Snipe.Net Geeky, sweary things.

Is IMAP/POP3 Gmail or Gtalk periodically rejecting your password?

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I have run into this many times: my Gtalk password is stored in my email program (Thunderbird as an IMAP account) and my Gtalk password is stored in Adium, and every now and then, when I start my computer, Google tells me my password is wrong.

I can’t login to Gtalk, I can’t check my email. Accessing Gmail via the web interface works fine, so I know Google isn’t down, but every time I check mail in Thunderbird, I get a password error. I faithfully retype my password, only to have it reject it anyway.

Using Adium, I can logon to AIM, Yahoo, even LJ Chat (tho I don’t know why I ever would), but every moment or two, I get a password prompt. If I pull up the Accounts screen and try to manually connect, it gets to “Authenticating: 75%” and then hits me with another password box.

While I have no idea why this works, it does:

  1. Quit/close your email client (Thunderbird, in my case)
  2. Quit/close your chat program (Adium in my case)
  3. Go to https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha
  4. Complete the captcha prompt there and submit the form
  5. Restart your email and chat clients – all should be well.

It would seem some of sort of authentication bug with Google. The captcha gets all of the services back on the same page.

About the author

snipe

I'm a tech nerd from NY/CA now living in Lisbon, Portugal. I run Grokability, Inc, and run several open source projects, including Snipe-IT Asset Management. Tweet at me @snipeyhead, skeet me at @snipe.lol, or read more...

By snipe
Snipe.Net Geeky, sweary things.

About Me

I'm a tech nerd from NY/CA now living in Lisbon, Portugal. I run Grokability, Inc, and run several open source projects, including Snipe-IT Asset Management. Tweet at me @snipeyhead, skeet me at @snipe.lol, or read more...

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