"How to solve Common E-mail Problems Before You Kick The Computer"

My Outlook E-mail doesn't work.

One of the great Internet myths is that
e-mail should always work. Sadly, that
is far from the truth. All of a sudden, we
can't send or receive e-mails.
To make things worse, Outlook produces
those hideous error messages that no one
can understand and are absolutely no help
in determining the problem.
Here is a check list, with solutions, that
should help you identify and correct most
of your e-mail problems. Enjoy.

1. You temporarily lost your Internet
connection.
To confirm this, open your browser, go to
your home page and click the refresh
button. This makes your computer reload
the home page. If can reach your home
page, go to item 2.
If your Internet connection does not work,
try to reestablish your connection. Sometimes broad band cable customers will lose the connection for a minute or so. If this continues, report the problem to your ISP (Internet Service Provider).
If you are using a wireless connection and people in other areas are still accessing the Internet, there may be a problem with the wireless terminal serving your part of the building.

2. If Outlook still doesn't work,
you need to recheck all your account settings.

It is even possible, yes it does happen, that someone may have used your computer and changed the settings. This actually happens.
Go back and recheck all your e-mail settings (see Setting up and Troubleshooting Outlook Express, Outlook 2000 and Outlook 2003). Make sure your complete e-mail address including the @yourwebsite.com is entered. Check to see if the "include this account when sending or receiving e-mail" is checked. Finally, reenter your password.

3. If you can send, but not receive, e-mail, or visa versa, that means that your connection is fine, but something is wrong with your server information. These are the codes that are established to allow the sending and receiving of e-mail. They are POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3) codes for receiving e-mail and SMTP (Send Message Transfer Protocol) for sending e-mail. The POP3 code is provided by whoever hosts your e-mail. If the @ in your e-mail address is your web site, it is provided by your web hosting company. If the @ in your e-mail address ends in the name of your ISP (Internet Service Provider), they will supply you with the code. The codes are often available on the hosting companies or ISP's web site. If you are having this problem, the code is, most probably, incorrect. Get the correct code and enter it into the server section of your Outlook account. You can find it in the Tools, Accounts, Properties or Changes, Servers.
If all fails, sometimes this trick works if you can't send e-mail. If your @address is the same as your web site, try using the POP3 address in the SMTP section. Some ISP's allow hosting SMTP codes and often POP3 and SMTP hosting codes are the same. It doesn't work all the time, but maybe you'll get lucky. Good luck.

Another problem involves e-mail
with attachemnts that never arrive.
.
This could be one of three possible problems.
1. The attachment was too large for the ISP's (Internet Service Provider's) e-mail portal.
Most ISP's limit the size of e-mails they allow their customers to send. The attachment size limitation ranges between 5 and 10 megabits. If the attachment is too large, it is rejected by the ISP e-mail portal and either returned to sender or simply disappears. Most e-mail client programs tell you the size of attachments, so you can keep the size down. If you can't, compress the file with Win Zip (windows) or Stuff It (mac). If it is still too big, you should be using ftp technology or burn a CD and send it the old fashioned way, overnight mail.

2. Your mailbox on your server is full. If you use web mail or you have instructed Outlook to keep a copy of your e-mail on the server, you can fill up your mailbox without knowing you have a problem. To see if Outlook is leaving copies of your incoming messages on your server, simply go to Tools, Accounts, Properties or Changes, In the advanced section make sure the "Leave a copy of messages on server" box is NOT checked. If it is, uncheck it, apply the changes and then get your e-mail by clicking the send receive button. Then prepare to do a lot of deleting. You can also ask your web master to increase the size of your e-mail box. Your server is not the best place to keep your e-mail. Try setting up folders in Outlook. It's a great solution to a bulky inbox.

3. You are being sent a file that contains viruses or, more probably, has a file extension that flags it as a virus and is blocked by the ISP e-mail portal. Files ending in .exe are the primary culprits.
Solve the problem by using Win Zip at www.winzip.com or Stuff It at www.stuffit.com. They will get by the portals.
A WORD OF WARNING: Bad guys also use these programs to insert real viruses that can attack your computer. If you are sending this type of file, send a separate e-mail describing the file and stating that it is OK to open. If you are receiving an attachment that is a Win Zip or Stuff It file, make absolutely sure you know exactly what it is before opening. Remember, it's a nasty world out there.

I use Outlook on a wireless laptop and
sometimes my e-mail won't work.

Laptops are made for portability. SMTP codes (see item 3) and sometimes POP3 codes are not. If you try to use your laptop in an area not covered by your ISP, the SMTP code entered in your Outlook is no longer valid. If your ISP provides your POP3 code, it probably won't work either.
It is usually best to use web mail (make sure you enter your complete e-mail address, yourname@yourwebsite.com) in these situations. You can also try to use your web hosting SMTP code, which is often the same as the POP3 code.

I can't access my web mail.

Make sure your Internet connection works. Go to your Home Page and click the refresh key. If you are happily online, go to your web mail entry page. Usually, the address is www.yourwebsite/web mail. Make sure you enter your full e-mail address, yourname@yourwebsite.com and your password, not just your name. If that doesn't work, you have a server problem at the server and you need to contact your web master.