Problems with Roadrunner email setup

My wife just had the same problem setting up Mail 3.2 to use her Roadrunner account.

I had to use the Add Account in Mail Preferences so I could access the "Advanced" tab options.

I unchecked the "Use Authentication" box and it worked great.

Roadrunner tech support could not figure this out even after 2 escalations BTW.

After a day of diddling with this problem and online chat with RoadRunner, I fixed my mail problem by setting authentication for SMTP to "NONE", per one of the posts here.

Here's what worked for me:

SMTP server: smtp-server.nc.rr.com (nc=North Carolina)
user id does NOT include "@nc.rr.com"
port =25
uncheck SSL
Authentication "NONE" (this is the one that got me)

POP Server: pop-server.nc.rr.com
port=110
user id does NOT include "@nc.rr.com"

Online chat at roadrunner.com with HELP personnel was actually useful, though they left out the part about no outbound authentication. Good luck.

Solution found!

Like, tribus said on the first page of this topic, "the main issue with RR SMTP is that they don't require outbound (SMTP) authentication"

Solution:
Under the SMTP server configuration, select the "Advanced" Tab. Pull down the Authentication menu and select "None". Click OK.

Done!

I also set the custom port to be 25 even thought that is coved by the default (just to make sure Mail does not choose the wrong one).

My mom uses RoadRunner by Time Warner. She was able to receive email using Leopard and Mail but not send. SMTP server was the big problem like everyone else here experienced. We finally were able to get it to work using many ideas here. What we did:

1) Delete com.apple.mail.plist from the User/Library/Preferences folder (BACK UP YOUR EMAIL FIRST)
2) Open Mail and create a new account but disable the automatic set-up feature, put your info in manually.
3) Uncheck " Use only this server" from the outgoing mail
4) Under the Advanced tab on Mail Prefs "port set to 25", Uncheck "SSL" box, and uncheck "Use Authentication"
5) Now hit Create

It took Mail about 20 minutes to contact the SMTP server, but it did and now I can send and receive Mail without any problems on her computer.

Bad Apple...stop criticizing MS and Vista when your own house is not in order yet. Hope this helps someone out there.....

thanks ajmac125 - your suggestions got my roadrunner email working. As others have written, fixing the pop server required an uncheck of the ssl box.

For smtp- when I tried to send a test email, the error message box contains a button the edit the outgoing server and this gets to the same mail preferences box as going to Mail>Preferences
1) In Mail - preferences select advanced and in the smtp server authentication drop down list select 'none'
2) next I unchecked the 'use only this server', but got another error message on the test email about a null server, so I once again checked 'use only this server'

Now I can send and receive email.

Sometimes the simplest solution is best: My husband had the same problem using Mail to check his RR account on his MacBook Pro. Turns out that the smtp server was not correct in the Preferences setup. At least for Southern CA users, the smtp has changed to smtp-server.socal.rr.com. You may want to double-check your local Roadrunner's smtp setup vs. what's listed under your Mail Preferences.

I'm using 10.5.4 and I've been having the same problem with my Road Runner e-mail account all weekend. I could receive incoming mail and RSS feeds just fine, but outgoing mail was giving me an SMTP server error every time. I've been playing around with the settings and now have it working, these are the settings I'm using:

Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Account Information

Incoming Mail Server: pop-server.tampabay.rr.com
User Name: user ID (does not include"@tampabay.rr.com")
Password: your password

Outgoing Mail Server: smtp-server.tampabay.rr.com
Use only this server: checked

If you click on the drop down menu for the smtp server and choose "Edit Server List..." and choose the Advanced tab for these settings:

Server port: 25
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): unchecked
Authetication: None

Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Advanced

Port: 110
Use SSL: unchecked
Authentication: Password

Hope this helps anyone else having similar problems.

Just to clarify your instructions. Even though I unclicked automatic set-up feature, it still tried to connect to each server after i typed in the field. I just hit "Cancel" and it allowed me to move to the next step. People also may be confused in step 4 when you refer to the "Advanced Tab". The "Advanced" is listed in the "Accounts Preferences" box AND the "Edit Outgoing Server" imbedded options.

To get to the outgoing SMTP server info you have to pull down the "Outgoing Mail Server" box to select "Edit Server List..."

From there, you have an "advanced" option. And to specify No Authentication there is no check box, instead it's a pull down menu that says "None".

There was also no *create button*, only closing the preferences window asked you "SAVE/ DON'T SAVE"

That did the trick for me and now receiving and sending mail from insight.rr.com here in Columbus, OH.

I suffered from the same problem all I did to resolve this issue was to go to advanced options uncheck the authentication drop down menu save it by clicking on light switch (general) and save changes and it worked like a charm. Thanks for all of your help

Message was edited by: lilmoon

Message was edited by: lilmoon

Same issue here, and neither Roadrunner nor Apple could help.
Fixed it by selecting Authentication None, Default ports selected, SSL off.
Works now.

It's already been mentioned but bears repeating, the main issue with RR SMTP is that they don't require outbound (SMTP) authentication, which is the default set up on Mail. Unfortunately, the Road Runner documentation is not very good on this subject but tech support was helpful.

Thanks to your post I am able to now send mail with Roadrunner. I could receive but not send. Roadrunner could not help me. Using your steps I saw that there was no password in the incoming mail server. When I put my password in I could send mail. Thanks.

Settings for Leopard Mail with Roadrunner.

Preferences>Account
This is assuming your name, email, password and incoming (pop) mail server are correct.

Under account information tab set:

Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) to None and uncheck Use only this server.

Under Advanced:

set Port to 110
uncheck Use SSL
authentication to Password.

Save settings

Worked for me...

To access the Advanced Tab that relates to Outgoing servers, you should only need open Mail Preferences/Accounts/Account Information, and click on the up/down arrows beside the name of the SMTP being used as the Outgoing Server. Then choose Edit Server list, and then choose the Advanced Tab.

Ernie

One of my clients had the same issue in New York City. I thought I had fixed the problem by switching to port 25, but the problem has returned. I have a feeling that Road Runner is blocking port 25. The auto-setup thing in Mail uses another port (I believe it was 995). Next thing I have to do is speak to Road Runner about which port is useable.