Troubleshooting problems connecting to mail servers (154578)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Mail and News 1.0 for Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q154578

SUMMARY

This article describes troubleshooting steps you can use to help you diagnose problems that may occur when you connect to your Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) or POP3 mail server with Internet Mail. For example, this article may be useful if you receive the following error message:
The connection to the server has failed.

MORE INFORMATION

SMTP and POP3 Server Settings

Microsoft supports configuring Internet Mail to connect to one SMTP and one POP3 mail server. The default port addresses for SMTP and POP3 connections in Internet Mail are 25 and 110, respectively.

If you experience problems connecting to your mail servers, make sure that your SMTP and POP3 server port settings are correct. You can check your current port address settings or configure Internet Mail to use different port addresses using the following steps:

  1. Click Options on the Mail menu in Internet Mail, click the Server tab, and then click Advanced Settings.
  2. Change the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server and Incoming Mail (POP3) Server settings as needed, click OK, and then click OK again.
  3. Close and restart Internet Mail.

TCP/IP Settings

Use ALL of the following troubleshooting methods to ensure that your configuration settings are correct and that your dial-up connection is functioning properly.

Method 1:

Test the integrity of your local Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack integrity, by pinging the appropriate (loopback) Internet Protocol (IP) address. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. ClickStart, click Run , type cmd, and then click OK.
  2. Type the following command at the command prompt:

    ping 127.0.0.1

    If you cannot ping this address, remove and reinstall the TCP/IP protocol.

    For information about TCP/IP, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type TCP/IP, and then double-click the TCP/IP topic you want to view.
Method 2:

Test your TCP/IP settings by pinging a known good Internet site. To do this, follow these steps.

Note Many entities on the Internet now use firewalls to block ICMP Echo Request messages.

  1. ClickStart, click Run , type cmd, and then click OK.
  2. Type the following command at the command prompt

    ping <server name>

    where <server name> is the name of a known good Internet site.

    If you can successfully ping the IP address in Method 1, but you cannot ping this address, check your TCP/IP settings to ensure that TCP/IP is properly configured.

    For information about TCP/IP, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type TCP/IP, and then double-click the TCP/IP topic you want to view.
Method 3:

Verify that mailer daemons are responding on their specified ports by using Telnet commands. To do this, use the following steps:
  1. ClickStart, click Run , type cmd, and then click OK.
  2. Type each of the following command and press ENTER after each one:

    telnet <smtp_name> <port_number>

    telnet <pop3_name) <port_number>

    where <smtp_name> and <pop3_name> are the names of your SMTP and POP3 servers, and <port_number> is the port address used by your SMTP and POP3 servers.

    Note Typically, SMTP listens on TCP port 25, and POP3 listens on TCP port 110.
  3. If you do not receive a "ready" response from these Telnet commands, try to ping the host names of the SMTP and POP3 servers individually. If you cannot ping the host names of the SMTP or POP3 server, try using the numeric equivalents, if you know them.

    If you cannot ping the numeric addresses, but methods 1 through 3 are successful, contact your Internet service provider to verify that the mail servers are available and that your mail server information is correct.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/10/2006
Keywords:KB154578
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