New Mac Mini can't send mail, but can receive

Hard to say. Do you have another computer with a working email installation that you can double check your settings? Is there a web page offered by your email provider that tells you all the information you need?

What was your previous computer? Could you send mail from this location on the previous computer?

Right now, there is not enough information provided here that anyone could use to begin to help you. I think it would be helpful if you could provide what are your current smtp account settings. smtp server name, smtp port number, whether using SSL or not, type of authentication for smtp server, is the account offered by your ISP or third party, and who is your ISP.

One thing is for sure, I didn't find Roadrunner's http://help.rr.com/HMSLogic/emailhelptopic.aspx to be very helpful.

For the heck of it, for outgoing mail port, try custom port instead of default port and enter 25, 465, or 587 singly each one at a time and see if that buys you anything. If they use SSL (and that wasn't apparent to me from their help page whether they do or not) you would likely want to try username/password authentication for smtp.

Also, you might take a peek in Keychain Access and delete any existing entries that pertain to anything wi.rr.com. Mail would then re-prompt you for that account login information when it attempts to connect to the smtp or pop servers.

If the old computer was Leopard, have you tried copying over your $HOME/Library/Mail and $HOME/Library/Mail Downloads folders and your $HOME/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist file to the new computer?

Have you called the ISP and told them that the old computer works fine and the new computer with identical account settings doesn't and that you would like to doublecheck with them the account settings (type of account is POP? what is POP port?, what is SMTP port? verify pop and smtp server names, using SSL on POP? On SMTP? Do they use password authentication on SMTP? (If they use "None" that implies they use the WAN IP address to authenticate -- if its one of theirs, your good)

I don't think reinstalling Mail will gain you anything.

At least we know who the ISP and mail provider is, maybe another user/helper that has the same provider can weigh in here. I do not use rr.com so any other advice from me at this point would be like drawing random straws.

I was helping out a friend with a similar problem with RR in Southern California. Turned out the fix was to set "Authentication" to "None" in the advanced tab of SMTP server setup. After that, sending emails worked fine.

-Kpluck

It's in /Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app

Not that this helps, but I am having the exact same problem with my new mac mini. I can access my e-mail on my G4 and Macbook but not on the mini.

This happens to me intermittently.

I always call my ISP as generally there is something going on with their server configurations. Occasionally they seem to muck around with their servers for outgoing mail.

If the first level of technical support isn't helpful, I politely ask to go up the food chain until I reach a competent tech who is conversant with the Mac OS who tinkers around with the settings -- there are also ways they check the connection on their end.

I have never failed to get on-line although sometimes it's a bit tiresome -- but dealing with any form of tech support generally is.

Richard,

There's something wrong in your SMTP settings. Re-enter them from scratch and make sure that you're using only the new settings. (Sometimes Mail will choose the wrong setting if it has a choice of SMTP servers.

-Wayne

Here's my latest dilemma with a little background.
• I used migration assistant to transfer files from G4 with 10.4.1.1 to Mini
• this created a new user on the mini
• while I'm logged on as the new (former G4) user (also an admin), I can't access or send mail through Mail
• when I log on as the main admin user, I can access and send mail through Mail
• Mail settings/preferences are exactly the same for both users
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

I hope I am not stating the obvious, but have you considered setting up a google account for free and seeing whether their smtp server works?

This way you could check whether the problem really is your software or whether there might be an issue with the configuration. It shouldn't take you more than 20 mins to set up:
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=13275 (just remember to enable it in google too).

You might even be able to use the smtp server of google or some other free provider to send email from your regular address.

Lori,
If you [started a new thread|http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa#postquestion], you might get direct answers.
-Wayne

Jan UK,

+You might even be able to use the smtp server of google or some other free provider to send email from your regular address.+
This has privacy implications, since your [agreement with Google|https://www.google.com/accounts/TOS?hl=en] (see Section 11) gives them copyright. Free? TAANSTAAFL.

Richard has an SMTP configuration issue with his ISP.

[The Roadrunner SMTP settings for Milwaukee|http://help.rr.com/HMSFaqs/e_SmtpAuth.aspx?Topic=E-mail#macmail]:
+Make sure the Outgoing Mail Server: is set to smtp-server.wi.rr.com+
+Select Password from the Authentication: drop-down box.+
+Type your e-mail in the User Name: field.+

If he's elsewhere in Wisconsin, he'd need to substitute new for wi in the settings.

_*Roadrunner uses password authentication for SMTP.*_

-Wayne