Outlook can't connect to outgoing mail sevrer - New post with more information (same problem)

[FISH]

Hello all,

For some reason Outlook 2002 on my PC running XP Home (no Exchange server)
can't connect anymore to the outgoing mail server that I've been using for
years. All of a sudden last week I was not able to send email from any
accounts using this outgoing mail server (SMTP). I can still receive all
mail sent to those accounts, but Outlook can't connect to the outgoing mail
server in order to send mail. If I try to send mail form these accounts, the
message just sits in my Outbox and NEVER actually sends.

This is what I've tried/tested so far:
1.) I've tried to delete the accounts and re-enter them, but it didn't help.
2.) I've tried to use another computer (my laptop) that also runs Outlook
2002 to send mail from these accounts, but I had the same problem.
3.) I set up the email accounts on my Yahoo account and was able to send
mail without problem (I assume it's because this might have used a different
outgoing mail server)
4.) I've used the same Outlook to send and receive without any problems
other email accounts using different outgoing mail servers. These email
accounts worked fine.
5.) I also tried to edit the problem accounts by only changing the outgoing
mail server to the one I sue for my Yahoo account. I left everything else
the same (incoming mail server (POP3), same domain name/email address,
etc...) and then was able to use these accounts without a problem.
6.) I've contacted the host of my site and the one providing this outgoing
mail server for my email accounts. They haven't had any problems and have no
idea why this might be happening. They tested everything and everything
seems to work fine.

I've always been able to use these accounts until late last week. Outlook
just stopped being able to connect to this specific outgoing mail server for
some reason.


Does anyone have any idea what could have happened, or more important, what
I can do to fix this?

Thanks in advance !!!!

 

[Brian Tillman]

For some reason Outlook 2002 on my PC running XP Home (no Exchange
server) can't connect anymore to the outgoing mail server that I've
been using for years. All of a sudden last week I was not able to
send email from any accounts using this outgoing mail server (SMTP). ....snip...
This is what I've tried/tested so far: ....snip...
2.) I've tried to use another computer (my laptop) that also runs
Outlook 2002 to send mail from these accounts, but I had the same
problem.

Do you have a router in between your PCs and the mail carrier? Is the MTU
on the router set properly? Is there a built-in firewall in the router?

3.) I set up the email accounts on my Yahoo account and was able to
send mail without problem (I assume it's because this might have used
a different outgoing mail server)

Is this a POP account with Yahoo? If not, it won't prove anything.

4.) I've used the same Outlook to send and receive without any
problems other email accounts using different outgoing mail servers.
These email accounts worked fine.
5.) I also tried to edit the problem accounts by only changing the
outgoing mail server to the one I sue for my Yahoo account. I left
everything else the same (incoming mail server (POP3), same domain
name/email address, etc...) and then was able to use these accounts
without a problem.

It really does sound like it may be the specific server for that account.
Can you open a command line windows and ping the mail server? Can you
telnet to it from the command line?

ping brokenmailserver
telnet brokenmailserver 25

 

[FISH]

Hey Brian, Thanks again for the help.

No router between my main PC and the modem. There is one from time to time
between my laptop at home and my modem at home (same problem with or without
the router).

When I ping the mail server I do get replies. When I telnet the ping server
by using "telnet mailserver 25" it can't connect.

Any suggestions as to what I can do next?

 

[Jeff Stephenson [MSFT]]

When I ping the mail server I do get replies. When I telnet the ping server
by using "telnet mailserver 25" it can't connect.

This says that either
(1) There is no SMTP server running on the host. Verify the outgoing
server address.
(2) Someone (possibly your ISP) is blocking port 25 to that server. Ask
your ISP if they do any port 25 blocking.

Any suggestions as to what I can do next?

I think you found one solution in your list of tests - point the outgoing
server of this account to one of the servers that works. There's nothing
that says that you have to use the SMTP server corresponding to the POP3
server...

 

[Guest]

I'm and Earthlink/MindSpring customer and this happens to me occasionally.
Each time I've found they've made some changes in their system. They give me
the new information, I input it, and it works fine. They just don't send you
an e-mail ahead of time to let you know you need to make the changes.
Perhaps that has happened with yours.