Can't send email with mail.app or MozT-Bird

I am not always impressed with the knowledge of ISP support people, and Mail, although it is good to hear yours has some Macs. I am pasting in some general comments, I often offer, to explain all the questions I ask about server authentication -- it may help clarify why a person may need to first have and authenticate an incoming account with their ISP their SMTP.

There are even some ISP who provide two different SMTPs -- one for use when at your home venue, and another when traveling. The one for use at home is not authenticated by password, but by the IP address of the modem, and it is further pointed out that the second one (authenticated by password) will NOT work when at home -- this is platform and mail client universal, and not limited to Macs and Mail. The one with Password Authentication is needed when on other networks, such as in hotels and cafes. But not all practicing this form of home system authentication are so explicit in their description.

When authentication of the SMTP is what is called POP3 before SMTP (or SMTP after POP3), no user name is appended to the name of the SMTP, and some providers will explicitly direct that SMTP authentication be set to None, but others may be less explicit, depending instead on samples of setting up an account in a common mail client such as Outlook Express. There are not exact parallels in the dialogues for this between Outlook Express and Mail, but it can be interpreted, with care. In the SMTP after POP3 type of authentication, the redundant step of separate authentication of the SMTP apparently times out and fails, rather than explicitly being refused access.

When the name of the incoming and outgoing servers seem the same, it can often be that SMTP after POP3 authentication is being used, but not always.

This can also result with cable broadband providers, who can authenticate you for sending, based upon the IP address in the modem they provided you.

When an ISP provides no separately authenticated SMTP, there may be no way to send mail when at a hotel, cafe or other hotspots. This is one of the advantages of having a .Mac account (or also a Gmail account), and the use of an authenticated SMTP. Of course certain providers of home networks block this and other third party SMTP on Port 25, and thus the often seen discussions about changing the port for smtp.mac.com to 587 (also can impact the smtp.gmail.com use, and I believe they specify using 587).

These are general comments, and are not directed at your situation, but only to detail some things that can be different, and to explain why I can be repetitive about the exact steps taken to Authenticate -- the difference can be very hard to spot.

However, I am still worried about why I cannot ping their SMTP!

Ernie

Ernie - Thank you for further suggestions. In answer to your question; Yes, Outbox.mbox is in the first level of the Mailbox folder, and there are NO messages in that folder.

Also, i have removed and reconfigured one of my earthlink accounts (per their instructions) and that has allowed me to receive mail (on both accounts!), but there is still zero (and I mean ZERO) action when I hit the send button. ????

Actually it sounds like our problems are a little
different. It sounds like you can connect to your
.mac account with your mac. I cannot connect to any
email server with my mac. My "alternate" account is a
windows box (which I hate with a passion, I'd love to
turn it into a doorstop).

Now I can't send from any account. This is getting worse rather than better. -Robert

Robert,

Using About Mail, from the pull-down under Mail in the Menubar, what is the version of Mail reported? In the Applications folder, and control-clicking over Mail, and using Get Info, what is the version of Mail reported?

Are you currently running 10.4.2, as your Profile reports?

No messages in the Outbox.mbox means Mail did not try to send -- if tried and failed they would be there, unless you otherwise removed them?

Ernie

Since last posting, I have tried to research everything online about email with your ISP, and not just relating to Macs -- not much shows up.

Can you do a screen grab or print screen on your PC, and email me. I don't think you should make that public, although not much will be revealed. My email address can be found by clicking on my name to the left, and looking in my Profile at the bio line.

The shots I would like to see are from mail account setup where the Outgoing Server Settings can be seen -- use Eudora, since I have some examples to compare to.

Just reviewed your very first post, and you mention Onyx. I was working on another problem with mailboxes with someone, and noted some troubles with Mail, Tiger and Onyx. The latest version of Onyx was released Jan 17th, according to what I can find -- did you have the latest one when using with Tiger in the time frame reported? Do you regularly use Onyx?

Ernie

Are you able to use the iBook away from home? If so, with what server?

Ernie

Been to that page, but it is not much, as you said.

Set up for Eudora on Windows appears to have limited, and therefore probably some defaults entry for Authentication, if the info at the link below is accurate, for "allow authentication":

http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/kb/2363hq.html

A link for Eudora on Macs is in the next link for another ISP:

http://www.ispmgt.com/support.php?action=article&qid=16

but is very silent on authentication.

Ernie - Both in the pulldown menu and in control-clicking the mail folder the version is 2.0.2. I am still running 10.4.2 and have been for months with no problem. Again, I don't know if this is related (except in time) that the problem with Mail did not surface until my aborted download of the 10.4.4 update. I only mention it as the similar problems with Mail also seem to be with 10.4.4

What happened at the time of the aborted download of 10.4.4? Was it only when downloading, or were other phases of an update in progress?

How are you connected to the internet, and does this inhibit such downloads?

Ernie