Can't send email from client on home XP network

[Simon O'Connor]

Hi,

I've got a problem which I've had for probably a year now,
am unsure of when it started, and have on and off been
looking for a solution to this for that whole year.

Here it is:
I have a home network, it consists of my 'Media Server',
which is an XP machine connected to a cable modem on one
network card, and a hub on the other. From the hub I have
another XP desktop connected directly via cat5, and I also
have a wireless base station plugged into the hub which
allows my laptop to be used around the house.

On the media server I have Sygate Personal Firewall (Had
Zone Alarm before that) and AVG virus scanner for protection.

For a short time everything was fine and dandy... but then
one day, I don't know exactly when, the two client machines
stopped being able to send e-mails via SMTP any more
(Hotmail via outlook express was fine)... just like that.
They can still receive mail without a problem, but sending
it... nope, I get:
"The Connection to the server has failed. Acccount 'XXXX'
Server: 'XXXX', Protocol SMTP, Port: 25 Secure(SSL): No,
Socket Error: 10060, Error Number 0x800CCC0E"

Now this happens no matter what e-mail client I use (the
above error was from OE), and it also happens on my work
laptop when I connect through my network. It all works fine
on other networks, but running it on mine and the same
thing... receive no problem, send nope.

Now, what have I tried?
* Turned off Sygate firewall - No effect
* Turned off the MS firewall - Didn't have it on
* Tried turning off everything at startup on the server via
msconfig - no effect
* Turned off AVG - No effect

Basically it would seem it has to be a problem with the
server or the internet conection, but I don't remember
changing anything around the time that it started happening.

Does anyone have any idea how to fix this? I've been to so
many groups and can't find a solution!

 

[Russ Farmer]

Did you by chance try to use an SMTP server that is beyond
your ISP? Iow, did you change providers and keep the mail
service from before, like a company mail server? In my
experience SMTP will always be blocked by the common
providers, except to their own servers. You can access
any POP server on the internet, but SMTP, for some reason
will not pass thru your provider's gateway. I configure my
mail client at home with two accts, one at the ISP and one
at the company where I work. I never get mail at the
ISP's POP server, but always have to select the ISP mail
acct for outgoing, always using my company email address
as the return-to. If that's not the problem in your case,
good luck.

 

[James]

If that is the case then 1 thing that can work is to put
your current isp's outgoing mail server in your SMTP
section of your other email account.

That has worked for me before.

 

[Simon O'Connor]

You are an absolute lifesaver! You have been the only one to mention
this. I went to some forums, found a link to a page for my ISP which
is not actively advertised, and within a couple of clicks had the SMTP
outbound blocking removed.

FANTASTIC!

Thanks!

Simon