Q: I am so sick of entering my password for iCloud email.

I just performed the new setup as suggested in the link here http://www.wilmut.webspace.virginmedia.com/notes/icloudmail.html and ensured that I could continue with a manual setup and not immediately to the create account.  Of course, my account was properly set up and besides asking me for a password every 2 minutes on the p02... smtp server, I used the one as shown in the hyperlink enclosed and suggested by you.  This works beautifully and thanks for your suggestions. I am very patient in nature, and I was experiencing this since we moved to the iCloud account last week.  Of course, we accepted all default values and were blinded with the new features and other non documented annoyances too... I am back online (without logging into the mail server).  My key chain works very nicely, and this problem is not mine anymore.

Now, I did file a bug report to Apple minutes before I read this post.

Thanks Carlos

TremDec

You are welcome.  So glad to hear it is working for you.  So far I have been working with no password prompts for over a week now. 

I followed that in Lion, which allowed me to input everything before changing back to the p04-imap.mail.me.com(Or whatever it is) information.

I'm serioulsy considering going back to Snow Leopard, on my old Macbook it was faster and much more stable. My Mac is due an upgrade, and despite having a Macbook, iPad touch 3G, iPhone 4S and iPad 3, I'm thinking of moving over to Windows. Lion is about as stable as Windows 3.0 was on my old 486DX33 DOS PC. iCloud seems to work fine with Apple mobile devices and Windows, I'll still have that and iTunes, but also a PC that works without BETA release buggy software (The reason I moved to Apple was the OS).

Role on Windows 8

Hi Samuel,

Although this is not part of the original thread, I thought I'd comment on your post.

I am an Apple Consultant Network member, and I deal with a lot of different clients and a lot of different machines.  Here's the one caveat with Lion:

It's actually a very good operating system.  Where it runs into major problems is when upgrading from Snow Leopard.  Unfortunately there seems to be many issues that are brought over from the old user Library (not sure whether it's cache files or preference files), but if you want to have a smooth running machine (and it's running poorly), you can back up your home directory.

Try doing a clean install of the OS (not sure if you have a ton of applications, but I've had to wipe several machines and start fresh).  When you copy back the data from your home directory backup, move the contents of each folder (Desktop, Downloads, Music, Movies, etc) over to the new user account that you've just established after the reinstall.

Then from your home Library, I'd only take:

Mail

Mail Downloads

Safari

Stickies Database

Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist

Assuming you're using iCloud, you don't need to bring over Application Support/AddressBook or any iCal stuff, as it will repopulate when you enter in your iCloud info.

I know it's a drag, but I've had reports every single time of the system running 100% better, night and day.

I actually have one of the Lion USB keys, so I don't actually install Snow Leopard in order to upgrade to Lion, I just do the install from that.

But I do know that it can run quite well if it hasn't brought forward any old issues (or snafus that are caused from upgrading).  I do agree that upgrades have NOT been smooth in the last year.

It's a real drag for those of us who are not computer savvy. I bought Apple largely because it was supposed to be much easier to use. Didn't know I need to be a techie—and, believe me, I never will be. Wouldn't know where to begin to do the things you are recommending. Seems like the burdent should be on Apple to solve the issues of instability.

The trick to all of this is you have to first:

1. Shut down Mail.  Next, deselect "iCloud Mail" in the iCloud preferences pane in System Preferences FIRST.  If not, it will automatically pre-populate the wrong p9X.mail.me.com server names again overwriting all your work.

2. Now restart Mail and go to preferences.  If "iCloud" mail is still showing, select it and click on the "-" at the bottom to remove it. 

3. Now follow the instructions here:  http://www.wilmut.webspace.virginmedia.com/notes/icloudmail.html (disregard that this is for Snow Leopard, it DOES work on Lion) paying attention to the use the "option" key when needed to avoid Mail automatically "creating" the account and closing out the preferences window.

4. Ensure the correct server names of "imap.mail.me.com and smtp.mail.me.com" are still there and close Mail preferences and now select "get mail".  It may prompt one last time for your iCloud password, enter it and you are done. 

Good Luck.

Well, I spent at least 3 hours on the phone yesterday plus many call backs with a "senior" tech. I literally took up all of my day and part of the evening, a lot of it waiting as it reloaded all of my mail from the cloud, and I thought we solved the problem...until this morning when it happened again. Of course, the tech I talked to is off until Friday when I will be on the road. This has been a huge waste of time. I've done everything suggested on this board including the magic bullet above and it simply does not solve the problem. Mail works fine through Safari, just not the Mail client app. It's not a Lion problem, it's a app problem.

Sorry to hear you are having such a problem. 

I would start Mail and start up "Connection Doctor" within Mail's "window menu" and initiate a "get mail" and see if you can see where the failure is at.  If Mail is trying to authenticate to a "p9X.mail.me.com" server, that is the problem.  It should be using either "imap.mail.me.com or smtp.mail.me.com". 

This is not a Mail problem since it's happening on iOS devices as well. There is no solution to this problem. Apple has to solve issues on their end. Just look around and you'll find many recent threads about this thing. How could so many people be wrong when everything worked just fine couple of weeks ago?

I agree it is an Apple mail server issue.  Apple ultimately has to fix this. 

However, trying to authenticate to either a mis-configured (or overloaded) p0X.mail.me.com server pool and not the normal imap.mail.me.com or smtp.mail.me.com mail servers is a start to getting a valid work around or a resolution to this.

If your password does not meet these requirements I would change it so that it does:

Minimum of 8 characters, including at least 1 uppercase letter, 1 lowercase letter and 1 number, no special characters.

I updated my password on the advice that it would help with this problem.  No worries remembering it as I have entered it a humdred times. 

This might help some but it did not help me.  Worked for a couple of days and then back to the same old.  Today and in particular this afternoon was horrible. 

Post your complete mail settings, server addresses and ports in use, incoming and outgoing.

And (apologies in advance if not necessary)

Does your password meet all of the requirements above (whether or not it works)

THis is to Carlos:

I followed your instructions and it worked, got me back online. However, my situation is somewhat unique.

I was using an smtp.mail.mac.com server.

so when i followed the instructions using smtp.mail.me.com i lost all my folders and files of emails that i had created in Mail. they still exist on iCloud.

So  i tried your instructions again using the smtp.mail.mac.com server and got a message that the server is not available.

My question: is there a way to migrate all my folders from icloud back to my Mail program?

Thank you, your info was really helpful

This is nutty. Apple what are you doing??? You are losing some long time loyal users!!!

I wonder if all of this is due to Apple starting the migration for former .mac users over to icloud's mail servers? Kind of makes sense with the error you got of "server is not available".  

As for your issue, my suggestion would be since you can see your mail on icloud (and it is thankfully not lost), I would try to move all your email out of the individual folders and put them all into one single folder such as your main inbox.  Then once you are back onto icloud's "servers", re-create your folders and organize your mail into folders once again.  This is just a suggestion and I am not sure this will work in your case.  If in doubt, I would call Apple support and open a case with them. 

Good Luck.