 minutes to start and the mimetypes.rdf file increases up to 500 MB or more. And the program crashes as it is not possible anymore to open emails containing an attachment. This is independent of using a notebook or USB device. It working sometimes to delete the mimetypes.rdf file, but this has worked out just a few times. Now, I changed back to 2.0.0.16 and everything is fine! What's wrong?
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yta11p I have the same problem.
It appears that something goes wrong with MimiType.rdf file. Next time TBP is launched, I notice a file called 'MimeType.rdfOldReplaceInFile' is created in the same folder for only a few seconds and then deleted with the MimiType.rdf doubling in size. This ends up being megabytes and megabytes in size slowing the launch each time until it takes forever. The only fix I have found is to delete the MimiType.rdf and start again. Now, of course you need to setup the mimes for the wanted file extensions.
Does version 2.0.0.16 still work?
Where do you download it from?
Also, how do I install the older version and keep the account settings, mail and plugins?
Thanks
Frank1
I don't think this is a common issue as I have just checked my mimetypes.rdf (Thunderbird 2.0.0.17) and its only 2kb. I use TBP on a daily basis and have just over half a gb of emails stored on the profile so if the issue you describe was happening to my install it would be obvious.
My guess is its a corrupt install so the likely solution is to reinstall TBP as you have done with 2.0.0.16. Try it with Thunderbird 2.0.0.17 and see how you go. As the installers are designed to maintain the profile and settings I suggest you simply install over the top. If that doesn't work copy your profile folder into some temporary storage, delete TBP, reinstall and paste your profile to the appriate folder.
PortableApps.com Advocate
I have now reinstalled 2.0.0.17.
This is what happens on a file .pdf extension in an attachment -
1) Double click on the attachment, a popup shows some options.
2) Shows Adobe Reader as the application to use to open. Adobe Reader is me default, but at this stage I am trying out Foxit Reader. So, I change to Other and select Foxit Reader. Click check box to use this application for future.
3) .pdf document opens fine. If I close and open it again, it fine.
4) Exit TBP and launch it again.
5) Double click the same attachment. I get an error - C:\Docume~\Frank\Locals~\Temp\....pdf could not be opened because the associated helper application does not exist.
6) Open Tools\Options\Attachments then click View & Edit Actions. It now shows Open with Adobe Reader 8.1 (incorrectly).
7) After a few launches and exits there is an entry in mimeTypes.rdf that looks like a repeated filename address that is not accessible.
This is incorrect and of course the reader cannot be found.
This second line keeps doubling in size each time TBP is launched.
This socond installation is not usable as it is.
Thanks
This is a little beyond my range but I think trying to open the attachment through a portableapp using the hosts context handle is likely to cause some conflict. I suggest you do a fresh install, and save the attachment to your USB and then open it. This should avoid triggering of whatever it is causing your mimetypes.rdf file issue.
PortableApps.com Advocate
Thanks horusofoz.
You're right. Maybe if only use system default entries to launch attchments it will be o/k since no file locations are stored. I'll try it and see how it goes.
I would still like to know where to get older versions of TBP from.
Thanks
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=151265&package_id=...
Pontus Nilsson Thank you very much.
To what path do you have Thunderbird Portable installed to? Is it the standard and recommended X:\PortableApps\ThunderbirdPortable or something else? What associations have you made within Thunderbird? Did you try to associate an application on a different drive? What extensions are installed?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
1) Installation directory is Q:\Program Files\ThunderbirdPortable - not the standard recommendation.
2) The associations so far are .doc .jpg .ppt .xls and .pdf at the moment all to the windows default applications. It appears that the problem occurs when I try to associate the .pdf to another applictaion on the D: drive.
3) It's been only the .pdf that i've tried to associate to an application an another drive.
Thanks.
Only programs on the same drive are supported since this is a portable app designed to run self-contained on a single device with other portable apps.
It should ignore other drive letters, but I haven't personally tested it. What's the path on D to the app you're trying to associate?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
@ yta11p:
"...as soon as I got an email with an attachment, mainly pdf-files, the program needs up to 10 minutes to start...
And the program crashes as it is not possible anymore to open emails containing an attachment."
Since, you associate the problem with attachments, especially .pdf files, maybe you should examine 'plugin scanning' as a possible cause.
This can be disabled via Config Editor. By typing in: plugin, a preference: 'plugin.scan.plid.all' can be found, and its value changed to false. This affects all plugins. To modify a particular plugin only, its preference string value needs to be changed, accordingly.
Instructions provided here:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Plugin_scanning
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Adobe_Reader
I don't think the problem is with plugins.
I did some more testing.
When I set the extension application to:
"D:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\Foxit Reader.exe"
this location gets embedded into mimeType.rdf correctly while TBP is still running.
Then if I exit TBP and launch again, as soon as the launch is complete the entry in mimeType.rdf changes to a corrupted version of the location like this:
RDF:Description RDF:about="urn:mimetype:externalApplication:application/pdf"
NC:path="D:Q:\Program Files\Program FilesQ:\Program Files\Foxit SoftwareQ:\P..........etc........"
The Q: is my USB drive letter. This location of course cannot be found.
This must be bug in TBP.
I agree that since this is a portable application, using applications on another drive to lauch attachments should be restricted. But, I don't think that is should be restricted by corrupting the mimeType.rdf or by just giving an error message.
If the developers of TBP are reading this, then my recommendation is as follows:
1) Of course fix the mimeType.rdf corruption.
2) Since most other windows mail clients (Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Live mail) all launch attachments using windows default applictions upon instalation, I think TBP should also. Should not have to setup each file extension individually.
3) The option to launch an attachement using a different appliction from the windows default should be made available, but only as a separate setup so that out of the box, the windows default is used. But, since this is a portable mail client, it is most likely that the launching application (different from the windows default) will not be found on another computer. In this case TBP should automatically launch the attachment using the the windows default. But do not remove the setting in case the USB drive is moved back to the original computer.
In this way, after installation, or moving the USB drive to another computer, viewing attachments would just work.
This is just my view.
Thanks
This problem is a bug! I don't care what is done for this but it needs to be fixed and published.
I spent a long time to find that this was the problem. If it was on the main support page (https://portableapps.com/support/thunderbird_portable) it would have helped.
Thanks!
-Chip
This is fixed in 2.0.0.19. Settings you make going forward are preserved. You can delete your old mimetypes.rdf as it is of no use. The installer will automatically remove it if it is over 1MB in size (as it is virtually guaranteed to be corrupted... unless of course you've set over 800 extensions to open in different portable apps).
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
My preliminary tests show that 2.0.0.19 works o/k.
John, well done.
Thanks a lot for the fix John.