Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

AOL

Why can't I open attachments in my mail?

I can't open these attachments…




So based on the Screenshot you provided, you are using Chrome to go to aol.com, logging in to your email through their website to check your mail. This could be solved by using a proper email program to handle mail. You have the Apple Mail program on your computer that you could easily set up your aol account and any other email accounts for that matter. An actual email program (as opposed to a website) will be a way better choice to handle attachments. Yes, aol.com should be able to handle attachments but to be frank, aol is terrible. Nothing works there. You could try right clicking the attachment and possibly you’d have the option to download within the right click menu but the real answer is: use a different interface to check your mail. Long story short: instead of going to the website www.aol.com to check your mail, set your mail up in the Apple Mail app. To do this, you’d open system preferences, go to Internet accounts, choose AOL, add the account. Then look in your applications folder, find Mail, launch it, and problem should be solved.

AOL is terrible.

Scotty, I have a question. I haven't received AOL in a month, though when I try to create a ew account I'm told an account exists Connection Doctors shows a red dot next to map; green next to SMTP. I also clicked "take online" and nothing happens. I remember you telling me there were several places to check. Suggestions?

Thanks.


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The easiest way to solve this is to just delete the AOL email account and re add it. AOL is terrible. To delete it, go into system preferences, Internet Accounts, and minus it out using the minus button in the bottom left corner. Then re add it using the AOL choice to the right. Reopen mail and see if that solves it. By doing this, you are telling the computer to go out and get the correct settings for incoming/outgoing servers once again as well as checking that your password is correct. Since AOL is IMAP based email, you won't be losing anything. It will return from the server.

If you prefer to seek other means of resolving this issue, that would require editing the smtp settings within mail, deleting the keychain entries, etc… I suggest just delete the email account and re add it. It is possible that AOL has introduced their attempt at 2 factor authentication which I'm sure will be poor, and that could be causing the problem but I have seen no evidence of that with other users either.

If you are wondering why AOL services are in the shape they're in, you can ask yourself the question: If you were a young computer science major just having graduated college, where would you want to get a job? Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google, AOL? Not getting the cream of the crop these days. Same goes for printer companies.
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