Mail won't download

Found the plist file and copied it back to the proper directory

That's not the proper directory.

Please follow these directions to delete the Mail "sandbox" folder.

Back up all data.

Triple-click the line below to select it:

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services ▹ Reveal

from the contextual menu.* A Finder window should open with a folder named "com.apple.mail" selected. If it does, move the selected folder — not just its contents — to the Desktop. Leave the Finder window open for now.

Quit and relaunch Mail, and test. If the problem is resolved, you may have to recreate some of your Mail settings. You can then delete the folder you moved and close the Finder window. If you still have the problem, quit Mail again and put the folder back where it was, overwriting the one that may have been created in its place. Post your results.

Caution: If you change any of the contents of the sandbox, but leave the folder itself in place, Mail may crash or not launch at all. Deleting the whole sandbox will cause it to be rebuilt automatically.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C). In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar, paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

michaelfrompompano beach wrote:

OK. I'll give it a shot.

FYI - I just found out that the mail problems started the same day my wife had to have her iPhone replaced. Seems awfully coincidental.

Are you and your wife sharing the same email account?

michaelfrompompano beach wrote:

If I delete the account and start over will I lose all the e-mails I have on the machine?

If it is a POP account, quite possibly, so backup first.

Is it a POP account or some other type?

I checked, it is a POP account.

Verify that you are using the following settings.

Important Update!

All legacy BellSouth customers have been migrated to the new AT&T/Yahoo platform and should use the Email Configuration Site.

The servers for all legacy BellSouth customers are:

Incoming (POP): pop.att.yahoo.com

Outgoing (SMTP): smtp.att.yahoo.com (requires authentication)

Incoming mail server type: POP3

Incoming/Outgoing User Name: Full AT&T email address, including domain (e.g. yourname@bellsouth.net)

Incoming mail port #: 995, secure connection (SSL) checked

Outgoing mail port # 465, secure connection (SSL) checked

Note: Your email password can/may be different from your standard FastAccess login password. Also, unlike having to log into FastAccess, your POP email log in does not require "@bellsouth.net" after the username. To change your email password check here.

If you experience any problems with your email, check your email client to verify that you are not using the old address format.

michaelfrompompano beach wrote:

Yes its a POP account.

Make a complete backup of your mail prior to removing and replacing the account.

No we dont share an e-mail account. Two separate accounts

Then the iPhone has nothing to do with this issue.

I obtained the curent BellSouth mail settings from their website, they are confusing though, eg:

Incoming/Outgoing User Name: Full AT&T email address, including domain (e.g. yourname@bellsouth.net)

Note: Your email password can/may be different from your standard FastAccess login password. Also, unlike having to log into FastAccess, your POP email log in does not require "@bellsouth.net" after the username.

I assume that you know whether or not you are using 'FastAccess' but note that the login requirements differ.

Don't know what to tell you, this site is a repository of woe from ATT/Yahoo mail users, frankly I wouldn't expect ATT to successfully make a cup of coffee, let alone anything more complicated. But that does not help you so backup, delete the account and put it back.

Please note, there is no guarantee that mobile devices are using either the same access methods or the same servers. Providers routinely use different methods for mobiles as compared to PC/Macs.

Your phone is downloading the messages first and removing them from the server. Change its settings so it doesn't do that.

OK,

In mail (on the left) is a list of your mailboxes, if you select one and right (or control) click on it the menu will include 'Export Mailbox' Selecting it will create a copy of that mailbox and its content on the desktop, do it for each mailbox and you have a complete copy.

Simpler way would be to let Time Machine or a Cloning program do it as part of a total system backup, your choice (this method will take longer if it is the first time it is done)