New ISP - not receiving email

Question

I have a relative with an eMac running 10.3.9. She recently switched to a new ISP and is not receiving email in Mail. She has to use web mail to retrieve it. Sent mail goes out ok from Mail, web-surfing works. She revised the account information in the previous email account in Mail, typing in the new email address, password and server info. I believe the problem is that she should create a new email account in Mail and disable the old account (archive and delete). Any ideas to resolve the incoming email issue? I will try my idea tonight and report whether it works or not.

Answer 1

Hi RarelyDan,
Welcome to the Apple Discussion forums!
You may wish to try the troubleshooting tips found in Apple's Mail Help:
"If you can't receive email, try the following:
▪ Send yourself a test email. The mail has to go out through your outgoing mail server and back into your incoming mail server. This is a good basic test of your account and server information.
▪ Make sure your computer can perform other Internet tasks, such as opening a webpage. If not, choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Network. Choose Network Status from the Show pop-up menu. A green dot indicates that you are connected to the Internet or a network. If you aren't connected, go to the Finder and choose Help > Mac Help, then search for "Connecting to the Internet."
▪ Choose Mail > Preferences and click Accounts. Verify your account name and password. Your account name will usually be either your email address ([email protected]) or the part of your email address to the left of the "@" (tclark3). If your Internet service provider (ISP) lets you access your email via a web browser, you may be able to verify your name and password there. If the same information does not work using a web browser or your ISP doesn't offer a web-based mail option, confirm your user name and password with your ISP or network administrator. Remember to type your email password, not your Mac OS X user account password or ISP password (if different).
▪ Find out if you can reach your incoming mail server from your computer. Open Network Utility, located in Applications/Utilities, and click Ping. Ping is a simple network testing tool that shows whether a server computer is running and can be reached from your computer. Type the mail server name (such as mail.mac.com) or IP address in the address field, and click Ping. If you see 10 repeating lines, then the server can be reached. If you see a message such as "ping: unknown host bogus.apple.com," then the server is either down or unreachable.
▪ Mail works with the following account types: POP, IMAP, .Mac, and Exchange (only if configured as an IMAP server). You can't log in directly to Hotmail, AOL, or any service that does not support POP or IMAP access, and retrieve email using Mail.
▪ If you have an IMAP account, it may be placed "offline" if Mail can't access it. Choose Mailbox > Online Status. If you see the choices Go Online or Take Account Online, connect to the Internet, and then choose Mailbox > Online Status > Go Online.
▪ Make sure there is no firewall software blocking email traffic. A firewall works by selectively blocking network traffic. Mac OS X has a built-in firewall, which you turn on and off using the Sharing pane of System Preferences. Open System Preferences and click Sharing, then click Firewall. Make sure your firewall is off.
▪ You may be affected by another firewall, either software installed separately from Mac OS X or built into an Internet sharing router, or administered by your ISP or network administrator. Contact the appropriate person to find out whether a firewall may be in place.
▪ If you have changed options (such as Use SSL or Authentication) in the Advanced pane of your email account preferences, check with your ISP or system administrator for the correct settings."
post back if still no luck or you have additional questions or comments,
LS