E-Mail Constantly Asking for Passwords

[Llauren]

I am on a PowerBook (15") using Mac Mail. The OSX is 10.5.5 For mail, I am using Version 3.5 (929.4/929.2). My service provider is Verizon; they provide eight addresses you can use with their DSL service. I had seven, of which six were sub-accounts. However, I only used four of those on a regular basis. The others were pretty much neglected.

Up until a couple of days ago my e-mail worked normally. But for the last two or three days my e-mail has been continually asking me for my keychain password for all seven of my e-mail accounts. Some are more frequent than others, but all of them are repeated throughout the day. Three have the same password, the rest have different ones. The message I get whenever I click on "Get Mail" is "Enter Password for Account "_______________" and then have this message:

The POP server “incoming.verizon.net” rejected the password for user “___________”

Please re-enter your password, or cancel.

Then beneath the box where I enter the password it has a checkbox and this message: "Remember this password in my keychain." I do enter the password and check that box and it might work that time but eventually and often soon it will demand it again.

I must beg your mercy. I am not technically inclined and while I have some knowledge it is not much.

Before registering here, I looked in the help section of my email. It told me how to stop my mail system from constantly asking for the keychain, but when I followed its directions it didn't work. I went into Keychain Access in Applications: Utilities, then checked "All Items" and went to Edit where I found "Change Settings for Keychain Login..." I did not have either box checked so what is happening should not be happening. In other words, it is not checked to lock after inactivity or sleeping.

Yesterday, I asked my Mac guy to stop by and look. He fiddled around with it, made some changes and it seemed like it might make a difference. I also went in after he left and deleted the unused e-mail addresses so I only have four active ones now. But shortly thereafter, the whole mess began again and is as of now still going at it. It demands my passwords constantly. And I am at the point of ripping the thing's lungs out.

Can you help? I just want this to stop.

 

[midijeep]

Things to try:
1) If Mail is asking for your password, it means that you have not entered it in Preferences>Accounts>Account Information. (If you hold your mouse over the password field, it will tell you to leave it blank if you want to be prompted for your password when checking mail.)

2) If you are using more than one machine to check the account while the other is logged in, you will get the password prompt.

3) you've entered in the wrong one, or have a wrong Incoming Mail Server.

4) Change your check mail interval to something like 'every 10 minutes' . The interval may be causing havic with your mail server.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Check to make sure that your account settings for you incoming mail server haven't changed to "Authenticated POP" (APOP). If they have, try changing it back to "Password" and see if that helps.