Mail keeps asking for User Name and Password

[TomYoung]

Hi all:

For the last two days when I open Windows Mail a new Windows Security
window opens asking for my User Name and Password. When I respond to
this request Mail works as it normally does. And, yes, the "Remember
my credentials" message *is* ticked.

I'm not sure if this is a Windows Mail issue or a McAfee Security
Center problem - both programs were recently updated - but McAfee is
periodically reporting a problem that seems like it may relate to the
Mail issue. McAfee reports "Privacy Service shut down unexpectedly
and Personal Information Protection is now disabled" and "Privacy
Service shut down unexpectedly and Parental Controls is now
disabled." I can't find anything at the McAfee site that seems to
relate to this issue.

Can anybody shed some light as to what's going on here and how to fix
the problem?

Thanks.

 

[P Richard Yarbrough]

Hi all:

For the last two days when I open Windows Mail a new Windows Security
window opens asking for my User Name and Password. When I respond to
this request Mail works as it normally does. And, yes, the "Remember
my credentials" message *is* ticked.

I'm not sure if this is a Windows Mail issue or a McAfee Security
Center problem - both programs were recently updated - but McAfee is
periodically reporting a problem that seems like it may relate to the
Mail issue. McAfee reports "Privacy Service shut down unexpectedly
and Personal Information Protection is now disabled" and "Privacy
Service shut down unexpectedly and Parental Controls is now
disabled." I can't find anything at the McAfee site that seems to
relate to this issue.

Can anybody shed some light as to what's going on here and how to fix
the problem?

Thanks.

You may have 'Secure Password Authentication' turned on.
To find out / turn it off:
Open Windows Mail > Tools > Accounts >
Left click to highlight your account and click the Properties button.
In Properties, under the 'Servers' tab, see if 'Log on using Secure Password
Authentication' box is checked. If it is, uncheck it. This should disable the
log on feature.

Also on the Servers tab, make sure you have entered your email account
password in the Password field.

One more thing to check on the Servers tab:
Click settings and select the radio button: 'Use same settings as my
incoming mail server'.

 

[TomYoung]

Hi all:

For the last two days when I open Windows Mail a new Windows Security
window opens asking for my User Name and Password.  When I respond to
this request Mail works as it normally does.  And, yes, the "Remember
my credentials" message *is* ticked.

I'm not sure if this is a Windows Mail issue or a McAfee Security
Center problem - both programs were recently updated - but McAfee is
periodically reporting a problem that seems like it may relate to the
Mail issue.  McAfee reports "Privacy Service shut down unexpectedly
and Personal Information Protection is now disabled" and "Privacy
Service shut down unexpectedly and Parental Controls is now
disabled."  I can't find anything at the McAfee site that seems to
relate to this issue.

Can anybody shed some light as to what's going on here and how to fix
the problem?

Thanks.

You may have 'Secure Password Authentication' turned on.
[snip]

No, it's not turned on.

Also on the Servers tab, make sure you have entered your email account
password in the Password field.

I entered the password multiple times before giving up and posting
here. However, the password would *type* in OK (series of round dots)
but the field would be blank the next time I looked at it. I've just
uninstalled and re-installed McAfee and now the password field *is*
filled in and Mail seems to be behaving, for the moment.

Thanks.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

The main cause for your problem is McAfee.
McAfee antivirus is among the top three troublemakers for Windows Mail.
First of all, turn off email scanning in McAfee, although that is seldom sufficient.
Next, delete that email account (because it has been corrupted by McAfee),
restart Windows Mail, then recreate the account.

If the problem continues, the only way you can prove or disprove that
McAfee is the culprit is to uninstall it, followed by using their debris removal tool:
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=107083&lc=1033

If you decide to replace McAfee, we can recommend a free antivirus
program which is more compatible with Windows Mail:

Instead of switching to a different antivirus, another option is to upgrade
to Windows Live Mail (WLM), which is more resistant to the adverse effects
of overly intrusive antivirus products: http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview

Even with WLM, you must disable email scanning in the antivirus,
for the reason explained here:
http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm

 

[TomYoung]

Removing and reinstalling McAfee, the 1st step I took, seems to have
cured the problem.

Thanks.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

A temporary fix at best. The same problem will return.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


Removing and reinstalling McAfee, the 1st step I took, seems to have
cured the problem.

Thanks.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Chances are, you installed AVG antivirus using its default install option.
If so, uninstall it, then reinstall, but select 'custom' install, which then
allows you to unselect installing its troublesome email scanning module.

While AVG is uninstalled, try Windows Mail again, just to verify that
the culprit has been found.

 

[Pyro]

Chances are, you installed AVG antivirus using its default install option.
If so, uninstall it, then reinstall, but select 'custom' install, which then
allows you to unselect installing its troublesome email scanning module.

While AVG is uninstalled, try Windows Mail again, just to verify that
the culprit has been found.

 

[Pyro]

I'm also having the same problem but I am using Bullguard.

Just following the threads here, I went into e-mail tools and changed my
password and it sometimes works okay and other times still keeps prompting me
for my password. Seems that a number of antivirus programs are causing the
same problem.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

If turning off the email scanning function in your antivirus does not
resolve your problem, consider upgrading to Windows Live Mail,
because it is less prone to suffering bad effects from overly
aggressive antivirus programs: http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview

Either way, email scanning in any antivirus must be disabled, for
reasons explained here:
http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

So, when you re-enter the username & password, it does not
accept it?

If you're not sure you have the correct password, you can test it
by logging in to webmail. If that works, it proves you have the
correct username and password.
One possible reason for it failing in WM is account corruption.
One thing you should try as a quick fix is to delete that corrupted
mail account, restart Windows Mail, then recreate that account.

If that doesn't fix it, more drastic measures will have to be taken.
Which antivirus are you running?
As a minimum, email scanning in the antivirus must be turned off,
although that may not be sufficient to eliminate all bad effects.
In a worst case scenario, your antivirus may need to be uninstalled.

If turning off the email scanning function does not resolve your problem,
consider upgrading to Windows Live Mail, because it is less prone to
suffering bad effects from overly aggressive antivirus programs.
http://download.live.com/wlmail

Email scanning in any antivirus must be disabled, for reasons
explained here:
http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm