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Mail won't send but can receive-different from other posters.

J

Joekiss

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 23, 2007
6
0
Hey guys/gals and thanks in advance! I can not send mail from Apple Mail but can receive. What's strange is that I can send from my office at school, but not at home. I was able to as of a month ago but can not do it now. What's especially strange is that my wife can do it from her computer with the same Apple Mail settings and I can send from my iPhone on my home network. Both of my accounts (Gmail and school) will not send from home. I didn't make any changes, so I can't figure out what happened. I even went in and deleted my mail pref files to no avail.

I have Cox Communications running OS 10.5.6 with Gmail outgoing set to:
Using default ports with SSL with smtp.gmail.com. My username and pswd is correct.
My school account is set to the default ports with what I had before for the smtp server name that worked before.

Overall, I think my setting should be fine because they work at school. I just don't know why my computer won't allow it to send from home.
 
This issue has been brought-up on this forum too many times to count.

As a security measure, Cox Communications has probably blocked access to foreign SMTP servers for outside accounts. The simplest solution is to use your Cox smtp server. You may also try to access the Gmail SMTP server on Port 587.

You may search the forum for additional information.
 
I don't think it's Cox

I hate Cox's email. But personal differences aside, I don't think it's Cox. Firstly, it worked a month ago. Secondly, my iPhone (with the same accounts) will send while connected over my home network, and my wife can send from Apple Mail on her computer on the same network with Gmail. Any other ideas?

EDIT:
I checked the forums before posting. I could find similar problems, but none of their solutions worked (deleting pref files, changing SSL, different port numbers, etc).
 
Joekiss said:
... Firstly, it worked a month ago. Secondly, my iPhone (with the same accounts) will send while connected over my home network, and my wife can send from Apple Mail on her computer on the same network with Gmail. Any other ideas?

EDIT:
I checked the forums before posting. I could find similar problems, but none of their solutions worked (deleting pref files, changing SSL, different port numbers, etc).
Click to expand...
What happened a month ago is good to know, but is not determinative of what is happening now. ISPs change policy--particularly security policy. As for the iPhone, it explicitly is supposed to successively try each server in your SMTP server list until it finds one that works. Although I would hope that the desktop/laptop version of Mail would do the same thing, apparently it does not. Instead, the desktop/laptop version of Mail asks the user for permission to change accounts when it fails to send a message.

The fact your wife can use Gmail is useful information, but it is the only useful information that you have given. You have not given enough information to allow me to generalize it into a solution for you.
 
Tried a couple things....

If my wife/iPhone/iBook can send through the same network then doesn't that mean the security settings of my ISP can't be involved? What other info would you like? I pulled out my old iB (5+ years old) and plugged in all the mail settings and was able to send from both accounts from that over the same network (home) so I'm convinced it's my current computer (MBP). I also tried using my MBP plugged in instead of WiFi to no avail.
 
Joekiss said:
If my wife/iPhone/iBook can send through the same network then doesn't that mean the security settings of my ISP can't be involved? What other info would you like? I pulled out my old iB (5+ years old) and plugged in all the mail settings and was able to send from both accounts from that over the same network (home) so I'm convinced it's my current computer (MBP). I also tried using my MBP plugged in instead of WiFi to no avail.
Click to expand...
You appear to be fixating on hardware. It can't be hardware. Well--it could be, but a hardware problem would not be limited to your ability to access SMTP servers.

Your problem is almost certain that you do not have the correct account settings on your MacBook Pro. You need to set your wife's computer side-by-side your MBP. Go through each setting simultaneously. Look for differences.

If you want to continue this exchange, then you will need to share some relevant information:
  • The name of your mail provider.
  • The name of your ISP.
  • The OS on your wife's computer.
  • The OS on your MacBook Pro.
  • The OS on your old iBook.
  • How each computer accesses the Internet.
 
I wasn't focusing on hardware because I thought the hardware was the culprit. I was using the hardware to try and prove it couldn't be an issue with the ISP. I wanted to prove that it was an issue with some kind of pref or setting on my MBP. Comparing the settings was one of the first things I tried. I've run out of ideas so I've wiped the system and redid Mail. Now it's working. Thanks anyway for your help.
 
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