[X4U] Question on Mail Behavior

[Randy B. Singer]

On Sep 27, 2008, at 11:28 PM, Ed Gould wrote:

> I am having a problem/issue with my ISP. His mail server  
> intermittently (guess here) is to busy to respond. Up until the  
> latest update to mail everything seemed "OK".
> Now on 2.1.3 (753.1) in mail. When the server is busy what happens  
> is a window opens and Apple Mail  asks for your password.
>
> I am probably going into the hospital next month for a few weeks. I  
> normally let the email running and retrieve the mail off the server  
> every ten minutes.
>
> How can I get mail to *NOT* ask for a password  if the server is  
> slow/busy/whatever. I would prefer for it to stop and wait for the  
> next retrieval NOT ask for a password).
>
> This would be extremely nice as I don't want to be bouncing my  
> email because the server is being a jerk.
>
> Is there a way to do this? (not ask for password)

Lots of folks are having this problem.  The best  explanation I've  
heard is that Mail is sending the password before Comcast's server is  
ready  to receive it.

I don't know how to get around this if you aren't present.  I've  
personally been able to get around it by clicking on Cancel and  
trying again.  If you could come up with a program that automatically  
clicked on Okay, and which allowed Mail to try again, that might  
work.  Okay, Okay did this for OS 9, but I don't know of a program  
that will do this for OS X.

What I recommend is that you turn off Mail's auto-download feature  
while you are away and retrieve your e-mail when you get back.  In  
the meantime you can check your e-mail via Comcast's Webmail interface.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________