You're right Roberto. I have just carried out an experiment. I saved my Thunderbird address book as a csv file, then logged into my Yahoo webmail account and asked it to import the csv file. It located it and displayed all the email addresses ready for import. (you had to select the addresses you wanted to import, in case there are some redundant ones). It then says it will send an email to each contact to inform them of the change of address to Yahoo. Obviously I didn't complete the action, because all these contacts know me as a Yahoo client anyway. But no doubt I could perform the same operation with the BTYahoo account. I think that is the way I will probably go.

Thunderbird (TB) is just a mail client on your PC for reading (via POP3 or IMAP) and sending (via SMTP) emails from any email a/c's. You can use any mail client to do this. You have been using TB exclusively to access all your a/c's. You have not complicated things by using it. You may continue to do this.

You can continue reading your existing Yahoo a/c without any change,

However to continue sending from your existing Yahoo a/c you need to change its Outgoing SMTP Server to port 587 with authentication (see http://help.yahoo.com/l/uk/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/pop/... ) because that BT link effectively says they are blocking the normal SMTP port 25 of other providers ("you will only be able to send email when using your BT Yahoo! Mail account settings").

If you like you may add the BT Yahoo! Mail account to your TB set of accounts as a further a/c, completely separate from your existing Yahoo a/c.

I think you are going off on a tangent by considering dropping TB and starting to use the BTYahoo account by webmail.

I think you are still confused by not understanding that TB accesses exactly the same Yahoo a/c's as does Yahoo webmail.

You can continue to to use what you have always used.

OK, I give up.

I had convinced myself that the easiest option would be to adopt the BTYahoo option when I go live. I must admit though that I do like Thunderbird, and would be loath to give it up.

So if anyone can give me step by step instructions on what I need to do to make TB work with BT, I would be only too happy to give it a try.

There is a guide on the BT Help site, but I guess it was written a long time ago, as I run the latest version of TB, and some of the screen shots and instructions in the guide, bear no resemblance to what I actually see on screen when I try it.

Over to you.

Brian

You need to add the new email account and change the outgoing port settings. As I don't have TB loaded here I cannot easily assist but someone will have TB installed and can take you step-by-step.

I'm sure others here will stand back and let just one person take you through it ...

You don't seem to realise that TB and the BTYahoo option are 2 completely independent things. You can utilise either, both or none as you wish.

The BTYahoo option is just another email a/c, that BT are offering you, that may be accessed many ways, including via TB or Webmail. You don't have to use it.

All you need do is change the Outgoing SMTP Server to port 587 Authenticated in TB on your existing account, to stay as you were.

There seems absolutely no advantage in taking up the BTYahoo a/c when you already have a Yahoo a/c, esp. as you would need to inform everyone of your new email address.

The OP will need to use the new account - or at least monitor it as it will be the one BT uses to send out reminders and information.

Thanks XrayspeX. I am perfectly aware that TB is a completely different & independant thing to BTYahoo, and that I can use either or both, as has been pointed out by others. The whole point of my question was to try to decide which path to take

Perhaps you could explain where you get port 587 from, as the BT help guide states port 25. Or is that now incorrect due to the guide being old, as I stated previously.

Brian

Good point MHC. Even if I don't use the email address for general use. But if I set up a new BTYahoo account in Thunderbird, any mail from them will be downloaded with my normal Yahoo mail. And as XrayspeX says, I will not need to inform all my contacts about the change of address.

Ah, OK!

He could jut use it solely for that and still use his existing a/c for his friends.