Connection error using AT&T Internet Mail with Outlook 97 (162493)

RESOLUTION

This problem may result from:

• Incorrect settings in the Internet Mail service properties
• A corrupted user profile
• A corrupted password (.pwl) file

Incorrect settings in the Internet Mail service

Note For step-by-step instructions on configuring Outlook with AT&T World Net, visit the ATT World Net User's Reference Guide at the following Web address: For information on changing the settings using the Internet Mail Enhancement Patch, see the section that follows these steps.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Mail (or Mail And Fax) icon.
3. If you have more than one profile, click the Show Profiles button and on the General tab, click the profile that contains your AT&T Internet Mail settings.
4. Click Properties and on the Services tab, you should see the Internet Mail service. If not, use the Add button to add Internet Mail.
5. On the Services tab, click Internet Mail, and then click Properties.
6. On the General tab, under Mailbox Information type (in lowercase) "postoffice.worldnet.att.net" or the IP address 204.127.3.1 in the Internet Mail Server box.
   
   Note If your mail server information is different than listed here, use the server name provided by AT&T.
7. In the Account Name box, type the user's e-mail name and fill in the rest of the Mailbox and Personal Information.
8. Click the Advanced Options button to open the Advanced Options dialog box.
9. In the "Forward all outbound mail to the following mail server" box type (in lowercase) "mailhost.worldnet.att.net" or the IP address 204.127.129.4.
   
   Note If your forwarding (sending) mail server information is different than listed here, use the server name provided by AT&T.
10. Click OK, OK, OK, and Close to close all dialog boxes.

Start Outlook and try to send a message.

Incorrect settings using the Internet Mail Enhancement Patch service

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Mail (or Mail And Fax) icon.
3. If you have more than one profile, click Show Profiles and on the General tab, click the profile that contains your AT&T Internet Mail settings.
4. Click Properties to open the Profile Properties. On the Services tab, you should see the Internet Mail service. If not, click the Add button to add Internet Mail.
5. On the Services tab, click Internet Mail, and then click Properties.
6. On the Servers tab, in the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box type (in lowercase) "mailhost.worldnet.att.net" or the IP address 204.127.129.4.
7. In the Incoming Mail (POP3) box type (in lowercase) "postoffice.worldnet.att.net" or the IP address 204.127.3.1.
   
   Note If your mail server information is different than listed here, use the server name provided by AT&T.
8. In Account Name, type the user's e-mail name up to, but not including the @ symbol, and in Password, type your password.
9. Click OK, OK, and Close to close all dialog boxes.

Start Outlook and try to send a message.

Corrupted user profile

To rebuild a new user profile with a new Personal Store file (PST) and the Internet Mail service, follow these steps:

1. Quit Outlook if it is running.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. In Control Panel, double-click the Mail And Fax icon or the Mail icon.
3. Click Show Profiles and click Add to add a new profile.
4. Follow the Inbox Setup Wizard to create a new profile with a new PST and the Internet Mail service.

Start Outlook and try to send a message.

Corrupted password file

This file is usually located in the Windows folder with a name of <username>.pwl, where <username> is the name used to log on. Delete or rename this file then restart Windows. A new one will be built when you logon.

Note If you are using a personal certificate, you should export it before renaming your .pwl file. If you do not do so, it may be unavailable when you send e-mail. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Start Outlook and try to send a message.

   800-400-1447
   800-654-5703