remove smtp servers from accounts

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Level 1

9 points

remove smtp servers from accounts

Yosemite 10.2 (14C109) updated 1/29. Mail Version 8.2 (2070.6)

As a result of my ISP's change to mail servers, I had to delete my old POP and SMTP connections and set up new IMAP and SMTP connections for the two accounts we have here. SMTP looked the same externally, but there were differences in ports, etc.

I have a lingering problem, though. One of the smtp connections I thought I'd deleted is still detected by Mail and used as the default. This zombie account will not send. Mail allows me to select one of the new outgoing addresses and it sends fine from either. When I launch Connection Doctor to delete the connection, it only shows the others -- 2 Comcast and Gmail. System Preferences > Internet Accounts doesn't show it either.

Where do I go to remove this zombie account?

thanks

Posted on Jan 30, 2015 8:22 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 30, 2015 11:14 AM in response to PDSArlington

Look at: Mail / Preferences / Accounts. The bottom line shows one Outgoing Mail Server. Click on that, then select Edit SMTP Server List... If the offending server is in that list, select it and click - (minus sign). Save changes.

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Answer 2

PDSArlington Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 30, 2015 1:05 PM in response to Eustace Mendis

Unfortunately, no.

The left pane shows the three current accounts. When I select each, the right pane displays the current new settings.Thus:

Three and only three accounts. Somewhere in the bowels of the system, there's another one, maybe three. See the message that Mail returns when I hit Send.

The default is the bottom one. The Celeste account is authentically offline. I deleted comcast.net, but it's still here. Same for the outgoing account smtp.comcast.net. At a guess, OSX deleted the incoming accounts but not the outgoing.

Probably putting too much info on an open net, but I figure there's a window, screen or even command line somewhere to clean up the mess.

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Answer 3

Jan 30, 2015 1:12 PM in response to PDSArlington

The last screen shot says the "sender address was rejected" by comcast.

Suggest you get in touch with them and ask what is going on.

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Answer 4

PDSArlington Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 30, 2015 1:41 PM in response to Eustace Mendis

Easy answer to that one: they changed their mail protocols around December 1.

Try as I might, I wasn't able to edit the settings through Mail or Internet Accounts, so two created two new Mail accounts using Comcast's new IMAP and SMTP protocols, then moved the messages I wanted to the the new Mail accounts. Brute force. Not elegant.

As far as either Mail or the system is concerned, both of the old POP mail accounts are gone. The old smtp accounts not so much. Mail still defaults to the old smtp account with the wrong port and other settings, which Comcast kicks back.

Which loops back to my original question of who to get rid of the old smtp account. The tools I know of won't display it so I can't delete it.

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Answer 5

Jan 30, 2015 1:55 PM in response to PDSArlington

Try this:

1. Quit Mail.

2. Click on the desktop so Finder is active. Hold the option key down and click on Go in the menu bar.

3. Select Library from the drop down.

4. In Library, select Mail.

5. In the Mail folder navigate to MailData.

6. In that folder move the Accounts.plist file to the desktop.

7. Close everything and restart Mail and test.

If Mail is working right, you can move the Accounts.plist file from the desktop to Trash. Else move the file back MailData.

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Answer 6

PDSArlington Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 31, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Eustace Mendis

Add one step after 6 and you've got it. I opened Accounts.plist and edited out the section for the account named smtp.comcast.net, then copied the edited file back into the library folder. Mail wanted to know my new default, but that's fine.

Reminds me a bit of editing Registry keys in Windows without the constant fear to nuking the entire system.

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