Suddenly cannot get mail through Apple mail

[millardmac]

as of yesterday Apple mail will not download mail from two of my accounts with Gmail. It keeps asking for password which i keep entering but with no success. I can go straight to gmail and access my account using same password. but not through Apple mail. On one occasion a box popped up saying that the certificate of authentication was not valid and that I may be being directed to another site???? I have other email addresses that it is still downloading fine, but they aren't with Gmail. I also download my mail to my i-pod touch and that is still working fine. Someone please help!!!

 

[Fishrrman]

There have been numerous complaints similar to yours, made by folks who have upgraded to Snow Leopard. That is to say, the Mail.app can no longer connect to get mail, that it "keeps forgetting the password". A friend has had all sorts of problems just like this.

I believe the core of the problem is not with the Mail.app itself, but rather with the Keychain and in the way pre-existing password keys that have been "migrated into" SL from Leopard interact with the Mail.app.

Here's what I'd suggest:

Open Keychain Access (utilities folder) and DELETE _ALL_ existing password keys relating to GMail. Then re-lock and quit the Keychain Access utility.

Try logging into Gmail again -- you WILL get asked for the password, because the old ones are deleted.

Re-enter the password. If you get a dialog asking if you want Keychain to remember it, YES, you do want that to happen.

See how it goes afterwards.
May work.
May not.