Win Mail won't send attachments

[M.V.Miller]

Vista's Window Mail & Windows Live Mail are both giving me this same error:

Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for
this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of
inactivity.

Subject 'Testing...delete this (medium attach; 350KB)'
Server: 'smtp.fuse.net'
Windows Live Mail Error ID: 0x800CCC0F
Protocol: SMTP
Port: 25
Secure(SSL): No
Socket Error: 10053

If the mail is just text, it usually goes through. A small attachment
(60KB'ish) sometimes sends. Any larger attachment always generates the error
message

I've disabled my AV's email scan, both for incoming & outgoing messages.
It's AVG Free Edition, Ver.8.0.169.

My ISP's help desk says that my setup is correct; that the problem must be a
bug in my email client... "call them", they say... It was at their
suggestion that I switched from WM to WLM. The problems all seem to have
started when the ISP switched my DSL connection from CAPM mode (using a Cisco
675 modem) to DMT mode (with a Westell 6100 modem). (does anybody know what I
just said, there? ...I don't!)

...anybody have any ideas? I'm open to any suggestions at this point.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

The type of DSL you have should have no effect on email.

Disabling AVG's email scanning is often insufficient.
Chances are, you installed AVG antivirus using its default install option.
If so, uninstall it, then reinstall, but select 'custom' install, which then
allows you to unselect installing the troublesome email scanning module.

While AVG is uninstalled, try email again, just to verify that
the culprit has been found.

 

[M.V.Miller]

Thanks for the reply, Mr. VanderMolen... (Trust you had a good weekend)

Per your suggestion, I removed AVG via the control panel and attempted
another email, with a 350kb attachment; no joy. Same error message as before.

....I think I'm running naked on the internet - may I reinstall AVG, please?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Yes, reinstall AVG, but using the custom install option. During the custom install,
decline any modules that affect email.

Do you use any other third party security software, like anti-spyware?

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

Thanks for the reply, Mr. VanderMolen... (Trust you had a good weekend)

Per your suggestion, I removed AVG via the control panel and attempted
another email, with a 350kb attachment; no joy. Same error message as before.

...I think I'm running naked on the internet - may I reinstall AVG, please?

 

[M.V.Miller]

Good Morning, Sir!

The only other security software installed is Windows Defender.

Anticipating your next question, no, McAfee, Norton, Symantec, (or any of
the other AV's) has ever been installed on this machine.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

We've run out of the usual culprits for this type of problem.
One other thing you might check:
Tools, Accounts, select that account, Advanced. There is a setting for
"Break apart messages larger than 60 KB". If it is checked, uncheck it.
If it is unchecked, check it. Some servers are finicky about this setting.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

Good Morning, Sir!

The only other security software installed is Windows Defender.

Anticipating your next question, no, McAfee, Norton, Symantec, (or any of
the other AV's) has ever been installed on this machine.

 

[M.V.Miller]

I had previously tried checking the "Break Apart..." box. The recipient
received email upon email of ASCII... it didn't automatically rejoin the
parts back into one, coherent file.

So, if the problem isn't at the ISP end, and the problem isn't at the
Windows end, what's left?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

You might give Thunderbird a try:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

I had previously tried checking the "Break Apart..." box. The recipient
received email upon email of ASCII... it didn't automatically rejoin the
parts back into one, coherent file.

So, if the problem isn't at the ISP end, and the problem isn't at the
Windows end, what's left?

 

[M.V.Miller]

Do you mean to uninstall WM and WLM and use Thunderbird as my email instead?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

No need to uninstall anything.
I meant for you to give Thunderbird a quick trial, just to see if that
cures the problem. If it doesn't work either, then there is some basic
(non-email) issue with your computer, and you may want to look into
doing a System Restore back to a date when it did work properly.

 

[M.V.Miller]

Installed T'bird today; still no joy. It won't send attachments either.

"System Restore" was amongst the first things I tried to do, but,
regretably, there were no restore points there - all of them had disappeared!
And, no, I don't dual-boot this system, and, yes, I have plenty of disk
space.

....what're we talking now, Gary? Are we down to finding the Dell CD's,
formatting the hard drive and reloading all of those Vista patches? Whoa is
me... :-(

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

It sounds like your options have been exhausted.
You may want to look into doing a 'repair-install' of Vista:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html

If that fails, only a new Vista install may do the job.
Even a new Vista install (unless you reformat) will save all your old
data in a folder called Windows.old.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

Installed T'bird today; still no joy. It won't send attachments either.

"System Restore" was amongst the first things I tried to do, but,
regretably, there were no restore points there - all of them had disappeared!
And, no, I don't dual-boot this system, and, yes, I have plenty of disk
space.

...what're we talking now, Gary? Are we down to finding the Dell CD's,
formatting the hard drive and reloading all of those Vista patches? Whoa is
me... :-(

 

[M.V.Miller]

Gary,
This is probably beyond your area of expertise, but perhaps you could direct
me to the right group/forum to ask for ideas./suggestions/fixes.

No, I haven't reloaded Vista, yet, and yes it still has problems sending
attachments...

What I *did* do is resurrect my previous laptop.
It's an XP operating system, with Outlook Express as the mail client.
And it has the same problem (email is fine; surfing is fine; email
attachments won't go) but it has a slightly different error message.

Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for
this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of
inactivity. Subject 'Test (delete) - w/650kb attach', Account:
'pop.fuse.net', Server: 'smtp.fuse.net', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response:
'421 4.4.2 service timed out.', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 421,
Error Number: 0x800CCC0F

Since the Westell 6100 modem is common to both machines, I exchanged the old
for a brand new Westell. Also replaced all cables to & from the modem.

No joy. And I am at my wits end as to where the problem lies...

Are you ready to tell me where to go? (pun intended)

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

So, Windows XP gave you pretty much the same result as Vista,
as far as sending attachments.
To rule out the server as the cause of the problem, you should try
a different server. Get a free account with Gmail, which will allow
you to try their smtp.gmail.com server.

 

[M.V.Miller]

*Great* suggestion, Gary!!!
Gmail took that attachment and sent it as swift as a swallow.

And that proves who's to blame... My ISP's server is the problem.
And since both Fuse & Gmail use port 25, this would be a definitive test.
(right?)

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Yes, I tend to agree. Fuse is at fault here.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

*Great* suggestion, Gary!!!
Gmail took that attachment and sent it as swift as a swallow.

And that proves who's to blame... My ISP's server is the problem.
And since both Fuse & Gmail use port 25, this would be a definitive test.
(right?)

 

[M.V.Miller]

For the benefit of any other Cincinnati Bell Fuse/Zoomtown customers reading
this thread, here's the final outcome.

This problem orginated when I switched to Zoomtown's "Hi-Speed +" service.
(that would be ADSL2+ service). Yes, I could surf the internet; no, I
couldn't send email attachments.

The problem concluded with me being switched back to "Classic DMT" service,
which meant that I was switched from their (buggy) Alcatel server. Just so
happens that I was the first customer to find this previously unknown (to
Cin.Bell) server bug.

For me to prove(?) that the problem wasn't my problem but theirs only took
me 10 days of my time, two different computers with different operating
systems, 4 different email clients, 2 separate email servers, 3 different
modems, and 20+ separate phone calls to the Help Desk.

Hope your luck is better than mine... hang in there when you know you're
right!

Thank you, Mr. VanderMolen, for all of your time & effort... much appreciated.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

It is very unusual for an email problem to be caused by a defective
server (except for brief service interruptions). Congratulations for
being so persistent in getting it resolved.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

For the benefit of any other Cincinnati Bell Fuse/Zoomtown customers reading
this thread, here's the final outcome.

This problem orginated when I switched to Zoomtown's "Hi-Speed +" service.
(that would be ADSL2+ service). Yes, I could surf the internet; no, I
couldn't send email attachments.

The problem concluded with me being switched back to "Classic DMT" service,
which meant that I was switched from their (buggy) Alcatel server. Just so
happens that I was the first customer to find this previously unknown (to
Cin.Bell) server bug.

For me to prove(?) that the problem wasn't my problem but theirs only took
me 10 days of my time, two different computers with different operating
systems, 4 different email clients, 2 separate email servers, 3 different
modems, and 20+ separate phone calls to the Help Desk.

Hope your luck is better than mine... hang in there when you know you're
right!

Thank you, Mr. VanderMolen, for all of your time & effort... much appreciated.