Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : Web Hosting Lounge : Outlook Express / DSL issue

I wonder if anyone has had this problem. I use Outlook Express and my ISP is Flashcom (yeah, well, it's a bit late to change that now). Whenever I want to send email out, thereby going through Flashcom's server, I get an error message. Always the same one, saying something like I'm not valid.

The way I get around this is to go to a web based email account like Yahoo, send an email to my Flashcom account, then open OE and retrive message, and THEN I can send email out with OE through Flashcom. But if then don't send email through Flashcom for maybe an hour, I get error messages again, saying I'm invalid.

Is this weird or what? It's been going on for over 2 months.

Flashcom says it's OE and not their servers. They could be right, I don't know for sure. However, I've trashed a previous version of OE and downloaded the current version (5.0), and the problem still exists.

Has anyone ever had this problem, or heard about it?

Thanks,
Bill K.

[Laci]

Originally posted by Bill K.
I wonder if anyone has had this problem. I use Outlook Express and my ISP is Flashcom (yeah, well, it's a bit late to change that now). Whenever I want to send email out, thereby going through Flashcom's server, I get an error message. Always the same one, saying something like I'm not valid.

The way I get around this is to go to a web based email account like Yahoo, send an email to my Flashcom account, then open OE and retrive message, and THEN I can send email out with OE through Flashcom. But if then don't send email through Flashcom for maybe an hour, I get error messages again, saying I'm invalid.

Is this weird or what? It's been going on for over 2 months.

Flashcom says it's OE and not their servers. They could be right, I don't know for sure. However, I've trashed a previous version of OE and downloaded the current version (5.0), and the problem still exists.

Has anyone ever had this problem, or heard about it?

Thanks,
Bill K.

your required to POP before you can Send? some servers do this to make sure its really you and stop spammers.

[Fiber]

Follow Dana's advice.

[Chicken]

The only thing I'd like to know, is are you trying to send mail through sayyyy, your website's SMTP? Or are you just trying to send mail using your flashcom account? Guessing just your flashcom account, and though it may not make much sense, in OExpress, go to the small arrow next to the Send/Recv button (this brings up a drop down list of all the mail accounts you've set up), and choose your flashcom account. it may try to send the mail (unsuccessfully), but after it checks the pop, are you now able to send?

I wouldn't think you'd have to do the ol' check pop auth before smtp routine when you were using your own ISP and trying to send from the account you are using, but....

[alchiba]

Looks like flashcom uses SMTP authentication, which helps to limit spamming.

In Outlook Express, do this:

Open the Properties window for the mail account. Click the Servers tab and check the box at the bottom that's labeled "My Server Requires Authentication."

This will cause Outlook Express to log on to flashcom's SMTP server using the same username/password as your POP3 account. If you need a separate set of credentials for SMTP, then open the Servers tab again, click the Settings button and add a username/password combo for SMTP. Typically, you won't have to do this.

That should handle it.

[Edited by alchiba on 09-03-2000 at 12:37 PM]

THANK YOU ALL for your suggestions.

Alchiba - I've now checked the "SMTP requires authorization" box and will try the other suggestion if this doesn't work. Thank you!

Chicken - I've just been sending/trying to send mail through Flashcom's server, not my own website's SMTP (at least not yet). But yes, I have been clicking receive on the account before sending messages, because if I get a message, then it seems to open "the pathway" and I can then send out messages. But if there are no messages and nothing downloads, then I can't send outgoing mail.

Anyways....I'll let you all know if the change I've made in Outlook E. works!
Thanks again.

Thanks again everyone for the help here.
Alchiba - your suggestion did the trick. Working like a charm so far.

What is absolutely amazing/shocking to me, is that my DSL provider (Flashcom) walked me through setting up my email account at the beginning, which is part of the service they provide when signing up. And they didn't know this? They didn't know their SMTP server requires authentification? (And I wouldn't know...I'm ignorant about this stuff.)

Not only that, but 5 (count 'em, 5) different tech support people could not resolve this problem. Even the ones that had me delete my account and start all over setting it up again. Shocking. Just shocking. And I'm paying $50 a month for their service.

Where do they get these tech support people from at Flashcom?? And why do they call them "tech support"? Do they hire burger flippers from McDonalds to man their tech lines?

[alchiba]

You might want to share your experience with Flashcom management. It might bring about positive change and you'll feel a bit better about the $50/month.

Actually, I have been in touch with Flashcom management (by email only since it's quite difficult to get them any other way), and they've been as bad and uncaring as their tech support. I've even sent emails to the president of the company and they go unanswered. Of course, I don't expect him to answer, but none of his people even respond.

It's just their crappy corporate mentality: get the customer any way you can (i.e., quick and responsive to get you hooked up), and once you've signed up, adios quick and responsive. Not to be long-winded here, but the president even sent out a letter 2 months ago *apologizing* for their poor performance in support, but this was public relations BS as nothing has changed.

It's partly my fault here. Had I done my research before signing up with them, I would have seen the bad reports on them from some of the DSL review sites.