reluctant to send emails, but will receive them alright

[jw 1111]

Hi, I am using windows XP and Virgin internet server for broadband. My
outlook express connects up usually without any problem and will send and
receive emails. Although it is often reluctant to send mails and I get a '
the host SMTP virgin net' could not be found. Although even when it does
this, it shows itself to be receiving emails, in the 'send-receive'
information box, which seems puzzling.

But then when I try to access the net using Internet Explorer, it says
server cannot be found. this happens repeatedly, but it does work sometimes.
any suggestions please? Thanks for any advice

 

[SJP]

Hi, I am using windows XP and Virgin internet server for broadband. My
outlook express connects up usually without any problem and will send and
receive emails. Although it is often reluctant to send mails and I get a '
the host SMTP virgin net' could not be found. Although even when it does
this, it shows itself to be receiving emails, in the 'send-receive'
information box, which seems puzzling.

But then when I try to access the net using Internet Explorer, it says
server cannot be found. this happens repeatedly, but it does work
sometimes.
any suggestions please? Thanks for any advice

Virgins outgoing mail server is mail.virgin.net

 

[Mike Easter]

"jw 1111"

That can happen from funky dns service. When you crank up OE the first
thing it does is send and receive mail. If there is something pokey
about the resolver, then that slows things down. I have had to add a
resolver in addition to my cable modem provider's DHCP because of pokey
nameresolution problems.

Name resolution problems again.

Virgins outgoing mail server is mail.virgin.net

mail.virgin.net DNS 80.5.182.193
smtp.virgin.net DNS 80.5.182.193

Actually mail.virgin.net CNAME mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net
mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net A record 80.5.182.193

smtp.virgin.net CNAME mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net

80.5.182.193 rDNS mail.virgin.net

DNS timing for mail.virgin.net rates a B at dnsstuff; smtp was about
the same.

I think it is a pokey resolver.

 

[SJP]

That can happen from funky dns service. When you crank up OE the first
thing it does is send and receive mail. If there is something pokey
about the resolver, then that slows things down. I have had to add a
resolver in addition to my cable modem provider's DHCP because of pokey
nameresolution problems.


Name resolution problems again.



mail.virgin.net DNS 80.5.182.193
smtp.virgin.net DNS 80.5.182.193

Actually mail.virgin.net CNAME mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net
mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net A record 80.5.182.193

smtp.virgin.net CNAME mail.virgin.net.criticalpath.net

80.5.182.193 rDNS mail.virgin.net

DNS timing for mail.virgin.net rates a B at dnsstuff; smtp was about
the same.

I think it is a pokey resolver.

Why are you telling me? jw 1111 asked the question.

 

[Mike Easter]

Why are you telling me? jw 1111 asked the question.

Errm, I was reading your answer when I clicked reply, and jw's cites
were in there. I answered jw in context and I just used your post about
the 'other' smtp server name to elaborate on why I didn't think it was
the name jw was using, but something else.

I wasn't disagreeing about mail.virgin being 'wrong' just discussing
what I tho't was going on in the context of all which had been said
before I replied there.

Just because your handle is above jw's in my attribution and reply
doesn't mean I'm not talking to jw -- too.

 

[jw 1111]

Many thanks for all your help. As I am a novice and not too bright, are
you able to translate the significance of this information, and suggest what
my best next step might be please? many thanks.

 

[PA Bear]

Post the complete error message, please.

Start by disabling email scanning by your anti-virus application. It
provides no additional protection and even Symantec says it's not necessary:

<paste>
Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.
</paste>
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2002111812533106

Troubleshooting error messages that you receive when you are using OL and OE
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813514
--
OE6-specific newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress
OE General newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Shell/User, Security), Aumha.org VSOP, DTS-L.org

 

[Mike Easter]

Many thanks for all your help. As I am a novice and not too bright,
are you able to translate the significance of this information, and
suggest what my best next step might be please? many thanks.

I looked at virgin's broadband section and it turns out that it is ADSL
and not cable.

I don't have any experience with enhancing the nameservice with an ADSL
hookup -- just cable DHCP and DNS TCP network configuration alternatives
which uses ethernet configuration of Win with and without a router..

I can't 'divine' the way virgin handles their ADSL from the virgin
website well enough to offer any advice.

 

[Wog George]

Many thanks for all your help. As I am a novice and not too bright...

At this point, you are simply a novice. Once you have some grounding it may
then become apparent that you're not too bright, but you don't want to jump
the gun. You have to take these things one step at a time.

 

[jw 1111]

Many thanks for all replies. Due to financial contraints at present i am
at present using Grisoft AVG anti virus and Zone Alarm ( the free
versions). I can
see a mail protection option in Zone Alarm (but not in AVG).

So from what has been said before, do you think it is safe to just
cancel mail protection in Zone Alarm please ? Grateful for any further
advice, thanks.

 

[jw 1111]

Many thanks for all replies. Due to financial contraints at present i am
at present using Grisoft AVG anti virus and Zone Alarm ( the free
versions). I can
see a mail protection option in Zone Alarm (but not in AVG).

This is the exact error message I get.

The host 'smtp.virgin.net' could not be found. Please verify that you have
entered the server name correctly. Account: ............., Server:
'smtp.virgin.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error:
11001, Error Number: 0x800CCC0D

 

[PA Bear]

AVG Control Center > Email Scanning > ...

AVG Free Forums
http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/

 

[Mike Easter]

This is the exact error message I get.

The host 'smtp.virgin.net' could not be found. Please verify that you
have entered the server name correctly. Account: .............,
Server: 'smtp.virgin.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No,
Socket Error: 11001, Error Number: 0x800CCC0D

That [most likely by my current theory based on what was said earlier]
means that your system didn't know how to find smtp.virgin.net because
it didn't know how to 'translate' smtp.virgin.net to 80.5.182.193

The reason it didn't know how to do that is because the nameservice
which was being provided by your ADSL connection wasn't giving you good
or prompt or any nameservice.

There are many ways you can demonstrate that the problem is nameservice
instead of the server not 'being there' or being down.

During one of these problem episodes, you can use any kind of tool which
you might have 'handy' and tickle the server by name or by IP address.

An esample of a tool is ping which you can run from your ms-dos prompt.

ping smtp.virgin.net

vs

ping 80.5.182.193

Some servers don't answer pings, but this one does.

Or, you could do it with telnet to see the server answer

telnet smtp.virgin.net 25

vs

telnet 80.5.182.193 25

The server sez

220 n064.sc1.cp.net ESMTP Service (7.2.069.1) ready

or if you are pinging it just echoes the pings.

During the time of your trouble with nameservice, you will be able to
reach the server by its IP number by ping or whatever tool you like, but
you won't be able to reach it by name.

Steve Gibson at grc.com has a nifty little tool called ID Serve which
would also work in this instance.