On a laptop running RedHat 8.0, when I try to get mail in kmail, I get an error window that says, "Could not start process pop3." When I configured Kmail I used the same configuration as another computer running Mandrake 9.1, which works perfectly. Help!

Your POP3 server runs in the laptop ????
Do you have your "Inbox" server (POP3 or IMAP) pointing to "localhost" ---> Check your settings.

Under "Settings" I click on "Configure KMail." In the "Configure" window I click on "Network." Under the "Receiving" tab it shows my "Incoming accounts." It shows the name of the account, the "type" which is "pop" and the Folder, which is "inbox." In the information on this account the "Destination Folder" is "inbox" I can't find anything that points toward "localhost." I am not sure I know where to look in my settings to see whether "inbox server" is pointing toward "localhost." Can you explain a little further where I would find this? Thanks.

The name localhost is located in the "host" file usually its found under /etc. You may want to check the logs to found what kmail is trying to do. The logs are usually located under /var/log. Kmail could be using the sendmail service to send mail. Type the server address where sendmail is located.

If you have Mozilla installed, you can its e-mail program.

What it seems is Kmail is trying to access a POP3 server running inside your laptop instead of what your real POP3 server is. (pop3.myISP.com or whatever)

When I cat /etc/hosts it lists 127.0.0.1 and localhost. Which log in the /var/log directory would I look in to see if kmail is using sendmail? Also, my pop3 server setting in kmail is "pop3.myISP.net" "myISP" being the psuedonym for what my ISP actually is.

Hey, where'd everybody go?

OK, put pop3.myISP.net inside your /etc/hosts, just in case.

- Can you pop your account using a different POP3 client (mozilla mail, i.e.) ?
What I can't understand is why Kmail tries to start a pop3 proccess.
Can you telnet pop3.myISP.net 110 ?
Do you get any response ?

I put pop3.myISP.net inside my /etc/hosts--nothing!

I have Ximian Evolution working fine. I can get and send Email without a problem.

Wouldn't Kmail use the pop3 process to receive mail? I guess I'm a little bit confused about your question.

You see, the reason I'm trying to get Kmail working when I have Evolution already working is because I'm trying to get the "send document as Email" working in OpenOffice. In "Options" it offers only two "Profiles" to use with this feature: Kmail and Netscape 6.x

Another idea:
From a console terminal (CTRL+ALT+F2), and without login into KDE, do as root:

cd /tmp
rm -r k*

Then reboot and try again.
If this doesn't work, maybe is a bug in Kmail --> Upgrade :-(

I appreciate your help, pablob, but could you explain what rm -r k* does? I'd feel a lot more comfortable knowing what that command will do.

I updated Kmail and still the same problem.

cd /tmp

rm -r k*

'rm' means remove.
'-r' means recursive.
'k*' means beginning with letter k.

Translating to a MS-DOS command will be:
deltree k*

What you will be doing is deleting temporary files which sometimes help restarting apps.

Just an idea.

OK, pablob, thanks for the reply. I'll give it a shot.

By the way, KMail will work in Red Hat's Blue Curve(Gnome) desktop environement right?

I'm back! I've been extremely busy and haven't had time to do anything with my kmail problem, but I finally got around to your suggestion pablob.

I "rm -r k*" in /tmp and it asked me two things:

rm: descend into directory 'kde-bob'? and
rm: remove directory 'ksocket-bob'?

I answered "no" to both options.

Other than that, it didn't give me any other options and simply returned to /tmp

Any other ideas? If not, I'm just gonna give up!