No E-mail access (MS Outlook) since 30 Dec

[RHS]

Hi all,

I can see there are a number of people with e-mail problems here. Mine's been fine using Outlook until 30 December 2003. Since then I've only been able to access web mail through http://webmail.ntlworld.com/ . Other net access seams fine.

I've tried removing my account and then re-adding it in Outlook with all the details unchanged (pop.ntlworld.com; smtp.ntlworld.com; account name; password (as used in web mail); secure unchecked; authentication unchecked etc). I've even tried Outlook Express. The high number of problems reported by others suggests at NTL problem to me, and I am sure no one has fiddled with my PC, but I'm no expert.

Any ideas? Why is the problem not reported on "Service status" at http://www.ntl-isp.ntl.com/lookup/default.asp ? I really want to avoid sitting in an "customer service" 'phone queue for an hour and then to be told to call a premium rate number by someone as ignorant as me for and fault within the NTL network. May be time will magically fix it by the end of the week...

Thanks, RightHandSide

Originally Posted by RHS

Why is the problem not reported on "Service status" at http://www.ntl-isp.ntl.com/lookup/default.asp?

Because the fault is only effecting you.

Originally Posted by RHS

I really want to avoid sitting in an "customer service" 'phone queue for an hour and then to be told to call a premium rate number by someone as ignorant as me for and fault within the NTL network.

Not that ignorant. Why would you call customer services for a technical fault? and you can get through to technical support from the FREE customer services number without having to speak to anyone. And the technical support number is lo-call 3p week-daytime, 2p week-eve, 1 weekend. I rang up yesterday got through within 3 minutes.

/rant


Lets try finding where the problem lies before giving up...


Do you have a firewall? Try turning it off.
Do you have a router? Try connecting directly.
Can you access the pop server via telnet?


To telnet the mail server:
Start>Run
"telnet pop.ntlworld.com 110"
+OK InterMail POP3 server ready.
(type) user user.name
+OK please send PASS command
(type) pass password
+OK user.name is welcome here

this logs you into the pop server.

if you get this then Outlook/express is broke or a firewall could be blocking both applications

if you dont then a firewall could be blocking the pop server or port 110.

[threadbare]

well said John Doe but if RHS is using ntl dialup then premium is what he'll have to call.

As John Doe said there are no email problems at present. this appears to be a problem with your setup

[RHS]

Thanks for replying.



John Doe -

Yes - I'm using a Sygate firewall. Changing this to "Allow All" while I start and attempt to use Outlook makes no difference to the response.

I'm not using a router - my 1 meg cable service is connected directly to my single PC through USB. Windows XP Home.

I get the Outlook message "connecting to server..." for a while, then "Mail Delivery Error - click here" in the bottom left corner of the window. This offers a window explaining "The TCP/IP connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server. (Account: 'pop.ntlworld.com', SMTP Server: 'smtp.ntlworld.com', Error Number: 0x800ccc0f)." and "The TCP/IP connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server. (Account: 'pop.ntlworld.com', POP3 Server: 'pop.ntlworld.com', Error Number: 0x800ccc0f).". Should this tell me something useful?

I have also tried "telnet pop.ntlworld.com 110" both in "Start->Run" and in a DOS window which results in a blank (black) window with no text. Eventually times-out and offers the old DOS C:\> type prompt.

Please excuse my previous cynical review of NTL customer service which has been stewing over several years!



threadbare -

You may not have e-mail problems, but others in the forum seem to have recent issues similar to mine. NTL seem to be the common factor.


Thanks again for your comments. Any more ideas?

RightHandSide

[threadbare]

Originally Posted by RHS

Thanks for replying.
I get the Outlook message "connecting to server..." for a while, then "Mail Delivery Error - click here" in the bottom left corner of the window. This offers a window explaining "The TCP/IP connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server. (Account: 'pop.ntlworld.com', SMTP Server: 'smtp.ntlworld.com', Error Number: 0x800ccc0f)." and "The TCP/IP connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server. (Account: 'pop.ntlworld.com', POP3 Server: 'pop.ntlworld.com', Error Number: 0x800ccc0f).". Should this tell me something useful?

Eventually times-out and offers the old DOS C:\> type prompt.

Please excuse my previous cynical review of NTL customer service which has been stewing over several years!



threadbare -

You may not have e-mail problems, but others in the forum seem to have recent issues similar to mine. NTL seem to be the common factor.


Thanks again for your comments. Any more ideas?

RightHandSide

sygate has an email scanning option try turning this off as it can cause that particular error message.

edit: ntl is the common factor as this is an ntl forum!

[carlingman]

Hi RHS,

Couple more things worth a look.

Do you have any Anti Virus software as well as the firewall ???

Also try entering 62.253.162.40 instead of smtp.ntlworld.com and 62.253.162.50 instead of pop.ntlworld.com.

Also one last thing how rude of us all welcome to nthellworld.

Originally Posted by threadbare

well said John Doe but if RHS is using ntl dialup then premium is what he'll have to call.

what more can i say.

Originally Posted by RHS

Changing this to "Allow All" while I start and attempt to use Outlook makes no difference to the response.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...14&Product=oex

May seem a bit anal about this but completly disable/shutdown the firewall. They do funny things when they go wrong, it happens.

[RHS]

carlingman - Thanks for the welcome. I have been around before in a different guise a long time ago, but I can't remember my nick or password, I'm afraid so have to start anew.

I have noticed Norton checking my mail in the past. A little yellow window pops up and shows progress briefly. This worked fine.

I've just tried disabling Norton e-mail checking AND Sygate firewall simultaneously. Then started Outlook. Mail is moving now.

Big THANKS. It's very good to get something moving when you've been pushing several days alone. Typically, though, I have no idea WHY or WHAT things changed. I certainly didn't change any Norton settings. - I'll experiment over the next few days and get back if I discover anything useful.

Thanks again - RHS

[RHS]

Oh, and NTL didn't deserve a beating on this occasion - Sorry NTL.

[threadbare]

Originally Posted by RHS

carlingman - Thanks for the welcome. I have been around before in a different guise a long time ago, but I can't remember my nick or password, I'm afraid so have to start anew.

I have noticed Norton checking my mail in the past. A little yellow window pops up and shows progress briefly. This worked fine.

I've just tried disabling Norton e-mail checking AND Sygate firewall simultaneously. Then started Outlook. Mail is moving now.

Big THANKS. It's very good to get something moving when you've been pushing several days alone. Typically, though, I have no idea WHY or WHAT things changed. I certainly didn't change any Norton settings. - I'll experiment over the next few days and get back if I discover anything useful.

Thanks again - RHS

norton and sygate download mail to an internal proxy, scan them, then pass them to the email client. in order to do this they have to intercept the mail - sometimes like most applications the settings just become screwed....

edit: sp

[carlingman]

Originally Posted by RHS

carlingman - Thanks for the welcome. I have been around before in a different guise a long time ago, but I can't remember my nick or password, I'm afraid so have to start anew.

I have noticed Norton checking my mail in the past. A little yellow window pops up and shows progress briefly. This worked fine.

I've just tried disabling Norton e-mail checking AND Sygate firewall simultaneously. Then started Outlook. Mail is moving now.

Big THANKS. It's very good to get something moving when you've been pushing several days alone. Typically, though, I have no idea WHY or WHAT things changed. I certainly didn't change any Norton settings. - I'll experiment over the next few days and get back if I discover anything useful.

Thanks again - RHS

Glad you got it working.

If theres no reported problems on a global scale normally points to a firewall or anti virus setting as they tend to have a mind of their own.

Hope it continues to work..

[RHS]

Seems to be stable now. Incoming and outgoing mail are travelling OK. I'm going to have to leave Norton mail checker off because it won't work with it on and I'm not qualified to fiddle much further.

I find all these abbreviations, general doubts, 'standards' and intermittent failures very frustrating at times. For example: What is POP3? What does it stand for? was there ever a POP2 or POP1 etc? How do they work? Why do they fail (sometimes)? Why don't all mailers work the same? And that's just e-mail. Then there are routers. How does (say) a browser picture know which window to appear in and where? And on which PC on the router? It all seems like magic (luck?) when it works and the diagnostics are really quite poor when it doesn't - despite all those megabytes used by every program…

But enough. I should be asking these things elsewhere, perhaps.

Thanks yet again. RHS