Trying to log into the .Mac server “mail.mac.com” has failed

My son/Mac nerd moved out of state for his job, so I really need the help of a kind mac user!! I'm thrilled that he has a good job, but lost without him...

I've never used my mail on my Imac 10.4.11, but now I really need it. I've tried and tried to set it up with no success. When I open Mail, a screen comes up that says New Account at the top.

My first and last name are there, user name and password are blank. If I try to put a user name in (I've tried several) and create a password, it says: "checking login for......(the name I used), and after a while, it says:

"Trying to log into the .Mac server “mail.mac.com” has failed. Please make sure the username and password are correct. If you continue, you may not be able to receive any email."

I also tried my account password, didn't work.

I've gone to the help section, reset the keychain...nothing.

I would appreciate very much any help I could get with this.

BTW, I got my Imac 4 years ago...is technical support from Apple available free forever? Is there a way to try to get help from them?

Thanks!!!

You need to sign up for an e-mail account with someone before you can set it up in Mail. Whether that is Apple's mobileme, gmail, yahoo, or the e-mail you should have for free from your ISP (the company you're paying for internet access).

Any of these would be setup on their web page - example - gmail's create an account page.

The info you then put into Mail, is determined by which e-mail service you are using.

If you have an e-mail account already, who is it with?

I do have a gmail account already. I'm so glad you responded--I had no idea my gmail account would be involved!!

What information, exactly, do I put into the mac mail? and where?

Sorry for sounding so inept...which is what I am!

Here is the gmail walkthrough page for setting it up in Apple Mail with Leopard.

Apple Mail 3.0 (Leopard) - Gmail Help

When it asks for username and password, you'll be entering your gmail username and password. Just go through this step-by-step and you should be good to go.