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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Reinstalling Apple's Mail Program
scamperjack - Jul 4, 2005 - 8:30 am
When I upgraded from dial-up to DSL, Apple's Mail program stopped being able to send messages out - got the "can't find port 25" message. After a couple days talking to my ISP techs they finally suggested I try a different mail program - I downloaded Thunderbird and I was back in business. Only problem, I have a large advertising database separated into groups back in Mail. So the only thing I can think left to do is to reinstall Mail. I started to work from my OS X.3 disc but got a little nervous when it said I already have a newer version of OS X installed (I downloaded a minor X.3.? upgrade). Can I just download a clean version of Mail to install or do I need to go back to reinstalling from my original OS X.3 Can I just install Mail that way without any complications to worry about?
baldprof - Jul 4, 2005 - 11:45 am
There's a program called Pacifist that will allow you to install a single program such as Mail. You can find that here:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743
scamperjack - Jul 5, 2005 - 6:36 am
Pacifist sounds good, but how do I get to a copy of Mail to reinstall?
baldprof - Jul 5, 2005 - 7:06 am
You run Pacifist; it will then install the program of your choosing from the Mac OS X disk.
scamperjack - Jul 11, 2005 - 6:22 am
I downloaded Pacifist, I re-installed Mail and am still getting the "can't find port 25 message" What is going on here? I tried everything I could in the regular Help menu, like re-setting up the account in Preferences.
baldprof - Jul 11, 2005 - 6:26 am
I am sorry, but I have no idea what the problem is. I'll have to put this back into the open pool.
Fire - Jul 12, 2005 - 2:06 am
Congratulations on your new DSL connection! I bet it would be twice as exciting if it weren't so problematic!
For some background on what the error message means, ports refer to "channels" over the TCP protocol. TCP is just a way for computers to communicate pseudo-securely and confidently over the internet (IP). Ports are almost like frequencies on a radio, or an extension on a phone number to make the addressing system support multiple "connections" at a time. Each connection would have to be on a separate port. POP (Post Office Protocol), which is probably what you use in Mail, uses port 10. SMTP (Send Mail Transfer Protocol), the protocol you use to send e-mail over the internet, uses port 25. So it's clear that you're having an issue with employing port 25 in order to _send_ mail as opposed to _receive_ it.
DSL works very differently from dial-up in that the latter uses a completely different connection protocol called PPP. The reason why your Mail program is giving you the error "can't find port 25" probably has to do with it thinking that you're still using dial-up related TCP/IP settings. So, my assumption is that the problem lies within the Mail settings somewhere. However, it could also be related to your computers ability to use TCP/IP at all.
I have some questions that, if answered, will help me identify your problem better:
1) Is this the only problem you're having with your new DSL connection? Are you able to surf the web and use other internet services without trouble?
2) When you receive the error message from mail, is there a number with it (ie. 102)? If this is the case, it means that there is a connection issue with your computer and the remote host (your smtp server). If not, it probably is having issues initializing the connection at all.
Quickfix idea:
Try first quitting mail and then moving the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist to the desktop. Afterwards, re-start Mail. Was your problem fixed? If not, move that .plist file back to its original location (replace the new one that was made).
Hope I can help! Please write back,
Wes
For some background on what the error message means, ports refer to "channels" over the TCP protocol. TCP is just a way for computers to communicate pseudo-securely and confidently over the internet (IP). Ports are almost like frequencies on a radio, or an extension on a phone number to make the addressing system support multiple "connections" at a time. Each connection would have to be on a separate port. POP (Post Office Protocol), which is probably what you use in Mail, uses port 10. SMTP (Send Mail Transfer Protocol), the protocol you use to send e-mail over the internet, uses port 25. So it's clear that you're having an issue with employing port 25 in order to _send_ mail as opposed to _receive_ it.
DSL works very differently from dial-up in that the latter uses a completely different connection protocol called PPP. The reason why your Mail program is giving you the error "can't find port 25" probably has to do with it thinking that you're still using dial-up related TCP/IP settings. So, my assumption is that the problem lies within the Mail settings somewhere. However, it could also be related to your computers ability to use TCP/IP at all.
I have some questions that, if answered, will help me identify your problem better:
1) Is this the only problem you're having with your new DSL connection? Are you able to surf the web and use other internet services without trouble?
2) When you receive the error message from mail, is there a number with it (ie. 102)? If this is the case, it means that there is a connection issue with your computer and the remote host (your smtp server). If not, it probably is having issues initializing the connection at all.
Quickfix idea:
Try first quitting mail and then moving the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist to the desktop. Afterwards, re-start Mail. Was your problem fixed? If not, move that .plist file back to its original location (replace the new one that was made).
Hope I can help! Please write back,
Wes
scamperjack - Jul 13, 2005 - 8:40 am
Wes, Baby, You're the Man! Moving com.apple.mail.plist to the desktop did the trick. When I went back to Preferences I saw where Mail created a new file with that name. In case knowing the answer to your two questions is still helpful - 1. sending was the only problem - surfing, etc was OK 2. No number with the error message. So what housekeeping do I need to do to clean up long term? Delete the plist I moved to the desktop? What else? If you can explain what we're doing as we go along, I will send a report to the other techs who have unsuccessfully tried to help me. Thank you SO MUCH! - Jack
Fire - Jul 13, 2005 - 9:30 am
Jack,
Awesome! I'm so glad that worked.
.plist files are simply files used primarily to store settings and information for most applications written for OS X. Apple's Mail program stored its settings in that com.apple.mail.plist file located in ~/Library/Preferences. Moving it out of that preferences folder let your Mail program "forget" all the things it remembered about your computer, how you like your window sized, etc.
My guess is that somewhere in that preferences file there is a tag that remembers what kind of internet connection it's going to use. When you changed your ISP, the Mail program was still remembering about your old one, causing the connection problems you had. Giving Mail a way to start fresh will let it analyze your current system settings for your current internet setup and store it.
Before you delete that preference file on your desktop, make sure you flip through all of the settings you have on Mail and be positive that you didn't lose any valuable information by starting fresh. If everything looks ship-shape, you're free to delete that bad pref. file. If there is important information you're missing, I can help you extract it from the old preferences file.
That's all you need to do, man! Just set up mail the way you want it and those settings will be re-stored in the new preference file. No need to worry.
So glad I could help! Don't hesitate to reply with any further questions.
Cheers,
Wes
Awesome! I'm so glad that worked.
.plist files are simply files used primarily to store settings and information for most applications written for OS X. Apple's Mail program stored its settings in that com.apple.mail.plist file located in ~/Library/Preferences. Moving it out of that preferences folder let your Mail program "forget" all the things it remembered about your computer, how you like your window sized, etc.
My guess is that somewhere in that preferences file there is a tag that remembers what kind of internet connection it's going to use. When you changed your ISP, the Mail program was still remembering about your old one, causing the connection problems you had. Giving Mail a way to start fresh will let it analyze your current system settings for your current internet setup and store it.
Before you delete that preference file on your desktop, make sure you flip through all of the settings you have on Mail and be positive that you didn't lose any valuable information by starting fresh. If everything looks ship-shape, you're free to delete that bad pref. file. If there is important information you're missing, I can help you extract it from the old preferences file.
That's all you need to do, man! Just set up mail the way you want it and those settings will be re-stored in the new preference file. No need to worry.
So glad I could help! Don't hesitate to reply with any further questions.
Cheers,
Wes
Fire - Jul 15, 2005 - 1:13 am
I'm going to close this thread. If you need any more assistance related to this topic, you can use my personal e-mail at Fire@nexus9.org. I'd be glad to offer you any further support you need!
Glad I could help! I hope all else goes well,
Wes
Glad I could help! I hope all else goes well,
Wes
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