Mail Won't Retrieve From Comcast

I agree with Mulder, this is not an Apple issue.

Make sure your Comcast Mail Server Settings are as follows:
Thhe Comcast Mail server settings are as follows:

Outgoing mail (SMTP): smtp.comcast.net
Incoming mail (POP3): mail.comcast.net

If you can access this link it might help: http://help.comcast.net/content/faqtree/internet/6f4541ab-5423-47fb-a700-1080651 8e4d7

And more help here for Comcast/Macintosh:
http://help.comcast.net/content/faqtree/internet/6f4541ab-5423-47fb-a700-1080651 8e4d7#98630721-2e3a-447f-835c-3ed6466792d4

Also, if you can at least log onto the Comcast site, in the link above for Macintosh, click the Ask Comcast link for one on one help. Also, I may have duplicated some info as I posted my reply almost at the same time you posted yours. Sorry...

Carolyn 🙂

Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

What are your current settings for your Incoming and Outgoing mail (server names, port numbers, authentication method, and SSL status for each)? This is not an Apple issue, it's Comcast or your system, so don't let them convince you that it couldn't possibly be their fault.

Mulder

Well, if it works on the iBook, then perhaps your Mail preferences are corrupted. You can find out by trying this:

1. Quit Mail if it's running.
2. Go to Home/Library/Preferences and remove the com.apple.mail.plist file to the Desktop.
3. Restart Mail and setup your account(s) again; Mail will import all your existing messages automagically.
4. If Mail downloads your mail from Comcast again, then we know your issue is resolved and you can delete that file on your Desktop.

Mulder

HI Larry,

Have you tried disconnecting everything, turn off Airport too. Shut down your Macs. Wait about 5 minutes, boot the Macs. Reconnect the Comcast modem, then restart Airport. You can restart Airport from the Menu Bar. My fingers are crossed.

Carolyn 🙂

Frustrated as you may be, upgrading to Leopard *will not* solve your problem; it will merely bring a problem to Leopard that you wouldn't normally have to begin with. The problem is something with your Mail configuration or a file that Mail uses or depends on to work properly. But unless we can identify that specific component or components, it's hard to offer a resolution.

At this point your best option is probably to do an Archive & Install, with the option to Preserve Users and Network Settings. This will install a fresh copy of 10.4 while putting the old one in a folder named Previous System, which you can delete, since it will never work again. If you do it as specified, you will not lose any programs or settings.

You would then need to use Software Update to bring your system current under 10.4.11. And before you do this, you should Repair Permissions, and repair them again after you've completed all the updates.

Mulder

I'm suggesting an Archive & Install of OS X, with the option to Preserve Users and Network Settings.

But before you do that, try quitting mail, go to Home/Library/Mail/your Comcast account folder and delete the MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded2 file. Then restart Mail and see if that makes any difference in resolving your problem.

Mulder

I'm running Mail from 10.4.11 on iMac w/ Comcast and started experiencing problems retrieving mail from server a few months ago as well as the annoying authentication pop up. I tried all suggestions from this board, but the problem keeps recurring: 1) msgs are on comcast server, but Mail fails to retrieve and 2) constant pop up asking for authentication.

If I start up my old copy of Netscape-- which I no longer use since about a year ago-- I can retrieve the messages that Mail will not. My spouse has continued to use Netscape on a different iMac and has no problems retrieving msgs/constant authentication pop ups. This means the problem is either w/ Mail or Mail specific w/ Comcast.

I'm running 10.5.5 on an iBook G4 and my wife is running 10.4.11 on a MacBook Pro. We both have been having intermittent problems with Comcast emails and the Mac Mail program, but recently it has been so bad that every time we open the Mail program it keeps popping up the box asking for our passwords. This happens while at home, connected to Comcast as the ISP and also when our laptops are brought into work while trying to access Comcast mail (using the Mac Mail application) through another ISP.

I have seen this problem described on other help forums, but there doesn't seem to be a solution posted anywhere. It seems to fix itself for a month or so, then starts doing it again. Very frustrating and unreliable!

I am having the same problem. The password box keeps popping up, but putting in a password does nothing. So we just hit cancel. The mail comes in and goes out. Connection Doctor says all is okay. The settings from comcast are correct. Once in a while we get a message that mail can't be sent from smtp.comcast.net, so if I switch it to smtp.comcast.net:btodonnell, it works. But that smtp is not suppose to be there and comcast says it should be just smtp.comcast.net. This happened a while ago, went away for a while and just came back in the last month or so. We can get mail through comcast website without any problems, so it has to be a Mail thing. It is annoying that this keeps happening and that there doesn't seem to be a solution here either!

I've been having the same problem for weeks - except - I can eventually download mail after typing in passwords on both my active accounts several times over. It usually is a sporadic thing, but this morning it was constant. I had a Comcast tech on the phone for 30 minutes, and he was baffled and thought it might be a server problem. I've only had this since downloading 10.5.4 and 10.5.5. It seems worse since .5. I've tried using a variety of changes to my ports, and nothing really makes a difference. The basic 110 incoming (no SSL) and 25 outgoing is what Comcast recommends.

I've been having the same problem. I seemed to fix it by going to Utilities, accessing Keychain Access, and selecting Passwords. I deleted the mail.comcast.net password. I then went to the Preferences in Mail, and reset the ports so that the outgoing server port was 587, and the incoming was port 110. No SSL on either. I quit Mail, restarted it, typed in the password when prompted and checked save to Keychain. So far, so good.

Deltarcharlie: I tried your approach (delete passwords in keychain, then change server settings in mail) and mail is once again retrieving msgs. and haven't got the annoying authentication/password popup after the initial login. I'm suspect, however, as I've gotten Mail to retrieve msgs. from Comcast server in the past after changing passwords/server ports only to have the same problem surface after several days or weeks. Something is hosed w/ Mail/Keychain apps.