Mail won't retrieve messages any more.

I have a PowerBook G4 running OS X Panther. My Mail application no longer retrieves my mail messages. I am having to run my web mail account, which is getting the messages but is obviously more of a pain to use. I can see one message in my status bar and activity report, and it also says that I have another "92 Messages" or whatever is coming, depending on how many I've opened and read in webmail.
The "receive" function seems stuck on the first message, then seems to time out, give up, and give me the "no mail" alert sound. Any suggestions?

Sometimes messages left on the server clog up the account there, or Mail chokes on a message it cannot download and that prevents it from downloading the rest as well. Solving this problem will probably require removing one or more messages from the server. Assuming this is a POP account, what are your Preferences > Accounts > Advanced > Remove copy from server settings?
You may tell Mail to remove from the server all the messages that have already been downloaded by means of Preferences > Accounts > Advanced > Remove now. Alternatively, if the account allows web access, you may also remove messages from the server that way.
Try removing from the server messages that have already been downloaded and/or the first message(s) not downloaded yet (i.e. the message(s) that Mail appears to be choking on).
You may want to try to download those messages with another mail client such as Thunderbird first, to avoid losing them — and use Eudora Mailbox Cleaner to import them back into Mail afterwards if you wish.

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Mail won't retrieve messages from ISP

Please tell me this is my ISP's problem, not my iMac's! I have 2 email accounts, one with my ISP and another with a spam-filtering service. As of yesterday, Mail no longer retrieves messages sent to my ISP email address, although it does retrieve from the other account. I know I have messages, because I can log in to webmail and read them there--but what a pain. My ISP, a small local outfit, seems overwhelmed, and I can't get through to support--so I'm guessing this is their problem.
If not, any suggestions! Many thanks!

Anything in the Deleted Messages box?
First Quit Mail, then I'd backup these two Mail folders, by right clicking on them in the Finder, then choose Archive/Compress.
Users/YourUserName/Library/Mail
Users/YourUserName/Library/Mail Downloads
(Could be a different folder here if you chose such in Mail Prefs)
Right click on that Mail folder, choose archive, you'll get everything in the folder, and the folder itself in a file called Mail.zip, move it to a safe place, same for the Mail Downloads folder... only the plist is separate.
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
I'd get EasyFind...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11076
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/8707
Search your whole drive for...
.emlx
Case Insensitive, Show Hidden, how many do we find? Sort by Date, when are the first & last?

Mail won't retrieve messages from my primary Comcast account

Apple Mail, Version 2.1 (752/752.2), downloads emails from my yahoo.com and gmail.com accounts, but it has suddenly stopped downloading emails from my primary Comcast account to my G5 iMac. I get no error messages.
Trying to retrieve email in Apple Mail can sometimes cause the Comcast email server to classify all unread messages as read. If Mail is set to "remove copy from server right away after retrieving a message," then all of my new messages are deleted from the Comcast server before I ever see them, even though they have not been retrieved.
Curiously, the only emails that Mail can access from my primary Comcast account are those that have been automatically forwarded from my secondary Comcast accounts. (Just out of curiosity, I tried manually forwarding a message from my primary account to my primary account; it could not be retrieved by Mail.)
My wife and daughter, on the same hard-wired ethernet LAN, have no problem accessing their primary Comcast email accounts with Mail on their Macs (MacBook and G4 iMac). Our settings for Comcast accounts seem to be identical on all three computers.
Perhaps coincidentally, I also have Comcast Digital Voice VoIP telephone service, and this email problem started while Comcast was troubleshooting problems with my voicemail. I use separate cable modems for phone (Arris TM402P) and Internet (Motorola SB5100).
I've tried: 1) rebuilding all of the mailboxes in my Mail Inbox; 2) deleting all of my emails on the Comcast server and emptying the trash; 3) setting the outgoing SMTP mail server on all of my email accounts to Comcast; 4) repairing permissions and running maintenance scripts; 5) shutting down the computer overnight; 6) Comcast support -- they try, but then give up and say that they don't support Apple Mail.
I'd appreciate any assistance.
iMac G5 1.9GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1 GB RAM

This problem was apparently caused by one of two things: 1) trying to use Mail with an AIM.com IMAP account; or 2) corruption somewhere in my Rules and Mailboxes.
I had to rebuild my POP accounts from the ground up. First, I backed up Mail preferences and messages. After quitting Mail and deleting the preference file com.apple.mail.plist and the Mail folder from Users/Home/Library, I launched Mail and created new accounts and new rules.
Prior to this issue, I had been using Apple Mail for three years to retrieve POP mail from Comcast and other accounts. This was my first experience with IMAP.
iMac G5 1.9GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Mail won't retrieve messages?

Hi there
I just got my first mac, a MacBook Pro. I have been setting it up today, and all was going well. I logged in my mail account and it was retrieving all my emails from my hotmail account (past messages that I have already read). Then randomly it stopped working, I can still use the app, but it has stopped receiving emails, even though it is not yet up to date. I have received new messages that came through on my iPhone but nothing on my mac. I have tried opening Mail's activity monitor and then clicking get mail. It connects to my hotmail account, says checking for new mail, the switches to "preparing to retrieve new messages" and stays there for quite a while, then eventually just goes blank. Any ideas what the problem is? I have tried closing the app and opening it again, restarting the computer etc.
Thanks in advance for any help

Judy,
Welcome to the Discussions.
If you Upgraded from 10.4.11 or earlier to Leopard 10.5.6, it is probably what has been covered by the support document at the link below:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2537
If you also find any files named to include MessageSorting (which would mean you once have upgraded from a version of OSX earlier than 10.4), remove those, also, but never restore those.
To find the correct location for the Mail folder, open a Finder window, click on the icon of a house in the Sidebar (this is known often as "Home"), click on Library in that Home user directory, and then to open the Mail folder found there.
Ernie

My Apple mail will not send messages any more.

It will receive. I called Comcast and they said it is an Apple problem because I could send from the comcast site. I am using OS X 10.6.8 on a 4 year old 15 inch MacBook Pro. This started last evening when I tried to send a 330 kb message. I deleted that one and tried others. Nothing will send.
Kathy

Hello Maeo,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
To troubleshoot this issue where you are unable to send email, please follow the steps in the article below.
OS X Mail: Troubleshooting sending and receiving email messages
Cheers,
Alex H.

Mail won't retrieve Gmail messages

Since yesterday afternoon, Mail won't retrieve any of my email messages. It sends my messages from both my accounts, including my Gmail account, but stays a long time "preparing to retrieve" only my Gmail messages, until the activity closes as if there were no messages to retrieve (no retrieve or connection error messages or sounds) although they are still in my gmail.
I haven't changed any settings at all. I use OS X 10.7.5. Connection doctor says everything "succeeded"
Thanks for any help

Step 1
Take this step only if you have more than one incoming mail account, and only some of them are affected by the problem.
From the Mail menu bar, select
Mail ▹ Preferences ▹ Accounts
From the account list on the left, choose one of the accounts that is not giving trouble. Select the Account Information tab if not already selected, and then uncheck the box marked
Enable this account
Repeat with each of the other well-behaved accounts. Don't disable the problem accounts.
Step 2
From the Mail menu bar, select
Window ▹ Connection Doctor
Click the Show Detail button. A drawer opens. Click Check Again and post the text that appears. Anonymize any personal information before posting.
Step 3
If you took Step 1, re-enable the disabled accounts.

Mail won't retrieve my gmail messages since this afternoon. Can anyone help me?

Since this afternoon, Mail won't retrieve any of my email messages. It sends my messages, but stays a long time "preparing to retrieve", until the activity closes as if there were no messages to retrieve (although they are in my gmail).
I haven't changed any settings at all. I use OS X 10.7.5.
Thanks a lot

Hey debdan1,
Thanks for the question. I understand you are experiencing issues with your email account retrieving new emails. The following resource may help to resolve your issue:
OS X Mail: Troubleshooting sending and receiving email messages
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3276
For additional help, see this resource:
Apple - Support - Mac Apps - Mail
http://www.apple.com/support/mac-apps/mail/
Thanks,
Matt M.

Mail won't retrieve Junk from Hotmail

Hello, I recently began using Mail on my iBook to retrieve my hotmail account. Everything works great except for the junk mailbox in the hotmail account. Mail won't retrieve any of these messages. I have to log back into hotmail and place the junk into my inbox, which Mail receives fine. In checking settings on both accounts I don't find anything which obviously prevents the junk in hotmail from being sent to the junk box in Mail. Is there a workaround or a setting that I don't have correct? I searched for this problem but haven't seen it mentioned before.
Thanks.

Hi Jbird1023, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Not many helpers look into Solved topics for people needing help.
It's quite acceptable, even preferable to start a new topic of your own, it will get more individualized attention, and many more helpers!
It can be hard to sometimes find where to start a New Topic, so here's the link...
http://discussions.apple.com/post!default.jspa?forumID=753

5800 XM won't start up any more, please help!

Dear anyone,
I have a brand new 5800 XpressMusic which, after only a few days, won't boot up any more.
I heard a couple of beeps and when I was at my phone, it was already blacked out and wouldn't start up any more. Even after hanging on the battery charger for over 4 hours, it won't get back to life. I have tried everything I know about Nokia's but no reaction so far. Please help me!!!
Message Edited by dropp_it on 17-Feb-2009 03:18 PM
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hold down, green, red and camera key and press power button and keep holding those three buttons all the time.
Teo
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Latest news, Error Fixes, Modding, Tutorials, and of course a detailed forum with professional support for every single user.
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I had multiple copies of the library and i tried to move 1 to trash and now i have broken icon and my mac won't boot up any more can i fix this from home or do I need to go to the genius bar?

I had multiple copies of the library and i tried to move 1 to trash and now i have broken icon and my mac won't boot up any more can i fix this from home or do I need to go to the genius bar?

Go to the genius bar. You've mucked up your MBP OS and it requires a hands on repair.

Mail has stopped retrieving messages from Yahoo

Mail has stopped retrieving messages from Yahoo email account. I deleted the account, cleared Safari history and recreated the account. Successfully retrieved all folders and contents of folders but no messages. Watching the Activity, it appeared to be retrieving the messages but none appear. Looking at the log, I can see FETCH error server. Not sure where to go from here to resolve the issue. Thanks for your help.

Based on what I've read in the forum, Yahoo mail has been having some problems.
Mail troubleshooting - Yosemite
What does Mail/Window/Connection Doctor Show? If the server is red, select it and look at the Show Details box.
Troubleshooting sending and receiving email messages
Troubleshooting sending email messages
SMTP servers keep going offline

Mail won't retrieve Gmail messages on my iPad

I have no problems with any other email accounts in Mail on my iPad, but Gmail just won't retrieve emails. I have done everything that people recommend. Deleting the account and re-adding using Gmails instructions. I've made sure IMAP is enabled in Gmail. I have set a device specific password. I have disabled captcha in Gmail. I have also tried: turning off the account and turning it back on (in system), turning of Mail and turning it back on, turning off the iPad and turning it back on. Everything. I have deleted and re-added the account 3 times now. Each time it has verfiied the device specific password, but any time it checks my gmail account, it just says "checking for mail..." and then retrieves nothing. Help!

No, it shows absolutely nothing in the "Inbox" area, even when I had my husband send a brand spankin' new message, that I hadn't clicked on or checked in the browser of the iMac Mail client. I think it's pretty weird, too, but I haven't found anything that will help, other than just checking in the "All Messages" area of the account.

Mail won't retrieve

hi ...
my second imac is running mac os 10.6.8 and mail 4.5. i haven't used this one for a few weeks, and it won't retrieve mail any more - keeps telling me my password is wrong. it will send. all my other devices (ipad, iphone, other imac etc work fine).
presumably a transition from mobileme to icloud issue?
i've tried deleting the account and setting it up again, but it won't now recognise my password.
any suggestions? i asume (hope) it's something relatively simple.
thanks ... !

Ok, this is strange. When I clicked "Get Info" and the messages on the server were populating, he message immediately following the two that keep downloading (the first of the messages that won't download) registered as 6.3k. After the "Get Info" window populated with all of the messages on the server, it restarted again from the beginning, except this time, it listed the message as 0k. Now, all of a sudden, Mail starts to download the messages, and everything is working fine again. But, this will happen again. It keeps stopping and then starting back up mysteriously like this. Any idea what could be going on? I think it has to be a bug in Mail that needs to be fixed, but I have no idea what to report to Apple. Thanks again for your help!

Mail Won't Retrieve From Comcast

I'm running Tiger and Mail 2.1 on a G4 iBook and an Airport network which has a MacBook on it, too. Comcast says my mail settings are correct & problem is with Apple. I've read nearly every message available on this board for this topic and tried most of the recommended solutions. Result so far is that Mail connects to Comcast much faster than before but still won't download anything. I re-installed OS X this A.M. (archive & install), obtained all appropriate updates, repaired permissions. Connection Doctor shows all accounts connecting & logging in successfully. It still won't download messages that I can see on the server.
I've tried to get mail from this account on the MacBook (running Leopard) and got nothing.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I agree with Mulder, this is not an Apple issue.
Make sure your Comcast Mail Server Settings are as follows:
Thhe Comcast Mail server settings are as follows:
Outgoing mail (SMTP): smtp.comcast.net
Incoming mail (POP3): mail.comcast.net
If you can access this link it might help: http://help.comcast.net/content/faqtree/internet/6f4541ab-5423-47fb-a700-1080651 8e4d7
And more help here for Comcast/Macintosh:
http://help.comcast.net/content/faqtree/internet/6f4541ab-5423-47fb-a700-1080651 8e4d7#98630721-2e3a-447f-835c-3ed6466792d4
Also, if you can at least log onto the Comcast site, in the link above for Macintosh, click the Ask Comcast link for one on one help. Also, I may have duplicated some info as I posted my reply almost at the same time you posted yours. Sorry...
Carolyn
Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

Mail won't retrieve new messeges?

I have an ongoing issue with Mail, where periodically, Mail refuses to retrieve any new messages from my POP server, even though new messages exist, and the messages actually show up when you select Get Info on the account. Yet, they refuse to download, and Mail acts as if no new messages exist when attempting to download the new messages.
This problem has been going on for a while (few months), popping up every couple weeks for a few days at a time, and then all of a sudden, everything works fine again, and all the messages download. I've tried deleting preferences and disabling/re-enabling the account to no avail. It's really frustrating, because I can't use Mail to view my messages, and am forced to use another mail client (like Thunderbird, which works fine) or webmail. Is anyone else experiencing an issue like this, or know how to rectify it?
Thanks for any help!

Ok, this is strange. When I clicked "Get Info" and the messages on the server were populating, he message immediately following the two that keep downloading (the first of the messages that won't download) registered as 6.3k. After the "Get Info" window populated with all of the messages on the server, it restarted again from the beginning, except this time, it listed the message as 0k. Now, all of a sudden, Mail starts to download the messages, and everything is working fine again. But, this will happen again. It keeps stopping and then starting back up mysteriously like this. Any idea what could be going on? I think it has to be a bug in Mail that needs to be fixed, but I have no idea what to report to Apple. Thanks again for your help!

Mail won't retrieve messages any more.

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