I can't send email, why?
Possibly reason why:
Your Internet Service provider, aka, your dial up, cable,
or Internet access provider, have likely made changes to their network in order
to prevent sending of email by anything other than the provider's "Outgoing
SMTP" setting. This is actually a good policy since it helps reduce the volume
of unsolicited email we all receive.
The downside is that clients attempting
to send legitimate email using their web site's domain name (such as, mail.my_domain.com)
are left scratching their heads asking, "now what?"
The four quickest solutions to resolving email sending errors:
1. The instant solution:
Change your "outgoing SMTP" setting to that of your ISP (ensure outgoing port
is set to 25). If this is not possible see #2 below.
- Call your ISP to get the latest SMTP settings for your area.
- Once you change
your outgoing email setting to that of your ISP your ISP becomes solely responsible
for difficulties in sending email. Please contact them if you continue to have difficulties
sending email using their service.
- We've listed the most
common settings below.
2. Change the Outgoing SMTP port from 25 to 26.
Click
here to review how-to.
If after changing the port and restarting
your email software you are still unable to send
see #3 below.
3. Still unable to send after changing the port to 26?
Turn
"SMTP
Authentication" to "On."
You'll be required to enter your email address and password
once again in the SMTP Authentication settings boxes. Click
here to review the how-to.
4. If all of the above fails it's possible your email software is corrupted
somehow. The solution to software error caching issues, that is, reporting
an error when an error does not exist, is to delete the email account profile for
your email address, quit your software, then restart your software and re-add
your email account once again (the same as you did the first time you set up
your email account on your computer).
Comcast is bouncing back my email with some odd error message about my using a residential IP address or some such. What can I do?
Try changing the port in your SMTP settings from 25 to 26.
Apparently Comcast has begun taking the drastic measure of blocking people
who send email through port 25 (the Internet standard port for email).
Common question asked:
"I use a laptop and have a different ISP at home and at work, what can I do?"
About the only reliable, albeit annoying solution, is to set up multiple "personalities" in your email software. For example, name one work and another home.
Set the outgoing SMTP settings respectively.
When you wish to send email switch to the appropriate personality.
Some Common SMTP Settings:
| Adelphia | | mail.adelphia.net |
| America Online (AOL) | | smtp.aol.com |
| AT&T (Broadband) | | mail.attbi.com |
| AT&T (Dialup) | | smtp1.attglobal.net |
| AT&T Worldnet | | mailhost.worldnet.att.net or imailhost.worldnet.att.net |
| Atlantic Broadband | | smtp.atlanticbb.net |
| BCPL | | mail.bcpl.net |
| Bellatlantic | |
gtei.bellatlantic.net or smtpout.verizon.net |
| Bellatlantic.net | | smtpout.bellatlantic.net |
| Bellsouth | | mail.bellsouth.net |
| Bestweb | | smtp.bestweb.net |
| Blazenet | | smtp.blazenet.net |
| Cable One | | mail.cableone.net |
| CAIS | | smtp.cais.net |
| CAPU | | smtp.capu.net |
| Charm.net | | smtp.charm.net |
| Charter Communications | | smtp.charter.net |
| Comcast | | smtp.comcast.net |
| Compuserve | | smtp.compuserve.com or smtp.site1.csi.com |
| Concentric.net | | smtp.concentric.net |
| Covad | | smtp.covad.net |
| Cox Business | | smarthost.coxmail.com |
| Cox Central | | smtp.central.cox.net (central users) |
| Cox East | | smtp.east.cox.net(east coast users) |
| Cox West | | smtp.west.cox.net(west coast users) |
| Crosslink | | smtp.crosslink.net |
| DCANET | | smtp-relay.dca.net |
| Delmarva Online | | mail-gw.dmv.com |
| Delta Net | | smtp.deltanet.com |
| Direcway | | smtp.direcway.com |
| DSL Extreme | | smtp.dslextreme.com |
| Earthlink Network | | mail.earthlink.net or smtp.earthlink.net |
| Edge.net | | mail.edge.net |
| Enter | | smtp.enter.net |
| EROLS | | mail.erols.com |
| Ezy | | smtp.ezy.net |
| Flashcom | | mail.flashcom.net or smtp.flashcom.net |
| Frontline.net | | smtp.fcc.net |
| Gateway.net | | smtp.Gateway.net |
| GTI | | mail.gti.net |
| HotMail | | mail.hotmail.com |
| IBM.Global net | | smtp1.ibm.net |
| Interaccess.com | | smtp.interaccess.com |
| Internet America | | mail.airmail.net |
| ioNet Inc | | mail.ionet.net |
| ITOL | | mail.itol.com |
| Juno | | smtp.juno.com |
| MCI | | mailrelay.mciworldcom.net mailrelay.internetmci.com |
| Mediacom | | mail.mchsi.com |
| Mediaone.net | | smtp.ce.medione.net |
| MegaPath | | mail.megapathdsl.net |
| Mindspring | | smtp.mindspring.com |
| MSN | | smtp.email.msn.com |
| Nauticom | | mail.nauticom.net |
| Netcom | | smtp.ix.netcom.com |
| Netcom (Canada) | | smtp.netcom.ca |
| Netscape | | smtp.isp.netscape.com |
| NetZero | | smtp.netzero.net |
| NYU.edu | | smtp.nyu.edu |
| OLG.com | | mail.olg.com |
| OPTOnline Internet Service | | mail.optonline.net |
| Pacbell | | mail.pacbell.net |
| Patriot Media | | smtp.patmedia.net |
| Pipeline | | smtp.pipeline.com |
| Prodigy | | smtp.prodigy.net |
| PSI.net | | relay.smtp.psi.net |
| PTD.net | | promail.ptd.net port 25 |
| QIS | | mail.qis.net |
| Qwest Internet Service | | pop.dnvr.qwest.net |
| RCN | | smtp.rcn.com |
| Rider.edu | | enigma.rider.edu |
| RoadRunner | | smtp-server..rr.com |
| SBC Global | | smtp.sbcglobal.net |
| SBC Global Yahoo | | smtp.sbcglobal.yahoo.com |
| Smallville Communications | | mail.toto.net |
| SNiP | | mail.snip.net |
| Spectrum DSL | | mail.webstable.com |
| SprintLink | | smtp.a001.sprintmail.com |
| Sprynet | | m6.sprynet.com |
| Starpower | | smtp.starpower.net |
| Sympatico | | mailhost.sk.sympatico.ca |
| UMBC | | smtp.gl.umbc.edu |
| US Internet | | smtp.usit.net |
| USA.NET | | mail.netaddress.usa.net |
| UUNet | | mail.uu.net |
| Verizon Internet Services | | outgoing.verizon.net or smtpout.verizon.net |
| Wide Open West | | smtp.mail.wideopenwest.com |
| XO Communications | | mail.njd.xo.com or smtp.concentric.net |
| Yahoo | | smtp.mail.yahoo.com |
| Ziplink | | smtp.ziplink.net |
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