OE problem; need help

My OE gives me this error message twice or three times in a row before
allowing any backlogged emails to go out, or downloading incoming ones, when
I hit SEND/RECEIVE:

"The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'mail.bellsouth.net',
Server: 'mail.bellsouth.net', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No,
Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E"

On the third or fourth try, it will send backlogged outgoing traffic, and
download incoming.

I'm not running an anti-virus right now, as I suspected it might be a causal
factor. However, the result is the same without it.

Is it my email server, or a pc problem? If a pc problem, what should I do
to correct it?

This problem started occurring spontaneously approx 3 mos ago. I didn't
change anything in OE to cause the problem that I know of.

Where next?

You could try replacing the mail.bellsouth.net with one of these two IP
addresses in case it's having DNS problems finding the mail server...

205.152.59.16
205.152.59.17

If you have cable / DSL and a router you could check your network settings
for the TCP/IP protocol and make sure they are automatic (unless you need
fixed IPs on your local network) in which case you could set the "Gateway"
and DNS server settings to the router or fix them to those given when you
try automatic... it's possible something changed and you are getting a slo
response from somewhere.

You are quite correct not to immediately dive in and mess with OE settings
or use "Restore" etc, that often obfuscates the real issue

(Your modem / router will get the internet IP from your ISP automatically,
your router or modem should supply automatic addresses for the computer(s)
if needed).

Please note that I am guessing a bit here so if you have no luck more
details may help someone answer...

Charlie



"RB" <rbig@bellsouth.nosopam.net> wrote in message
news:OVefKwh9FHA.1332@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> My OE gives me this error message twice or three times in a row before
> allowing any backlogged emails to go out, or downloading incoming ones,
> when I hit SEND/RECEIVE:
>
> "The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'mail.bellsouth.net',
> Server: 'mail.bellsouth.net', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No,
> Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E"
>
> On the third or fourth try, it will send backlogged outgoing traffic, and
> download incoming.
>
> I'm not running an anti-virus right now, as I suspected it might be a
> causal factor. However, the result is the same without it.
>
> Is it my email server, or a pc problem? If a pc problem, what should I do
> to correct it?
>
> This problem started occurring spontaneously approx 3 mos ago. I didn't
> change anything in OE to cause the problem that I know of.
>
> Where next?
>

Hi RB,

The cause for this can be hard to track down. The socket error is a timeout
error. It is possible that a connection to the server is slow. The timeout
can be increased in the account properties, Advanced tab page. Try using 1
minute if set for 30 seconds, or 1:30 if set for 1 minute.

The ability to connect to the mail server can be checked from your PC
independently, without using Outlook Express.

Go to the Start, Run box
Enter this for the server given in the error message

TELNET mail.bellsouth.net 110

Click OK

This will return ...

+OK POP Server Ready.

.... when the connection is successful.

Close the window.
(Note: other commands are possible)
If there is no problem connecting using TELNET the problem could be with the
account setup in OE. The account could be removed and added again, or a new
OE identity tried.

Other possibilities can be explored for the issue, but first see if the
simple solution works. It is possible the problem is not at your end, but
somewhere along the route to the server or the server itself.

--
Tim K.
aka Kuay Tim
MS-MVP - Outlook Express
Lynnwood, WA
*


"RB" <rbig@bellsouth.nosopam.net> wrote in message
news:OVefKwh9FHA.1332@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
My OE gives me this error message twice or three times in a row before
allowing any backlogged emails to go out, or downloading incoming ones, when
I hit SEND/RECEIVE:

"The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'mail.bellsouth.net',
Server: 'mail.bellsouth.net', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No,
Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E"

On the third or fourth try, it will send backlogged outgoing traffic, and
download incoming.

I'm not running an anti-virus right now, as I suspected it might be a causal
factor. However, the result is the same without it.

Is it my email server, or a pc problem? If a pc problem, what should I do
to correct it?

This problem started occurring spontaneously approx 3 mos ago. I didn't
change anything in OE to cause the problem that I know of.

Where next?

Thanks guys. Good info. did the quick check thing. Went over and put
TELNET mail.bellsouth.net 110 in the RUN window at the Windows Start area.
I found a positive correllation between a delayed response to this command
and the OE command to SEND/RECEIVE. Whenever the OE SEND/RECEIVE was busy
timing out, the same thing was happening with the RUN TELNET
mail.bellsouth.net 110 thing, and vice versa.

Does this tell me positively it isn't a mail server problem?

If you tried the second program while the first was hung up, that may
not be meaningful since the one program may be blocking the port from
the other. But if right after one of them timed-out you tried the other
and it also hung, that means it is not likely that program is the
problem.

What kind of Internet connection do you have? When the problem occurs
in e-mail, do you have similar slow downs in web browsing?

If you are on a shared connection such as cable (you are sharing with
all your neighbors who use cable), or sharing an connection via over a
LAN, you might be running into bandwidth limitations.

--

Mike - http://pages.prodigy.net/michael_santovec/techhelp.htm


"RB" <rbig@bellsouth.nosopam.net> wrote in message
news:emIJ5ao9FHA.2192@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Thanks guys. Good info. did the quick check thing. Went over and put
> TELNET mail.bellsouth.net 110 in the RUN window at the Windows Start
> area. I found a positive correllation between a delayed response to
> this command and the OE command to SEND/RECEIVE. Whenever the OE
> SEND/RECEIVE was busy timing out, the same thing was happening with
> the RUN TELNET mail.bellsouth.net 110 thing, and vice versa.
>
> Does this tell me positively it isn't a mail server problem?
>
>
>
>
>
>

> I'm not running an anti-virus right now, as I suspected it might be a
> causal
> factor. However, the result is the same without it.

When AV app was running, was it configured to scan incoming/outgoing mail?

You should only temporarily disable the AV app for testing purposes.
Re-enable it ASAP but keep the email scanning turned off. It provides no
additional protection, it may have caused the problem (and damaged your
current identity) and even Symantec says it's not necessary:

<paste>
Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.
</paste>
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...02111812533106

Troubleshooting error messages that you receive when you are using OL and OE
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813514

--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Security, Shell/User)

RB wrote:
> My OE gives me this error message twice or three times in a row before
> allowing any backlogged emails to go out, or downloading incoming ones,
> when
> I hit SEND/RECEIVE:
>
> "The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'mail.bellsouth.net',
> Server: 'mail.bellsouth.net', Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No,
> Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E"
>
> On the third or fourth try, it will send backlogged outgoing traffic, and
> download incoming.
>
> I'm not running an anti-virus right now, as I suspected it might be a
> causal
> factor. However, the result is the same without it.
>
> Is it my email server, or a pc problem? If a pc problem, what should I do
> to correct it?
>
> This problem started occurring spontaneously approx 3 mos ago. I didn't
> change anything in OE to cause the problem that I know of.
>
> Where next?

I'm on DSL. I really don't have slowdowns---rather long time to connect
to
the email server the first two or three tries. We browser pops right up
while OE is trying to connect.

Once OE connects, it's fine until I let it sit idle for awhile.

Incidentally, newsgroups work normally while my email program is trying to
connect but doesn't.

Think I'll try powering off my router and see if it's gotten screwy.
Sometimes they get a little cockeyed during power outages, and you have to
nudge 'em back to where they should be. Probably not the problem but may
as
well eliminate it as a possibility.

cf.
http://groups.google.com/group/micro... c7dee77a99f8f

RB, Please include all of previous message(s) in your replies to the
newsgroup. Thanks.
--
~PA Bear

RB wrote:
> I'm on DSL. I really don't have slowdowns---rather long time to connect
> to
> the email server the first two or three tries. We browser pops right up
> while OE is trying to connect.
>
> Once OE connects, it's fine until I let it sit idle for awhile.
>
> Incidentally, newsgroups work normally while my email program is trying to
> connect but doesn't.
>
> Think I'll try powering off my router and see if it's gotten screwy.
> Sometimes they get a little cockeyed during power outages, and you have to
> nudge 'em back to where they should be. Probably not the problem but may
> as
> well eliminate it as a possibility.

I've pretty well determined the problem is with the Bellsouth server.
Through sheer coincidence, just talked to three other local Bellsouth
subscribers who are having the identical problems I reported. One is even
a
dialup user. The other two and I are on DSL. I'm going to have a
dialogue
with Bellsouth on the info.