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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Microsoft Entourage - "Communication device does not exist"
AkleyMac - Feb 15, 2006 - 2:19 pm
Hi,
I am asking this question on behalf of my distraught grandmother, as she is not very confident online.
She has recently tried to install the software for Toucan broadband using the CD which was supplied, by Toucan, with the USB Broadband modem. She has since given up trying to install it, and is now back using her old dial-up connection, with all the same account settings as before.
Safari and most other web-based applications work fine using the dialup link, but now, when sending and receiving mail with Microsoft Entourage, she gets an error message saying "Selected communication device does not exist. Please verify your settings and try again."
As all other web-based applications work fine, I can only assume that it is a problem with Entourage, but this Toucan disk does not appear to have changed any of the account settings, and all of the PPP settings appear correct. I am at a complete loss, and getting frequent phone calls from her asking me what to do. Any suggestions you could make would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
I am asking this question on behalf of my distraught grandmother, as she is not very confident online.
She has recently tried to install the software for Toucan broadband using the CD which was supplied, by Toucan, with the USB Broadband modem. She has since given up trying to install it, and is now back using her old dial-up connection, with all the same account settings as before.
Safari and most other web-based applications work fine using the dialup link, but now, when sending and receiving mail with Microsoft Entourage, she gets an error message saying "Selected communication device does not exist. Please verify your settings and try again."
As all other web-based applications work fine, I can only assume that it is a problem with Entourage, but this Toucan disk does not appear to have changed any of the account settings, and all of the PPP settings appear correct. I am at a complete loss, and getting frequent phone calls from her asking me what to do. Any suggestions you could make would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom
LovesMacs - Feb 15, 2006 - 4:16 pm
Hi Thomas,
Interesting that I caught your post. I just had Comcast connect me for high speed internet and I was about to insert the CD with the software and the cable tech stopped me and said that the software provided can sometimes be incompatible with the Mac OS, even if it's the most recent 10.4.4. What my cable guy did is have Comcast "force" my connection while he had Safari open and the cable modem connected via Ethernet. You might try to get a Toucan tech out to see if that can do it the same way.
Now, have her launch Microsoft Entourage. In the Menu top of the Desktop, click Microsoft Entourgage>Preferences. Somewhere in the window that opens there should be preferences you can set as far as mail is concerned.
Thomas, can you look on her Mac and get the exact Mac OS she is running please? If you aren't familiar with Macs, on her Desktop, click the Apple logo top left of the screen. Then click, "About This Mac". A pane will appear and tell you exactly which Mac OS version number, ie., 10.3.9 10.4.4 ????
Is she completely up to date on her Software Updates? To find out, have her get online, then click the Apple logo top left of the screen, then click, "Software Updates". A window will open and scan the hard drive for any updates she might need. It's very important to make sure all software/firmware is up to date.
Also, if she doesn't run Disk Utility, this is a must. Disk Utility is located in the MacintoshHD>Applications>Utility folder. Launch Disk Utility. Select, "Macintosh HD" in the panel on the left. Then click, "Repair Permissions". That takes about one minute to run. Disk Utility is one of the grestest utilities ever! She should run Disk Utility to Repair Permissions at least once a week. It can fix a myriad of problems and if she ever has problems with her Mac, the system disk(s) that came with it can check and fix errors on the drive!
Thanks for choosing Macosx.com
Regards,
Carolyn :-)
Interesting that I caught your post. I just had Comcast connect me for high speed internet and I was about to insert the CD with the software and the cable tech stopped me and said that the software provided can sometimes be incompatible with the Mac OS, even if it's the most recent 10.4.4. What my cable guy did is have Comcast "force" my connection while he had Safari open and the cable modem connected via Ethernet. You might try to get a Toucan tech out to see if that can do it the same way.
Now, have her launch Microsoft Entourage. In the Menu top of the Desktop, click Microsoft Entourgage>Preferences. Somewhere in the window that opens there should be preferences you can set as far as mail is concerned.
Thomas, can you look on her Mac and get the exact Mac OS she is running please? If you aren't familiar with Macs, on her Desktop, click the Apple logo top left of the screen. Then click, "About This Mac". A pane will appear and tell you exactly which Mac OS version number, ie., 10.3.9 10.4.4 ????
Is she completely up to date on her Software Updates? To find out, have her get online, then click the Apple logo top left of the screen, then click, "Software Updates". A window will open and scan the hard drive for any updates she might need. It's very important to make sure all software/firmware is up to date.
Also, if she doesn't run Disk Utility, this is a must. Disk Utility is located in the MacintoshHD>Applications>Utility folder. Launch Disk Utility. Select, "Macintosh HD" in the panel on the left. Then click, "Repair Permissions". That takes about one minute to run. Disk Utility is one of the grestest utilities ever! She should run Disk Utility to Repair Permissions at least once a week. It can fix a myriad of problems and if she ever has problems with her Mac, the system disk(s) that came with it can check and fix errors on the drive!
Thanks for choosing Macosx.com
Regards,
Carolyn :-)
LovesMacs - Feb 15, 2006 - 4:20 pm
Hi Thomas,
Interesting that I caught your post. I just had Comcast connect me for high speed internet and I was about to insert the CD with the software and the cable tech stopped me and said that the software provided can sometimes be incompatible with the Mac OS, even if it's the most recent 10.4.4. What my cable guy did is have Comcast "force" my connection while he had Safari open and the cable modem connected via Ethernet. You might try to get a Toucan tech out to see if that can do it the same way.
Now, have her launch Microsoft Entourage. In the Menu top of the Desktop, click Microsoft Entourgage>Preferences. Somewhere in the window that opens there should be preferences you can set as far as mail is concerned.
Thomas, can you look on her Mac and get the exact Mac OS she is running please? If you aren't familiar with Macs, on her Desktop, click the Apple logo top left of the screen. Then click, "About This Mac". A pane will appear and tell you exactly which Mac OS version number, ie., 10.3.9 10.4.4 ????
Is she completely up to date on her Software Updates? To find out, have her get online, then click the Apple logo top left of the screen, then click, "Software Updates". A window will open and scan the hard drive for any updates she might need. It's very important to make sure all software/firmware is up to date.
Also, if she doesn't run Disk Utility, this is a must. Disk Utility is located in the MacintoshHD>Applications>Utility folder. Launch Disk Utility. Select, "Macintosh HD" in the panel on the left. Then click, "Repair Permissions". That takes about one minute to run. Disk Utility is one of the grestest utilities ever! She should run Disk Utility to Repair Permissions at least once a week. It can fix a myriad of problems and if she ever has problems with her Mac, the system disk(s) that came with it can check and fix errors on the drive!
Thanks for choosing Macosx.com
Regards,
Carolyn :-)
Interesting that I caught your post. I just had Comcast connect me for high speed internet and I was about to insert the CD with the software and the cable tech stopped me and said that the software provided can sometimes be incompatible with the Mac OS, even if it's the most recent 10.4.4. What my cable guy did is have Comcast "force" my connection while he had Safari open and the cable modem connected via Ethernet. You might try to get a Toucan tech out to see if that can do it the same way.
Now, have her launch Microsoft Entourage. In the Menu top of the Desktop, click Microsoft Entourgage>Preferences. Somewhere in the window that opens there should be preferences you can set as far as mail is concerned.
Thomas, can you look on her Mac and get the exact Mac OS she is running please? If you aren't familiar with Macs, on her Desktop, click the Apple logo top left of the screen. Then click, "About This Mac". A pane will appear and tell you exactly which Mac OS version number, ie., 10.3.9 10.4.4 ????
Is she completely up to date on her Software Updates? To find out, have her get online, then click the Apple logo top left of the screen, then click, "Software Updates". A window will open and scan the hard drive for any updates she might need. It's very important to make sure all software/firmware is up to date.
Also, if she doesn't run Disk Utility, this is a must. Disk Utility is located in the MacintoshHD>Applications>Utility folder. Launch Disk Utility. Select, "Macintosh HD" in the panel on the left. Then click, "Repair Permissions". That takes about one minute to run. Disk Utility is one of the grestest utilities ever! She should run Disk Utility to Repair Permissions at least once a week. It can fix a myriad of problems and if she ever has problems with her Mac, the system disk(s) that came with it can check and fix errors on the drive!
Thanks for choosing Macosx.com
Regards,
Carolyn :-)
AkleyMac - Feb 17, 2006 - 1:25 pm
Hi again Carolyn,
I don't think she's got all the updates, so she says she'll run the updater, and I told her to run Disk utility. I also suggested that she try getting Toucan to force the connection as you said, but they said that they do not offer support to Mac users, and the nearest ISP that would was in Oxford (a good 40 miles away), and they wanted £230 to connect her!
Anyway, she's trying to get broadband now from her original ISP, and hopefully the updates will sort out Entourage. Thanks for all your help.
Regards,
Tom
I don't think she's got all the updates, so she says she'll run the updater, and I told her to run Disk utility. I also suggested that she try getting Toucan to force the connection as you said, but they said that they do not offer support to Mac users, and the nearest ISP that would was in Oxford (a good 40 miles away), and they wanted £230 to connect her!
Anyway, she's trying to get broadband now from her original ISP, and hopefully the updates will sort out Entourage. Thanks for all your help.
Regards,
Tom
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