I've recently decided to give KMail a try for the email account provided by my ISP, Virgin Media. Unfortunately no matter what I try, I just can't seem to get Kmail to play with my ISPs IMAP server. I am always presented with this message.

The connection to the server was unexpectedly closed or timed out. It will be re-established automatically if possible.

My first thought was that there was an error in some of my configuration settings, but I've checked time and time again yet everything looks fine. I've even compared each setting to the equivalent settings in Thunderbird which incidentally is working fine.

The only differences I can see between Thunderbird and Kmail is that in Thunderbird I have 'Connection security' set to 'SSL/TLS' whereas in KMail I have to explicitly select 'SSL'. I've actually tried all the options for this setting, but I'm assuming SSL is correct due to the fact the server uses port 993.

Similarly, in Thunderbird 'Authentication method' is set to 'Normal password' which isn't an option in Kmail. Again I've tried all the options but I'm assuming the equivalent setting is probably 'LOGIN'? Oddly, all options for that setting except for 'Clear text' become unavailable if I click the 'Check What the Server Supports' button.

Is there something else I could possibly try either to get the application working or to try and find out more information about how and why the connection is failing? Kmail looks like it could really work for me, but it's obviously quite difficult to use if it can only send mail and not receive it.

I also use VM as my ISP.

Unfortunately I am using POP3 for this account and pull the e-mails into KMail i.e. I don't leave them on the server. For what it is worth security is set to 'SSL' and 'Clear Text' and I have no problems connecting.

However I also access several GMail accounts with KMail using IMAP and very occasionally (and I mean very) I see the same time out message as you, but this is only momentary as I have never experienced a problem accessing these accounts.

The VM e-mail service is provided by Google so theoretically the settings should be identical. In fact when I access my e-mail through a browser the interface and settings screens for VM and GMail are identical.

Therefore if IMAP access in KMail is working for my GMail accounts it should be ok for your VM account.

Have you checked your VM account settings by logging into your e-mail online at http://www.virginmedia.com/? Once logged in select 'Settings' from the top-right and then 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP" and enable 'IMAP Access'.

Also I assume you have double-checked the settings for the mail server address etc.?

If you'd like to verify your settings against mine just let me know.

Still doesn't explain why it works ok in Thunderbird but not in KMail! Hope you get it sorted because IMHO KMail is a better client than Thunderbird.

Nick

Well, I was just about to post all my connection settings here for comparison when I thought of something I hadn't already tried.

For whatever reason, KMail didn't like that I was using imap.blueyonder.co.uk as the incoming mail server. That address is superseded by imap.virginmedia.com and usually redirects there anyway. Despite the old address working in Thunderbird, it seems that only the newer imap.virginmedia.com address will work in KMail.

I've no idea why that is, but it seems that the issue no longer exists since making that change. I'll put it down to one of those strange little mysteries.

Many thanks for your help and for confirming those security settings. Now I'll start exploring KMail.