Outlook Help

[NickD]

I'm having difficulty sending emails. Unfortunately, I'm with Wanadoo so their technical support is crap and I was hoping that there might be someone on here who can help.

When I try to send mails I get the following message:

An unknown error has occurred. Account: 'pop.wanadoo.co.uk', Server: 'smtp.wanadoo.co.uk', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: '554 Please check your SMTP server is set to smtp.wanadoo.co.uk. Further help is available at www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 554, Error Number: 0x800CCC6F

My SMTP server IS set to the correct address. Their technical support has told me to reinstall Outlook - I 'think' I did this but no difference. They also told me to delete my Outbox.dbx file which I have just done but again, nothing, just the above error. I also tried it on Outlook Express which is also installed and it does exactly the same. I'm receiving mails fine.

Any assistance would be gratefully received. Please please don't make me speak to their so-called technical support again. Please.

Edited to add that 2% of the time it works ok. For example, I tried for hours to send something last night but it did not work. Then this morning when I tried it sent 5 mails out fine. However tonight it's doing the same thing again!

>> Edited by NickD on Wednesday 21st September 19:58

[BliarOut]

This should tell you how to test your connection to their server without using Outlook. Sorry if it's a bit techie, but it's what lies underneath the surface of all e-mail clients and is a very good diagnostic test.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;153119

Edited to add:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;300479

Turn on Outlook logging.... Turn it off once you've sussed it.

>> Edited by BliarOut on Wednesday 21st September 21:36

[aldi]

What version of windows, and outlook?

[docevi1]

could it be the SSL that it is not liking and the handshake timing out/not working correctly?

[BliarOut]

www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 554, Error Number: 0x800CCC6F

He's running on port 25, not 443 hence no SSL.

[NickD]

Thanks, I'll have a look at the link tomorrow (with a wet towel around my head).

I'm using XP Home, with 2003 version of Outlook (bundled with Office Professional 2003).

Edited to add that I've looked at the link at I closed Outlook and opened it again but I can't find any logs.

Also, wierder, on the 4th time of trying to send a mail (to create a log) I received it in my inbox!

>> Edited by NickD on Wednesday 21st September 22:35

[NickD]

Nope, can't find the file anywhere (searched for "OPMLOG", "OPM" etc). Incidentally, it's not sending again!!!

[BliarOut]

Try the port 25 thing.....

For diag logging, you have to turn the logging on, then exit and restart Outlook to enable it.

[NickD]

Found it - it was in a hidden folder.

Is it safe to put that sort of detail on this site or not?

I just tried to send/receive with 2 emails in my outbox. They didn't disappear from the outbox but no error message came up:

2005.09.21 23:02:45 pop.wanadoo.co.uk: UploadItems: 0 messages to send

Now it seems to be doing this all the time - no error message but mails not going out of my outbox.

>> Edited by NickD on Wednesday 21st September 23:07

[BliarOut]

Yup. Just blank out any account stuff. I suspect the problem isn't Outlook, as OE is also affected. Sounds like a connection specific problem to your ISP (Firewall, dial up etc) Let's see what's going on.

[NickD]

I edited my last post before I read your reply.

The SMTP part of the log (from when I got the error message) said:

2005.09.21 22:38:23 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Begin execution
2005.09.21 22:38:23 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Port: 25, Secure: no, SPA: no
2005.09.21 22:38:23 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Finding host
2005.09.21 22:38:23 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Connected to host
2005.09.21 22:38:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 554 Please check your SMTP server is set to smtp.wanadoo.co.uk. Further help is available at www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm
2005.09.21 22:38:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): End execution
2005.09.21 22:38:25 pop.wanadoo.co.uk: ReportStatus: RSF_COMPLETED, hr = 0x800ccc6f
2005.09.21 22:38:25 pop.wanadoo.co.uk: Synch operation completed
2005.09.21 22:38:55 Resource manager terminated

The smtp part of the log from when it DID go successfully said:

2005.09.21 22:28:24 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Begin execution
2005.09.21 22:28:24 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Port: 25, Secure: no, SPA: no
2005.09.21 22:28:24 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Finding host
2005.09.21 22:28:24 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Connecting to host
2005.09.21 22:28:24 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Connected to host
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 220 cmailm3.svr.pol.co.uk ESMTP Exim 4.41 Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:28:24 +0100
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): [tx] EHLO VAIO
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> [DELETED] Hello user-[DELETED]
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250-SIZE 104857600
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250-PIPELINING
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250 HELP
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Authorized to host
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): Connected to host
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): [tx] MAIL FROM: <*****>
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250 OK
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): [tx] RCPT TO: <*****>
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250 Accepted
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): [tx] DATA
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 354 Please start mail input.
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): [tx]
.
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): <rx> 250 Mail queued for delivery.
2005.09.21 22:28:25 SMTP (smtp.wanadoo.co.uk): End execution

The [DELETED] indicates where i've deleted stuff as i didn't know whether it was address data or not.

>> Edited by NickD on Wednesday 21st September 23:26

[BliarOut]

So you can't send from Outlook or Outlook Express at the mo? (Knowing that is important in fixing it)

Are you using a Wanadoo internet connection? (The answer should be yes, they block port 25 from outside their network) Their server is choosing not to accept the mail.

It may be painful, but I really would try the first MS article, it may unearth the fault.

[NickD]

BliarOut said:

So you can't send from Outlook or Outlook Express at the mo? (Knowing that is important in fixing it) Are you using a Wanadoo internet connection? (The answer should be yes, they block port 25 from outside their network) Their server is choosing not to accept the mail. It may be painful, but I really would try the first MS article, it may unearth the fault.

Sorry - i thought your edit above to add the 2nd link was in place of the first link - have just opened the first link now. I'll have a read through and see if i understand.

Answering your questions, yes, I am using a wanadoo internet connection and no, i can't send any mail at the moment via outlook or express.

Thanks for your help - i'll be back tomorrow!

[aldi]

Does it allways fail sending to the same address or is it random? i.e. if you click on send/receive tons of times with the mail stuck in your outbox will it eventually go?

Looks like they've got a few servers on a round robin, possibly all configred slightly differently (one's responding to pings where the others aren't for a start) so it might be that just one of them is happy with your settings and the others aren't. Hence it randomly sometimes working when you happen to get thru to that particular server

Have you just got a bog standard @wanadoo.co.uk email address or is the address @ a domain they're hosting for you? Any strange 'reply-to' or 'from' addresses? Is SMTP authentication set up as it should be? Just thinking that the error message could be a misleading one, something else simple could really be the problem.

[Kinky]

Just curious ..... can you receive email at any time? Or do you receive them the 2% of the time when you can send?

K

[BliarOut]

The server pool is the theory I want to test. I suspect they've got a dodgy SMTP server and Outlook is fine. To make life easier, I've dissected the MS article for you.




Get to a command prompt

Type:
telnet smtp.wanadoo.co.uk 25

If the command works, you receive a response from the SMTP server that is similar to the following:

220 connected and some other stuff....

Type:
EHLO vaio

If the command is successful, you receive the following response: It may say something about blufing, but don't wory about that.

250 OK

Type:
MAIL FROM:[e-mail]

You should see
250 OK - MAIL FROM [e-mail]


Type:
RCPT TO: [e-mail]

You receive the following response:

250 OK - Recipient [e-mail]


Type:
DATA
You receive the following response:

354 Send data. End with CRLF.CRLF

Type:
Subject: test message

Press ENTER two times. You do not receive a response from this command.

Type:
This is a test message you will not see a response from this command. This is just the text that goes in the e-mail.


Type a full stop(.) at the next blank line, and then press ENTER. You receive the following response:

250 OK

Close the connection by typing the following command:
QUIT
You receive the following response:

221 closing connection




And that's all there is to it. You will either get a test e-mail from yourself or it will fall over fairly early on in the test if the problem is as I think it is.

You might have to run the test a few times, but I suspect one of their servers is a bit screwed! If you note the name of which server you connect to each time, you should be able to tell them which of their servers is up the swanny

[NickD]

Thanks a lot - I'll give this a go when I get home tonight.

I had a go at sending some emails this morning before I left and it sent all 3 to my work address fine (last night I tried the same and it wouldn't work). However, I dare say that when I try again tonight it'll fail again.

[BliarOut]

Thought so, from your description it's almost certain that they've got a dodgy server(s) in the farm.

Don't change stuff on Outlook, as it worked, ergo it's configured correctly. Something else is interfering, hence the test.

[NickD]

Ok, not sure if this is wierd or not. I've just tried my email and I've sent 4 emails to myself without any problem.

So I tried as suggested and typed "telnet smtp.wanadoo.co.uk 25" into the command prompt and after a few seconds it says

"554 Please check your SMTP server is set to smtp.wanadoo.co.uk. Further help is available at <a href="<a href="http://wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm"">">http://wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm""></a><a href="http://wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm""><a href="http://wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm"">http://wanadoo.co.uk/help/email/freeserveemailsettings/outlooksettings.htm"</a></a></a>

edited to add that after having done it about 20 times i then got the "220" plus other stuff so typed in "EHLO VAIO" and it just states "500 unrecognized command"

but typed "ehlo vaio" and get 250 etc etc then 250 PIPELINING then 250 HELP. Then went through all the rest and after typing "This is a test message" and the full stop I get "250 Mail queued for delivery"

Have tried to do it again, have typed "telnet smtp.wanadoo.co.uk 25" into the command prompt more than 50 times and each time it gives the 554 error message.

(But have tried Outlook and its still ok at the moment with sending mails)

>> Edited by NickD on Thursday 22 September 22:22

[meeja]

Haven't read the whole thread here, but are you on Dial-up?

If so, if your telephone line automatically withholds the number, then Wanadoo will not let you send emails.

I had this when refurbing a mates' old PC, and installing a PAYG Wanadoo account on it.

Took bloody ages to fathom as well!