Has smtp.ntlworld.com gone?

antelope · 24-01-2012, 18:38

For about the last 5 days we have been unable to send email via VM from any computer in the house. All else was working correctly, including receiving emails. We're all using Thunderbird which has been working fine for ages and hasn't been changed recently.

However, the service status page for our area showed there was a problem with sending emails, so we waited for it to be fixed. That has now apparently happened, but still no emails could be sent.

So tonight, I browsed the troubleshooting pages and found that the SMTP address recommended for Thunderbird was "smtp.virginmedia.com" and not "smtp.ntlworld.com" which is what we've been using for ... well forever I think.

Now that I've changed this address, we can send email again, although the behaviour is slightly different. Messages are now sent to the sender as well as the recipient(s), whereas previously the sender didn't receive the message (which is as we want because Thunderbird stores a copy anyway).

So I have two questions:

1) Has the "smtp.ntlworld.com" address been removed (without telling us) and should we now be using "smtp.virginmedia.com"?

2) Is there a way of getting the old behaviour whereby sent messages aren't copied to the sender when using "smtp.virginmedia.com"?

Many thanks for any advice.

**Kymmy** · 24-01-2012, 18:41

smtp.ntlworld.com is still responding to telnet on port 25..

JayAy · 24-01-2012, 18:52

There a problem with SSL on port 465 with smtp.ntlworld.com. I have the same and email is struggling to get out...

VM has acknowledged they have a problem

Service Disruption
problems sending emails
Reported on: Wed 18 Jan 2012, 12:36 PM
Estimated fix time: Thu 26 Jan 2012, 05:00 PM
Fault reference: F001862390

Should also show up when you check your service status at https://my.virginmedia.com/faults/service-status

Getting everything working just as you want with the VM email is a little frustrating, so I'm just waiting for them to fix the SSL issue and not changing any settings.

antelope · 24-01-2012, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayAy

There a problem with SSL on port 465 with smtp.ntlworld.com. I have the same and email is struggling to get out...

VM has acknowledged they have a problem

Service Disruption
problems sending emails
Reported on: Wed 18 Jan 2012, 12:36 PM
Estimated fix time: Thu 26 Jan 2012, 05:00 PM
Fault reference: F001862390

Should also show up when you check your service status at https://my.virginmedia.com/faults/service-status

Getting everything working just as you want with the VM email is a little frustrating, so I'm just waiting for them to fix the SSL issue and not changing any settings.

Thanks, that seems to be the issue we have here too, except that the service status for our area has now reverted to "good service" (haha) and it's still not working.

Does anyone know if there are sensible reasons to use ntlworld.com instead of virginmedia.com, given that the latter actually seems to work?

**Kymmy** · 24-01-2012, 20:14

Just noticed that the thread is in the wrong area. Will move it to the correct forum

antelope · 24-01-2012, 20:59

OK, now this thread has been moved to the proper place I see there's already been quite a bit of discussion of this on another thread.

Looks like I'll just make do with virginmedia.com until ntlworld.com's been fixed.

Devonish · 24-01-2012, 21:15

I am having the same problem in Northamptonshire & had begun a new thread 'sending emails' & then came across this thread. Is there any way to merge them?

chrispy2000 · 25-01-2012, 06:38

I'm having this in Peterborough area

stripes · 25-01-2012, 12:32

Me too, in NW London (Apple Mac, old ntl customer, now a Virgin customer, but still with ntl.world addresses).

Antelope asked this question yesterday: "Does anyone know if there are sensible reasons to use ntlworld.com instead of virginmedia.com, given that the latter actually seems to work?" As yet it hasn't been answered - I did try substituting smtp.virginmedia.com as appropriate, but still emails failed to send.

Does Antelope's 'solution' work (or rather, should it?)

Ta.

Allen

heero_yuy · 25-01-2012, 13:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by stripes

Me too, in NW London (Apple Mac, old ntl customer, now a Virgin customer, but still with ntl.world addresses).

Antelope asked this question yesterday: "Does anyone know if there are sensible reasons to use ntlworld.com instead of virginmedia.com, given that the latter actually seems to work?" As yet it hasn't been answered - I did try substituting smtp.virginmedia.com as appropriate, but still emails failed to send.

Does Antelope's 'solution' work (or rather, should it?)

Ta.

Allen

Normal practice is to use the smtp server associated with the mail address, i.e.

joe.bloggs@ntlworld.com uses smtp.ntlworld.com etc. However it seems that when VM consolodated the mail systems for ntl, virgin and blueyonder that they have made all those user names and passwords valid on the virginmedia smtp.

I suspect that they're not actually separate servers but just aliased onto the main one and that access problems may be DNS related. Just a feeling.

Devonish · 26-01-2012, 13:19

Hi, Got through to VM support again yesterday, this time in UK, guy was helpful in that he explained that smtp.ntlworld.com has now been replaced by smtp.virginmedia.com & should work without problems. Further he said those that it does not work for need to contact VM for assistance. Job done!

stripes · 26-01-2012, 13:23

Thanks Devonish, but could you phone the guy back and tell him this.....

My smtp.ntlworld.com has just come back into action, and having tested it on 4 different addresses, it is working fine (just as it used to). So, job done??

A

heero_yuy · 26-01-2012, 13:45

Fixed here from mid morning so this info:

Service Disruption
problems sending emails
Reported on: Wed 18 Jan 2012, 12:36 PM
Estimated fix time: Thu 26 Jan 2012, 05:00 PM
Fault reference: F001862390

From post #3

Been acknowleged and fixed ahead of time.

stripes · 26-01-2012, 13:58

I know that Virgin wouldn't want to publicize their own problems, but it's a pity that they don't institute an easily-accessible (Google) 'Fault' board showing known faults, such as this one, with updates as to progress. It would save their customers a lot of heart and head-aches... (And no, their 'check service' board, hidden deep inside their own website, is NOT the answer, as it almost always says 'good service all areas' even when it isn't!)

Allen.

gcollins · 26-01-2012, 14:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by stripes

I know that Virgin wouldn't want to publicize their own problems, but it's a pity that they don't institute an easily-accessible (Google) 'Fault' board showing known faults, such as this one, with updates as to progress. It would save their customers a lot of heart and head-aches... (And no, their 'check service' board, hidden deep inside their own website, is NOT the answer, as it almost always says 'good service all areas' even when it isn't!)

^^^Gets my vote^^^

Good, I am looking forward to firing up Outlook when I get home and see all the mail arrive that has been queing since yesterday morning.