Test POP account 'cannot connect'

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom Del Rosso
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Tom Del Rosso

A few workstations with Outlook 2003 fail the first step of the "Test
account settings" test, saying they can't connect to the internet. The
POP accounts work anyway, but the failing test indicates something I
want to fix.

(The problem might be the same thing that's preventing the Quickbooks
integration from working. That is a real problem, so I want to find a
fix for the 'test' error even though it doesn't effect the operation of
POP accounts.)
 
"Tom Del Rosso" said in
A few workstations with Outlook 2003 fail the first step of the "Test
account settings" test, saying they can't connect to the internet.
The POP accounts work anyway, but the failing test indicates
something I want to fix.

(The problem might be the same thing that's preventing the Quickbooks
integration from working. That is a real problem, so I want to find a
fix for the 'test' error even though it doesn't effect the operation
of POP accounts.)
Click to expand...

Maybe those users have a dial-up connectoid defined and never bothered
to specify in Internet Options -> Connections and also in the definition
of the accounts in their Outlook to always use the LAN.

OL2002: The Test Account Settings Do Not Work if LAN Is Unavailable
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296954

You make it sound like your network yet you mention POP3 accounts which
then makes it sound like the hosts on this network have to make an
outside connection to an ISP that provides e-mail service. Are these
users using dial-up connectoids to that POP3 service? If not, and since
they might appear to be coming from an off-domain network, have you
checked their account configuration to ensure they are authenticating to
the POP3 server, especially for the SMTP server?
 
In *Vanguard* typed:
Maybe those users have a dial-up connectoid defined and never bothered
to specify in Internet Options -> Connections and also in the
definition of the accounts in their Outlook to always use the LAN.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I knew I forgot to mention something. No there never was a DUN
connection and the account settings specify LAN. As for Internet
Options in IE, I'm pretty sure that's the same, since there is no
connection other than the LAN, and both the web and the email work fine.

Since the email works, I wouldn't care much that it fails the account
test, but for the fact that there is some integration between Quickbooks
and Outlook, and Quickbooks can't connect.

OL2002: The Test Account Settings Do Not Work if LAN Is Unavailable
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296954
Click to expand...

That applies to PC's with both DUN and LAN connections. I've tried the
MS KB and couldn't find anything about this.

You make it sound like your network yet you mention POP3 accounts
which then makes it sound like the hosts on this network have to make
an outside connection to an ISP that provides e-mail service. Are
these users using dial-up connectoids to that POP3 service?
Click to expand...

No, they have POP accounts, but they don't use dialup. The ISP
connection is through the LAN. They don't have Exchange. The LAN is a
2003 Server domain.

If not,
and since they might appear to be coming from an off-domain network,
have you checked their account configuration to ensure they are
authenticating to the POP3 server, especially for the SMTP server?
Click to expand...

The settings are correct. After all, the POP/SMTP accounts work in both
directions. Several users have no problem at all, but 2 users fail the
first phase of the test (no connection) and yet have working email. LAN
connection is selected, and there never was a DUN connection. Weird,
isn't it?
 
"Tom Del Rosso" said in
Sorry, I knew I forgot to mention something. No there never was a DUN
connection and the account settings specify LAN. As for Internet
Options in IE, I'm pretty sure that's the same, since there is no
connection other than the LAN, and both the web and the email work
fine.
Click to expand...

Just make sure the Connection properties defined for the account itself
in Outlook also specifies to use the LAN and not a dial-up connectoid.
The settings are correct. After all, the POP/SMTP accounts work in
both directions. Several users have no problem at all, but 2 users
fail the first phase of the test (no connection) and yet have working
email. LAN connection is selected, and there never was a DUN
connection. Weird, isn't it?
Click to expand...

I believe the "test" requires a send and receive within the same mail
poll. That means the order must be to send first and receive second.
Perhaps these users have the account properties for outbound server in
Outlook configured to receive first and send second. That means the
test message is checked to exist before it even gets sent. Normal mail
would work because: (1) Someone sending you e-mail will end up with it
pending in your mailbox so it doesn't matter if the receive is done
first or second; or, (2) You sending a real e-mail message to yourself
would do the receive (find nothing) followed by the send (test message
gets sent and waits in your mailbox) and a subsequent mail poll then
does the receive which retrieves your test e-mail (i.e., your test
succeeds using two mail polls instead of one).
 
In *Vanguard* typed:
Just make sure the Connection properties defined for the account
itself in Outlook also specifies to use the LAN and not a dial-up
connectoid.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I mean by, "account settings specify LAN".

I believe the "test" requires a send and receive within the same mail
poll. That means the order must be to send first and receive second.
Perhaps these users have the account properties for outbound server in
Outlook configured to receive first and send second.
Click to expand...

This doesn't even sound familiar. Where is this option in Outlook 2003?
 
"Tom Del Rosso" said in
This doesn't even sound familiar. Where is this option in Outlook
2003?
Click to expand...

In OL2002, Tools -> E-mail Accounts -> pick one to look at its
properties -> More Settings -> Outgoing Server

"Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail"

Make sure it is disabled or unselected. It is only enabled (i.e.,
available) if the "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication".
I would suspect the option would still exist under OL2003 unless this
version somehow performs magic to divine that a mail system requires
receive-before-send whereas the default scheme is send-before-receive.
 
In *Vanguard* typed:
"Tom Del Rosso" said in


In OL2002, Tools -> E-mail Accounts -> pick one to look at its
properties -> More Settings -> Outgoing Server

"Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail"

Make sure it is disabled or unselected. It is only enabled (i.e.,
available) if the "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication".
Click to expand...

Okay, that option I know. I just didn't recognize it from the
description "receive first and send second". No that is not checked,
but I'll try checking it and then unchecking it to see if that might fix
the problem. Thanks.
 
Sadly, the "Test Account" code and the actual code used to send mail are
different, so occasionally the "Test Account" will fail when actually
sending works. Even more sadly, there is no logging of what goes on in
"Test Account" so you can't track down problems.
 
In Jeff Stephenson [MSFT] typed:
Sadly, the "Test Account" code and the actual code used to send mail
are different, so occasionally the "Test Account" will fail when
actually sending works. Even more sadly, there is no logging of what
goes on in "Test Account" so you can't track down problems.
Click to expand...

Well, if you are on the development team could you please suggest
anything at all that I could do to track it down?
 
Usually such problems are a result of the test-accounts code not using
Outlook's settings the way the actual send code does. I think the failure
of Test Account is related to the failure of your other application.

--
Jeff Stephenson
Outlook Development
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights


Tom Del Rosso said:
In Jeff Stephenson [MSFT] typed:
Sadly, the "Test Account" code and the actual code used to send mail
are different, so occasionally the "Test Account" will fail when
actually sending works. Even more sadly, there is no logging of what
goes on in "Test Account" so you can't track down problems.
Click to expand...

Well, if you are on the development team could you please suggest
anything at all that I could do to track it down?
Click to expand...
 
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