Thank you for your suggestions, gentlemen. I apologise for the delay in replying. I especially appreciate that your schemes, which seem broadly similar at first inspection, are aimed at fixing Thunderbird as opposed to flitting to another mail client. I have been struck by warnings of doom over that because Thunderbird is not helpful to attempts to leave.
I understand that I must seem pathetically timid of this aspect of things but even the vocabulary you have both used in your explanations is beyond my ken! Cocking it up through misunderstanding is not an option which I can afford.
My idea is to spend a couple of days trying to get to grips with what you have explained, trying to convert it all into a series of progressive steps. I am more than likely to ask for some clarification. Please don't hesitate, even for a moment, to tell me if any thoughts come to you which might help - especially to make things simpler. Thank you once again.
Last edited by Cameronian; 11th June 2012 at 15:10.