Getting Started

Getting Started at the Office (On Campus)

We have started converting all faculty and staff who were using Eudora to Thunderbird. If you have not already been converted, you will recieve an email at some point about setting up a time to be moved to Thunderbird. Please DO NOT install it yourself. This is very important! Thunderbird on campus needs DIFFERENT settings than Thunderbird at home. ITS-set requirements and standardizations help us give you better program support and ensure that important files get backed up.

Getting Started at Home

Installation

If you are using Thunderbird on campus, you will also need to switch to using Thunderbird at home. Here is how to do so:

Go to the Thunderbird webpage and download a copy of the program by clicking the 'Download' button.
Double-click on the Thunderbird installation icon (called 'Thunderbird-setup. Should be located on your desktop) to run the setup wizard.

The default options during the install are fine. Agree to the licensing statement and then click next until the setup is complete. The final step of the setup will automatically start Thunderbird.

Account Creation

After Thunderbird starts up, follow these instructions:

Thunderbird should automatically ask you for your name, email address and password. If the box in which to enter these does not automatically pop up, click on "Create a New Account" on the main screen, or go to File, New, Mail Account.
Type in your name and email address and click 'Continue'. The specifics of your mail account will be entered for you.
Click "Create Account."

Additional Configuration (Junk mail, security, etc.)

After you click 'Finish', the Account Setup wizard will close and Thunderbird will prompt you to enter your password. After you have entered your password, follow these instructions to continue setting up your account:

In the 'Tools' menu click on 'Run Junk Mail Controls in folder'. Click OK on the message that pops up.
As you use Thunderbird regularly, make sure to mark Emails you want considered junk. This will help Thunderbird determine which emails you consider junk.
You can delete your junk mail at any time by clicking on 'delete mail marked as junk in folder' in the 'Tools' menu.
In the 'Tools' menu click on 'Account Settings'.
Click on the option at the left called 'Composition & Addressing'.
Under the section 'Composition' select 'Start my reply above the quote' from the drop-down menu.
Click 'OK' to apply these settings.
In the 'Tools' menu click 'Options'.
Click on the icon 'Composition' along the top of the window.
Where it says 'Forward messages:' select 'Inline' from the dropdown menu.
Click on the button that says 'Send options'.
Under 'Text Format' select 'Send in both plain text and HTML' from the dropdown menu.
Click 'OK', then when the 'Send' window closes click 'OK' again to apply these settings.

You should now have a working Thunderbird account.

Note: If you came to this help page because you wanted to install Thunderbird on your personal computer so you could archive email out of your Goshen College email account, following are the remainder of those instructions:

Thunderbird will have both IMAP folders and Local Folders. Your email that is on the Goshen College email server is located in the IMAP folders area. Anything you place in the Local Folders area will be located on your computer's hard drive.
To archive your email off of the Goshen College email server you will need to "move" those messages from IMAP to Local Folders. Folders cannot be moved from IMAP, only individual messages. If you wish to file the messages into folders in the Local Folders area, you will need to first create new folders under Local Folders, and then move the messages.

Check out our Extensions page for fun and useful add-ons to the program. For help, check out the Thunderbird Help sections, the F.A.Q.'s, or contact the Helpdesk by or phone (ex. 7700).