Check all your boxes and shut off this thing -
https://content.screencast.com/users/george2534/folders/Snagit/media/09751f74-796c-42d7-9f10-a224e3880faa/11.01.2019-21.40.png

>> None of my email accounts in The Bat are set to "Compact Folders on Exit"
Strange
>> Do you think I should set them to Compact on exit?
No, you are not. But what if you really do manually compact for all your folders? Do it this to the end all of it.

>> My version is 7.0.0.56
Last 7th version is 7.4.16
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/archive-versions.php
Do the update.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think my TheBat is occasionally compacting folders on exit too, even though I have configured it not to do so (note: in addition to the setting in Account Properties, there's also a relevant setting in the properties of each separate folder). I don't know what triggers it. It doesn't freeze my system when it happens though, so I think that is a separate issue. With the sort of instability that you describe, my first suspicion would be buggy low-level software such as anti-malware or a driver. Maybe you can boot Windows in Safe Mode to see if you can still reproduce the freezing then?

My thoughts, several of which have been stated already:

1. Backup your files with Tools>Backup (just for a bit of safety...)
2. Reinstall your current version on top of the installed version. One of the options that appears should be 'Repair.' Try that and see if it fixes your problem. If it does not, repeat process, but with the newest version for your license. The URL for that was posted earlier. Only if difficulties surface, repeat process and sel ect 'Remove' and then do again for a full install.    
3. Start and then exit TB! to see if the problem remains. If there are any missing folders, restore your backup fr om step 1 with Tools>Restore.
4. Restart and check affected folders via right-click to check for compact-on-exit setting.

Not seeing the PC directly, it's difficult to advise, but attempting to repair would be my first attempt. See how it goes and let us know. Good luck.

david
   

Thank you Daniel.

I have all folders configured to NOT compress on exit

I've booted into safe mode and was able to open and close TB.  Whilst in safe mode I ran the maintenance centre, something I was NOT able to do the last time I opened TB in normal mode.  The maintenance centre wizard would run, get someway through the operation and then stall.

I then rebooted in normal mode and was able to receive messages - emailed to myself from my mobile phone - and close down the application.

So some success, but first thing this morning TB worked fine, then after I'd weeded a large number of emails and ran the maintenance centre, it still worked.  Then a little later it was back to my same problem.

I know nothing about Safe Mode, but is it likely that by opening in Safe Mode my problem might have been solved?

"my first suspicion would be buggy low-level software such as anti-malware or a driver. "  I'd be grateful if you could explain this to me?

Earlier today I ran System File Checker which didn't find any errors.

When you start Windows in Safe Mode, Windows loads only a minimal set of system drivers, and it does not run any of the programs that would normally be launched automatically at start-up and that run in the background, such as antivirus programs.

It could be that there is nothing wrong with your setup of The Bat as such, but that some other program on your system is causing a conflict with it. If you are using any anti-malware programs (antivirus, firewall, et cetera), those are the ones that I would look at first, because they tend to interfere with other programs. Does The Bat run better when you disable (some of) them? Sometimes, instabilities like these occur when multiple antivirus programs are used at the same time.

If you use Windows 10, you can manage which programs are launched at startup through the 'Startup Apps' panel in the Settings Panel.

Maybe you can disable a few of them temporarily, and reboot, to see if The Bat runs better without them. If it does, you will know that one of those disabled programs was causing the problem. Then you can re-enable those programs except for one, and reboot and run The Bat again, until you know exactly which program it is. Good luck!

Thank you to both David and Daniel.

Daniel, I now too have a suspicion that it's NOT The Bat! at fault but something else on my system.  I will try the disable/enable route, to be honest I only have about 5 Apps on startup, printer, scanner, faststone screen capture etc.

I first encountered the problem when I had both Firefox and Chrome open at the same time and (searching holidays).  A Firefox box appeared saying there was an update available, which I ran.  Then whilst browsing with Chrome, I kept on receiving a pop-up box from Firefox that an update was available, even though I'd done the up-date.

When TB wouldn't respond I noticed that Chrome & Firefox wouldn't work.  I had a sneaking suspicion that it was because TB is the programme linked to both browsers if I click to respond to a link.  I've removed both browsers.

Additionally CCleaner won't work after the crash and stalls on Clean or Analyse the Windows Thumbnail cache.  If I go to the said folder I'm unable to delete the thumbnails manually.

I have Malwarebytes Premium and Kaspersky on my computer neither are shown in STARTUP but obviously do so.  I turned off Malwarebytes, which stays off on reboot but that didn't work, turning off Kaspersky didn't work either.

I've discovered that if I reboot and don't have the previously opened apps shown, ie, just showing the  normal Windows Screen, run TB I can view, move emails to different folders and close down with no problems.  Not always but most times, indicating that it's only later that another programme is interfering with TB.

I did a Macrium Reflect image restore, as mentioned earlier, I thought that had solved the problem but it didn't.  The image was about 3 days old.  Later I did another Image restore from EaseUS which was about 5 weeks old, long before my problems.  Again after a little while the problem reappeared, suggesting that it's a software problem.

Shortly I'm going on holiday to India and return after Christmas, a few days later I'm off again to Africa, then Mexico and again to India, so I think I'll struggle along until I get a 14 day period when I can do a complete fresh install of Windows.  I can't think of any other way forward.

I haven't installed any new software programmes but the problem did occur not long after a Windows update.

Thanks to both of you.

David I've taken note of your advice but I think I might be better leaving it as it is at the moment as I have read that sometimes a restore of emails into TB has failed and people have lost everything, something which would put me on Suicide Watch!

In the meantime I'll tinker with startup!