Email Help

There are various approaches to resolving email sending and receiving problems while using an email client. We will give you only what has been tested and worked.

Points to consider: Menu

• Server settings. ( incoming 'POP' and outgoing 'SMTP' )
• The username and password of the account of the ISP you are connected to. ( Default )
• The number of accounts in the email client. ( fix the default account first )
• The presence of antivirus software and the way it is configured to scan.
• The presence of a firewall and it's configuration.
• The way your modem is configured to work with your email software and the Internet.
• The options settings of your email client and your webmail mail box.
• Your computer MUST be able to 'ping' your ISP for your email client to work properly.

• I'm connected but I cannot send or receive any email.
• I can receive email but I cannot send any.
• I can send email but I cannot receive any.
• I got the email but I cannot find the attachments.
• I cannot get all my emails, the server times out and I get an error message.
• I tried to send an email to only 5 people and I get an error 'one of the addresses is invalid'.
• My friends say they cannot send me any email.
• I keep getting the same old email over and over again.
• I am getting two or three of each email.
• Shortly after I receive email I cannot browse the Internet.
• I try to delete old email and it is still there.
• I am having to type my password every time I open my email.
• A secure server (SSL) is giving me an error message.

The following are some solutions to these specific problems.

I'm connected but I cannot send or receive any email.

Without communication :

• First, ping your ISP, if the reply is timed out or unknown host, go to the next step.
• If you have antivirus software that has 'Internet security', make sure it is not set to 'block all Internet traffic'.
• Disable or turn off all antivirus software and firewalls and try pinging your ISP again.
• If you are still timing out, open the web browser and try to view two or more different websites. If you cannot get a response from ping or see the Internet, your modem is not communicating with the ISP.
• Disconnect from the Internet, close all programs, reboot the computer, reconnect and try again.
• If you get the same result, contact your ISP and verify that your account is active and have them ping your computer.
• If the account is active and all the settings in the dialer are correct and the ISP cannot ping your computer, you may have to delete the dialer and create a new one.
• If that does not work, you may have to reinstall the modem drivers or replace the modem to reestablish communication with the Internet.

With communication : (your ISP can ping your computer and you can view webpages)

• Check to verify the 'incoming' (POP) and 'outgoing' (SMTP) server settings, username and password has not been changed by someone else or an antivirus software and that everything is typed correctly.
• Server settings must be exactly as specified be the ISP or you could be reading lots of error messages.
• Capital letters in the wrong place or a missing 'dot' could be part of the problem.
• If you have added an additional email address at your ISP, you must also create the new email 'identity' in your email client for your email client to handle that email also.
• Turn off all antivirus software and firewalls while testing the email.
• Check and remove extra accounts or inactive accounts of your old ISP that could be causing the problem or error messages.
• Check your 'outbox' for any email with an incorrect email address or an email going to a recipient with a full mail box. Email clients seem to 'send' before trying to 'receive' email.
• Make sure if the email client is set to 'leave a copy of messages on the server', it is also set to 'delete from the server when deleted from deleted items'.
• Ask your ISP to check your mail box for very large emails or a full mail box that could be causing a problem.

I can receive email but I cannot send any.

• If the antivirus software got updated automatically, you have to turn it off and prevent it from starting when Windows starts. Then you reboot the computer, get online, test the email both ways. If it works, you can turn the antivirus back on. If the email does NOT work, continue to the next step.
• Check and / or correct the 'outgoing' (SMTP) server setting to match the (SMTP) server setting of the ISP to which you are connected.
• Check the 'outbox' for any email with an incorrect email address or an email going to a recipient with a full mail box. Email clients seem to 'send' before trying to 'receive' email.
• Check for an antivirus software that is set to 'scan outgoing email' and if you cannot find the setting, disable the software while you test the email and look for other problems. If the antivirus has a firewall, you may have to turn it off. Some antivirus firewalls will not stay turned off or get disabled unless you UNINSTALL them.
• If your modem connect speed is high, you may have to use an 'init command' / 'init string' to make your modem compatible with your email client.
• Contact your ISP and ask if there are issues you don't know about.

I can send email but I cannot receive any.

• If the antivirus software got updated automatically, you have to turn it off and prevent it from starting when Windows starts. Then you reboot the computer, get online, test the email both ways. If it works, you can turn the antivirus back on. If the email does NOT work, continue to the next step.
• Check and / or correct the 'incoming' (POP) server setting to match the ISP (POP) setting where the email should be coming from.
• If you have multiple accounts setup to receive email from more than one ISP, check all the POP settings for all the accounts. One bad setting may cause the email client to stop processing altogether, until you fix that problem.
• Check the scanning configuration of any antivirus software and turn off any firewall that is part of an antivirus software (personal firewall / Internet security). Some antivirus firewalls will not stay turned off or get disabled unless you UNINSTALL them.
• Login to your online mail box and look for any extra large email that could be causing the error and blocking all the other emails or if the mail box is almost full.
• Make sure the email client is set to handle attachments.

I got the email but I cannot find the attachments.

• If the email is larger than 10 KB and does not have a 'paper clip' symbol next to it, DO NOT OPEN IT. Contact the sender by phone or a separate email asking them if they sent you that email, giving them the date, time and size of the email. If they cannot remember sending the email to you, DELETE IT, it could be carrying a virus or worm.
• Check the security and option settings to see if your email client is set to open or handle attachments.
• Check your antivirus software to see how it handles attachments. Some can 'chew up' a good attachment and then label it as unreadable.
• Ask the sender if they had a problem attaching the file. The file could have gotten damaged before it was sent to you.
• Look in the options section of your client for a way of increasing its 'read' capacity (number of lines or headers).
• Ask your ISP if your 'webmail' box is allowed to handle attachments.
• Ask the sender to test the attachment, by sending the same email to themselves first and then try opening the attachment themselves, before sending it to you. You may get a good attachment after all.
• If you have been online for a while and your modem is not controlled by an init string / command, your transmission speed may have become so slow that by the time you got to the email with the attachment, the client may return an error message that you have been disconnected from the POP server. If this happens, add the appropriate init command.

I cannot get all my emails, the server times out and I get an error message.

• There could be a large email your antivirus software is taking too long to scan that causes a time-out situation.
• Your email client may be set to 'not open attachments'.
• There might be an email that is simply to large for your email client to handle, ask a technician at your local computer store what they recommend using.
• Logon to your mail box on the Internet and look at the first or last unread email. That could be one of the emails causing part of the problem.
• Check all the settings in the dialer properties and modem properties and add an init string if available.
• Ask your local phone company to check for line noise or static on the phone line to the computer.
• If you can't get all of this done by yourself, contact technical support at your ISP( Internet Service Provider).

I tried to send an email to only 5 people and I get an error 'one of the addresses is invalid'.

• Review the spelling of the addresses.
• Someone may have given you a misspelt address or you may have one saved in your address book.
• Use copy and paste to send the message to each address individually, the bad one will come back as 'undeliverable mail'.
• Delete the email with multiple addresses from the 'outbox' to stop the same error message occurring.
• One of the recipients may have a full or corrupted mail box, an inactive, suspended, or closed account.
• That recipient may have you or your ISP 'blocked' from their mail box.
• Their email server may be off-line for maintenance, repairs or some other unknown reason.
• When you find the problem address, remove it from your address book until things get straightened out.

My friends say they cannot send me any email.

• Send yourself an email to see if it works for you.
• Logon to your online mail box to find out how full it is. If it is almost full, start printing or deleting old email.
• If you cannot logon to your online mail box, ask your ISP if your account is active and everything is OK.
• Make sure they typed your email address correctly. Ask them to spell it to you.
• Make sure you have not blocked them or their ISP accidentally when blocking 'SPAM' from someone else at their ISP.
• Ask your ISP if there is a block on their ISP.
• Ask your friends to find out from their ISP if there is problem with their SMTP server.
• If anyone else can send email to you and you can receive it, tell your friends the problem could be on their end.

I keep getting the same old email over and over again.

• Your email client may be set to 'leave a copy of messages on the server', but not set to 'delete from server when deleted from deleted items'. In this case, you have already deleted these old email from the email client, then you perform 'send and receive' and the same old email show up again. To correct this, you have to enable both boxes or neither of them in the 'advanced' account properties.
• One of your more recent emails could have a problem and since email clients usually download the older email first, some of the older ones can get downloaded again before getting to the newer one that stops the download and causes an error. This is when you get to see the same old email again. Find the problem email in your web mail box, read it on the Internet and delete it or use an email client that can handle large emails to download it to your computer.

I am getting two or three of each email.

• Whoever sent the email may have double-clicked the send button.
• You may have two or three accounts in the client with the same information.
• Your client may have more than one email account with different email addresses but all the email goes into one mail box in the client. This happens if the email client is not capable of dividing the email into separate mail boxes. Everyone gets to read everyone else's email. (No privacy)

Shortly after I receive email I cannot browse the Internet.

• Your email client may be set to 'disconnect after sending and receiving', uncheck the box under Tools, Options, Connection. If you cannot find it, search the Help section of the email program or ask your ISP for assistance.
• Your Internet connection may be so unstable that the server at your ISP disconnected your modem. Ask the phone company whose number you dialed for assistance in removing any static or line noise that may exist.
• Other equipment like fax machines, credit card machines, caller ID boxes or cordless phones that are hooked up on the phone line between the computer and the wall jack could be causing part of the problem.
• Upgrade your modem drivers or reinstall your modem.

I try to delete old email and it is still there.

• Your email client could be set to 'leave a copy of messages on the server' but not set to delete them, so when you do 'Send and Receive' after you have already deleted the old email from the client, you can get another copy of the same old email.
• Your mail box on the Internet could be full, locked or jammed and is not deleting the email. Login at your email online and try deleting there, if that's not working, contact your ISP for help.
• Your email client may be damaged and is not deleting from the server as it is set to do. Reload or update it.

I am having to type my password every time I open my email.

• You did not select the option to 'save or remember password' when creating the account or identity.
• Your email client may be damaged and is not remembering the password. Scan for viruses, update or reload it.
• Check for spelling errors or incomplete spelling in the account properties.

A secure server (SSL) is giving me an error message.

• Look in the account properties of the email client for any secure server boxes that should NOT be checked.