Email folders

My apologies for having to repost this. I've been using Macs for years and just bought a new iMac. I am trying to set up address folders and have been trying to set up new mailboxes so that I can put cards in, e.g. a box for "family" in which I put the tails of my family. When I try to set up accounts I get an error message telling me that the account is offline. I click on "enable this account" and restart the computer, but still get the same error message. What am I doing wrong?

I'm guessing you are trying to create folders within Mail.app? If so, are you equating multiple accounts to folders or what? Your post is not very clear on what you are trying to do.

Like Ashwin, I don't understand what you are trying to do, either. Is the account set to time out after some time? Some mail hosts do that for security. If the default is to time out, then your new machine might see that default in action. I don't think it's a setting on the Mac, but at the provider, if it exists.

I am trying to set up my email system. I am trying create folders in "mailboxes" in which I can put cards with email contacts. Make sense? When I open "mail". I see various mailboxes on the left, in box, drafts, sent and trash. I want to add a few mailboxes, like "family", in which I can put "cards" giving the name and contact email.

Yes, I am trying to create folders. within the Mail.app. I want to create several folder in which I can add cards with a different crd for each name, with the email contact info.

Ah, that is NOT how it works. Imagine the mailboxes you see to be just like your mailbox on the street. That's where you RECEIVE mail, not where you would keep your address book of friends and neighbors. In Mail, the various Mailboxes are there so you can receive and send mail and know where the messages are stored. For information on people, you use Contacts. Mail and Contacts interact, so email addresses you put in Contacts will be available to you in Mail. To add a contact, open Contacts (either from the Dock or in the Applications folder), click on the "+" button and enter the data. The name/phone/email you enter will affect Mail and Messages as well, so that when you get a text message, the name will show instead of just the telephone number of the sender.

HTH.

Thanks MacInWin. That did it. Thanks again.

Glad that helped!