Email Problems

[vinyl68]

Hello...

I'm new to this site and any help provided here is greatly appreciated.

Lately I've been having problems sending email with photo and sound attachments.  I've been told by many people whom I've been sending such documents that they could not open them (most of the photos are either in JPEG or PDF).   I'm not sure if it's the system, the software or the person operating the computer (me).

I'm using Verizon Online as the Internet provider and they have been of little help, as they told me that the problem might be within the Outlook Express (which I use for email).

I can't find anything that's wrong with OE and I'm a bit short from being frustrated.    :-?  

Thanks for reading.

MS Win XP Pro Vers 2 SP2, Intel Pent 4, CPU 1.70 GHz, 1.72 GHz, 504 MB RAM

[Rob Pomeroy]

Does Verizon provide a webmail interface?  If so, can you try uwsing that to send the same messages?

I would however strongly recommend abandoning Outlook Express in favour of >Thunderbird<, which is far more competent, and a considerably more secure and customisable email client.  WHy not try it and report back your results?

[vinyl68]

Hi, Rob.  Thanks for the reply.

I'm looking over the Thunderbird site at the moment, and I'm thinking of using their email services.  I do have one concern, though:  I have a small business on the side and I'm using Outlook for at least 2 email addresses for the business.  How would the switch affect them, if such a case?

[Rob Pomeroy]

Thunderbird is far better - I mean far far FAR better - than Outlook Express at handling multiple email accounts.  It's better even than the full version of Outlook (although Outlook proper does have many more features than Thunderbird).  You'd be fine transferring over, but feel free to post for more advice when you do so.

[Raptor]

I tried setting up multiple accounts with Outlook Express today, spent half 'n hour on figuring out how to, eventually gave up and done the job within 3 minutes using Thunderbird.  

[vinyl68]

Okay...I've downloaded Thunderbird and transferred the files from Outlook.  I tried to send a message and kept getting this error message:

"Sending of message failed.  Message could not be sent because connecting to SMTP server outgoing.verizon.net failed.  The server may be unavailable, or is refusing SMTP connections.  Please verify that your SMTP server setting is correct and try again, or else contact your network administrator."

I checked the servers on both programs to see that the servers are similar, which in fact they are.  Other than that I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

[soybean]

Maybe the SMTP server problem was also affecting OE's outgoing mail.  You mentioned using Outlook for a small business.  Are you having the same problem with it as with OE?  Just because you stopped using OE for personal email, you would not need to stop using Outlook for business.

I have multiple email accounts in OE.  If you want to discuss specifics on this, perhaps I can help.

[vinyl68]

The only problem I have with the business emails is that no one's using them through the company website.  Other than that, they're fine.

I'm just trying to get the regular email working here in Thunderbird.  I'm not sure about the SMTP server: am I not supposed to have it set as outgoing.verizon.net (as I have it on OE)?  :-?

[soybean]

I would think so.  That would be the same, regardless of what email client you're using.  Is that the code Verizon says to use for outgoing email?

[vinyl68]

That's what they told me when I first set up the regular email in OE.  Yet with the business emails they're set up as stmpout.secureserver.net.

[soybean]

Two separate accounts, right?  And the one used for the business is a "Business" account, right?  The  coding phrase seems to indicate a more secure mail server for business accounts.   Would you agree?

Is the business, using Outlook, working OK?  Oh, I forgot, you said that's working OK.

Have you tried outgoing.verizon.net in Thunderbird yet?

[vinyl68]

You are correct.  And they do work, as far as I know.  But then, I've always been able to send regular emails okay.

The problem is trying to send photos, PDF files and WAV files attachments.  Up until the last few months, I've been able to do this.  Now there have been problems for people to open them.

I did a test yesterday in sending a photo to myself.  The attachment came back as a DAT file, and was opened through a totally different program.  I deleted the program from my computer and tested again, but the result was the same.

Not sure what to make of it or how to have it resolved.    

[Raptor]

You might need to set the password, account name, different types of ports and security for your SMTP server.

Give us the full details (Apart from the password, ofcourse) and we can tell you what you need to configure in Thunderbird.

[vinyl68]

Here are the stats (taken from the "Properties" section):

GENERAL

Name:  name
E-mail: [email protected]

SERVERS

Mail server: POP3
Incoming mail: incoming.verizon.net
Outgoing mail: outgoing.verizon.net

CONNECTION

Local Area Network

ADVANCE

Server Port #
Outgoing mail (SMTP): 25
Incoming mail (POP3): 110

Server timeouts: 1 min.

Sending: (Break apart messages larger than) 120 KB

[Raptor]

You have configured it according to the example below?

The attachment came back as a DAT file, and was opened through a totally different program.  I deleted the program from my computer and tested again, but the result was the same.

I don't think this is related to your settings. I think a virus scanner is interfering. Have you asked the provider if anything on their side could be causing this?

What type of Security software do you have?

[vinyl68]

I figured I'd contact Microsoft after talking with you guys.

For security software I have Zone Alarm Pro and AVG Anti-Virus (Free Edition).

Anti Spyware programs:

Aluria's Spyware
Spybot
Ad-Aware
No Adware
Spyhunter

[Rob Pomeroy]

The problem is trying to send photos, PDF files and WAV files attachments.  Up until the last few months, I've been able to do this.  Now there have been problems for people to open them.

I did a test yesterday in sending a photo to myself.  The attachment came back as a DAT file, and was opened through a totally different program.  I deleted the program from my computer and tested again, but the result was the same.

This problem is caused partly by a recent security update to Outlook Express, and partly by the non-standard way Outlook/Outlook Express handle email attachments.  Solution: use some other email program.

That smtp server outgoing.verizon.net is correct.  It's listening on port 25, so I don't think that any special port settings would be required.  Port 25 being open implies that a secure connection is not required to send email.

Test this yourself at a command prompt: telnet outgoing.verizon.net 25

You should get a message along the lines of "220 vms040pub.verizon.net -- Server ESMTP..."

[vinyl68]

Followed your instruction and got the message.  Then I opened Thunderbird and tried sending a test message to myself.  Still got the error message.

I'll go and contact Microsoft and try to get this problem resolved.

Thanks.

[Raptor]

What error message did you receive?

[vinyl68]

"Sending of message failed.  Message could not be sent because connecting to SMTP server outgoing.verizon.net failed.  The server may be unavailable, or is refusing SMTP connections.  Please verify that your SMTP server setting is correct and try again, or else contact your network administrator."

Regarding the email attachment problem, I contacted Microsoft.  Turns out, stupid me, that I had the "Break apart messages larger than 120 KB" checked on in the server whereas it should have been unchecked.  Then I sent several attachments to myself and Microsoft and received the photos.  Problem solved for $35.00.

But I still don't know what's going on with Thunderbird.  I might have to stick with OE in the long run.  

[Raptor]

Can you make a screenshot of your Thunderbird SMTP settings?

[vinyl68]

Can't make a screenshot, but here's what it says:

description: <not specified>
Server Name: outgoing.verizon.net
Port: 25
User Name <not specified>
Secure Connection: none

[Raptor]

Fill in your username. It will ask for a password once it's connected.

[vinyl68]

Okay...I filled in my username and put in the password as instructed, and now not only am I able to send and receive email, but I can also send attachments.  

I thank you all for your help and patience.

However, now I have a new problem.  I have 2 email addresses for my small business.  The first I was able to receive email okay, but it's a different story with the second; yet they're both set on the same server with the exact password.

Here's the setting for the second address:

description: <not specified>
Server Name: smpt.secureserver.net
Port: 25
User Name: [email protected]
Secure Connection: none

[Raptor]

You only need to use one SMTP adress when using Thunderbird, but you can add another one the same way you added your Verizon adress.

You can choose what SMTP server to use by clicking on the account name and then choosing an SMTP server from the drop down box.

However, if the problem lies only in receiving E-mail something may have gone wrong when filling out the POP3 settings. Can you tell me how you configured your account for POP access? It should be under the "Server settings" section of the corresponding account.

[vinyl68]

The settings are:

1. Mail server: POP3
    Incoming mail: mail.B-W-enterprises.com
    Outgoing mail: smptout.secureserver.net

    Account name: [email protected]
    

The second is the same except the account name is cartoon@...

[Raptor]

Look at the following example;

Are both E-mail adresses hosted by the same company?

[vinyl68]

Yes they are.  I'll have to contact Verizon to get this mess straighten out (password problems being one of them, as I somehow managed to screw it up trying to transfer files from OE to Thunderbird).

[Raptor]

Password errors are different, but if you hosted both domain names at the same provider, the POP settings should be the same.

Are you sure you can't make a screenshot for us to check?

[vinyl68]

Sorry...I don't know how.  Not that techno-savvy.

[vinyl68]

  You know what?  I give up.  At least I have the attachment matter resolved.  Might as well stick with Outlook.

I thank you guys for all your help.

[Raptor]

You know what?  I give up.  At least I have the attachment matter resolved.  Might as well stick with Outlook.

I thank you guys for all your help.

No problem, too bad we didn't come to a solution.

Come back anytime, though.  

By the way, making a screenshot can be done by pressing the Print Screen button on your keyboard, opening MSPaint and pressing CTRL + V (Paste).

Then save it as a JPEG and upload it to the forum using the "Browse" button underneath the message typing area.