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.Mac problems (#2): Failure to retrieve/send e-mail; synchronization issues; Backup will not copy files; more

.Mac problems (#2): Failure to retrieve/send e-mail; synchronization issues; Backup will not copy files; more

CNET staff
5 min read

We've received a massive response to coverage of issues with .Mac outages, inability to retrieve mail, synchronization failure, and other service nonfulfillment. In fact, this has proven one of the most far-reaching and frustrating issues in the past several months for our readers.

By far the most prominent problem is an issue where e-mail account passwords are repeatedly requested or rejected outright.

E-mail issues

Repeated requests for passwords/rejection Many users are experiencing a problem where they are repeatedly asked for their passwords, then provided with the message:

"Connection to the server mail.mac.com has timed out"

In some cases, Webmail works in cases where e-mail clients fail. However, some users are encountering errors there as well, including:

Webmail is not a fail-safe, however. It too has been prone to failure, with users receiving the message:

".Mac Mail on the web is temporarily unavailable. Please try again soon."

One reader writes:

"Yes, I have been having continuing access problems with my .mac e-mail over the past few weeks.  It keeps asking for my password.  On several occasions, I could not even enter anything in the field, while at other times, I was able to type in the field, but still had to go through that effort.  And then no e-mail was picked up, anyway."

Gary Weisman adds:

"This last week I have experienced the described with mail through .Mac as manifested by a rejected password."

Ken Rohland is one user who had success with Webmail over access through an e-mail client:

"For the past two or three weeks, numerous times I been told that my password has been rejected and to retype it. I thought it was a problem with my account. I don't have a solution. Sometimes, using mail, I just take my .mac account offline and later put it back online. It doesn't solve the problem but at least when mail auto checks I don't continually have to type in my password. I also don't usually have a problem when I log-in to my .Mac account through Safari."

Nina Smith writes:

"My password was continually rejected.  Once I retyped the same password into my account preferences and it seem to work.  But that step did not continually work so it may have been dumb luck."

Eugenia Ayers writes:

"I have been having to type in my password one or more times a day for the past few weeks. The failure seems to happen most commonly overnight and is only with my .Mac account not my Verizon e-mail account."

Another account:

"I have been having continuing access problems with my .mac e-mail over the past few weeks.  It keeps asking for my password.  On several occasions, I could not even enter anything in the field, while at other times, I was able to type in the field, but still had to go through that effort.  And then no e-mail was picked up, anyway."

MacFixIt reader John Nouveaux is experiencing problems with access through Eudora.

"I'm using Eudora. I've been having .Mac ask me repeatedly for my .Mac password off and on for weeks. It seems to come and go, sometimes working for several days, then asking for the password every time I check my mail for hours to a day or two. This has happened as recently as yesterday, but today seems to be behaving pretty well.

"As this has happened in the past, I'm pretty much ignoring it, chalking it up as one of those annoying things (I wish Apple would refund part of my .Mac subscription price for)."

 

Synchronization failure Another widespread issue is an inability to synchronize Address Book data and other information with .Mac servers.

MacFixIt reader Robert offers a particularly troubling report:

"I can add to the sentiment that .Mac has been having a lot of issues lately. My company handles a lot of on-site Mac support and we had a situation last week on morning of the 11th that really illustrates how widespread the problem is. By coincidence, we were handling three simultaneous service calls all involving .Mac syncing, and none of the client machines were able to connect to the server. At no point did the .Mac status indicator on Apple's web site ever indicate a problem. It seems to me that the issue does not apply to individual user accounts or small batches. In all likelihood, the entire system becomes unavailable, often for significant amounts of time (we were not able to resume syncing until that afternoon)."

Another reader adds: "Repeated synchronization failures and repeated requests for mail password and WebDav password, mostly over the past couple of weeks. Tomorrow I have to check out a backup to .Mac failure on my office computer."

In some cases, the issue appears to be machine-specific, generating hope that there might be some client-side workarounds on the horizon. MacFixit reader Jonathan writes:

"It appears that i can sync from a G4 Powerbook to .Mac, but I cannot sync from .mac to a G4 laptop at home. Both laptops are on 10.4.8 and the clients are mail.app ical and address book. Of interest is that the calendar says it is sync but it is not when I look at it."

Failed backups Several readers also reported issues with an inability to use the Apple Backup application to copy files to .Mac servers.

MacFixIt reader Tom writes:

"Just today I have had problems using Backup software to upload my saved files. My mac tried three times to do the automatic backup but failed each time."

Another reader adds:

"My problem is that Back Up will not restore. Buttons remain grey."

Finally, one reader writes:

"Backup keeps telling me there is no space to back up - there is tons - also have had the account for months and also will not recognize the account as  not a trial. Had a melt down and wanted to restore key chain and now get constant messages do I want to replace all keychains as there is and update - it's all been a pain"

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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