OE 6 and Stationary.

[LadyGrey]

Hello Everyone,
After a month or so of trying to fix it myself, and then going round and round with Earthlink I've decided to yell for help. Now watch it be something so simple I'll kick myself for not thinking of!:rolleyes:
I'm running Outlook Express 6, with all updates and patches. Up until a month or so ago I had no problems with it. Now I cannot send email that has been composed using stationary, any stationary, can't even send a funny to my sister that has pictures in it. I can send plain email with no problem, I can receive both plain and stationary email.
I have checked all my settings in OE.
I have disabled the email checking part of AVG.
Per Earthlink,
I have altered my account name, made no sense to me.
I have changed the time out settings.
I have repaired IE6.

I have tried to remember what I may have put on the computer that would alter some setting that would have to do with that. The only program being Mighty Fax and I've checked it's settings too and don't see anything related to email except a modem string it has added.

I will put the error messages in for you to look at, as well as an SMTP log.
The first error I get is "Your SMTP server has not responded in 60 seconds would you like to wait?" I tell it yes.
Then I get the following, at different times.

An unknown error has occurred. Subject 'test', Account: 'pop.earthlink.net', Server: 'smtp.earthlink.net', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: '421 mallard.mail.pas.earthlink.net SMTP incoming data timeout - closing connection.', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 421, Error Number: 0x800CCC67


A time-out occurred while communicating with the server. Subject 'test', Account: 'pop.earthlink.net', Server: 'smtp.earthlink.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC19


Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. Subject 'Test', Account: 'pop.earthlink.net', Server: 'smtp.earthlink.net', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: '421 turkey.mail.pas.earthlink.net SMTP incoming data timeout - closing connection.', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 421, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F

I know that the 421 Error means Service is not available, connection will be closed but heaven only knows what the rest of it means.

SMTP log:
Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409
SMTP Log started at 05/16/2004 03:41:38
SMTP: 03:41:39 [rx] 220-swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net ESMTP Exim 3.33 #1 Sun, 16 May 2004 00:40:08 -0700
SMTP: 03:41:39 [rx] 220-NO UCE. EarthLink does not authorize the use of its computers or network
SMTP: 03:41:39 [rx] 220 equipment to deliver, accept, transmit, or distribute unsolicited e-mail.
SMTP: 03:41:39 [tx] HELO jehjwh
SMTP: 03:41:39 [rx] 250 swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net Hello dialup-4.249.24.22.dial1.washington2.level3.net [4.249.24.22]
SMTP: 03:41:39 [tx] MAIL FROM: <mntycrlo86@earthlink.net>
SMTP: 03:41:40 [rx] 250 <mntycrlo86@earthlink.net> is syntactically correct
SMTP: 03:41:40 [tx] RCPT TO: <86sscasper@earthlink.net>
SMTP: 03:41:40 [rx] 250 <86sscasper@earthlink.net> is syntactically correct
SMTP: 03:41:40 [tx] DATA
SMTP: 03:41:40 [rx] 354 Enter message, ending with "." on a line by itself
SMTP: 03:43:31 [tx]
.
SMTP: 03:44:31 [rx] 421 swan.mail.pas.earthlink.net SMTP incoming data timeout - closing connection.


I sure hope someone around here can read and understand alien!:D :eek:
Don't tell me it's an ID Ten T error either:D :D
Thanks very much!!!
LG;)

[Paul Komski]

By Stationery do you mean any HTML (rich text) mails or just "Stationery" created or applied in OE?

Can you send HTML mails OK using another mail client. There are lots to chose from at http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16345

If you can then you are back to looking at OE as "THE CAUSE". The SMTP logs indicate that the mail server could believe the mail to be SPAM (UCE = Unsolicited Commercial Email) - unless that is a generic message they always transmit - though it is not clear, for the moment anyways, just why.

NO UCE. EarthLink does not authorize the use of its computers or network equipment to deliver, accept, transmit, or distribute unsolicited e-mail.

You could try configuring the mail accounts settings so that both the Email Address and the Reply Address are both entered and are the same. More likely, for whatever reason, you IP address is being incorrectly ascertained such that you are not considered as LOCAL by the mail server. The value 4.249.24.22 should, I think, be your dial-up IP addy. You could try confirming this by running winipcfg (win9x) or ipconfig /all from a command prompt (winnt oses) to see if it matches the value obtained from another log obtained during that specific dial-up session .

[Donn]

Originally posted by LadyGrey
Now watch it be something so simple I'll kick myself for not thinking of!:rolleyes:

(snipped)

I'm running Outlook Express 6, with all updates and patches. Up until a month or so ago I had no problems with it.

_______________________

1. Running Adaware and Spybot to make sure something isn't ricocheting around up in there, right? (I'd run my AV and Spybot and Adaware in Safe Mode just to be sure).

2. Checked your cranial memory for everything you downloaded just before the program went buggy to make sure it's not a bad download fragment(s) in there?....made sure the AV was off AFTER you logged off net between download and install...?

3. Default mail client settings... all kosher there?

4. Very Long Shot: A year or so ago I had trouble posting to some web lists b/c I was using hotmail's enriched text format, and for some reason it was sending the posts to SOME of the lists in html <G><G> ccc*Y^%<Q> <Q> <P> notation. As soon as I let go of the enriched text format, it went back to sending text.

I don't how that could relate to your situation, it just sounds similar.

Since you are using Earthlink, would changing the default to Earthlink...and it is Earthlink's stationary, right?... let go of Outlook, would that make a difference? Or have you already tried that?

I'd do Paul's idea first: set up a hotmail account and see what happens there..

I don't know, my understudy's intuition says it's either a bug, a piece of frag, or the default settings, in that order. . . .



:) hope it helps:)

[LadyGrey]

Thanks guys so much for the help. I should have been clearer as to what I meant by stationary. For the last 3 years I have been using Outlook Express stationary that I get from a neat little site, CloudEight. It's HTML and I've never once had a problem with it in all this time. I also will on occasion use the Outlook Express function to create new stuff when I find neat pictures and such. Never had a problem with that either. I went to my hotmail account and although I couldn't use the stationary I did put in a background and smilies and all sorts of stuff and it sent and was received by my earthlink account just fine. Like I said I can receive all email just fine. That's what has me so stumped. I have been over and over and over the settings till I'm crosseyed but I just can't figure it out.
As for spybot and adaware and AVG, I've been trained very well by the guru's here and believe me that's the first thing I do! Safe mode and all! Seems like a long time ago that I learned that but it's just been two years this month I think. So I'm pretty sure there's nothing there that would cause this. I don't know, I may just have to download the whole darn IE again from M$, updates and all and see if that will do the trick. Just wish I could figure out why so that it doesn't happen again or if it does I can fix it. The only thing I've put on here is the Mighty Fax, I'll try an uninstall and reinstall of that just to see.
I've been through all the settings at Earthlink too thinking that somehow some of their software got on my computer. I don't use their software, I have my computers configured manually, I like to do it myself. I don't use their web mail, never have. I've always used Outlook Express.
Thanks very much, if you think of anything else give a shout.
LG;)

P.S. Paul, I've checked and rechecked those settings. They have not changed that I can see from what I first set them to be. If I read my settings right I have OE set for HTML for mail. If it's a plain email, no stationary or pictures it sends just fine. LG

[Paul Komski]

I take the point that you can send plain text but not html mail. BUT ... can you send plain text with an attachment? The attachment can be a simple thing but what I'm wondering is whether the problem could be caused by sending multipart mime mails; a plain text email would not be multipart but would become so if you attach an attachment.

Something is "getting in the way" and if its not an antivirus or a firewall or a proxy server then I still think it could be your ISP. You could help to test this out by opening a 30day free trial account at http://www.mailsnare.net/snare/index.php and then see if you can send the same emails using their smtp server instead of the earthlink one.

BonBon (http://www.bonbon.net/index.jsp) will also let you set up a free POP account but you must log on first to use their SMTP server, which adds another layer of complexity.

I would reiterate that it would be nice to check that the mail server is correctly interpreting your IP address - if not then it might be marking it as spam and thus refusing to handle it.

Instead of attempting to send one of the html mails perhaps you could first save it to the drafts folder and then drag a copy of it from there to your desktop. Open the eml file with notepad and then post the notepad text content here inside php tags (or better just upload the txt file) - having first edited out anything personal - just to check out if there's anything really strange appearing in it.

Finally (a) does it make any difference if after rebooting sending/receiving with OE is the very first thing you do and (b) you could delete the OE store folder or create a new identity in OE to see if the pristine dbx folders thus created would make any difference.

[Donn]

Originally posted by LadyGrey
I don't know, I may just have to download the whole darn IE again from M$, updates and all and see if that will do the trick. Just wish I could figure out why so that it doesn't happen again or if it does I can fix it. The only thing I've put on here is the Mighty Fax, I'll try an uninstall and reinstall of that just to see.


If you are going to uninstall/reinstall anything use your email inbetween if you can and see if there is any change. Have you thought about uninstalling and reinstalling OE?

[Paul Komski]

How exactly do you go on-line - are you by any chance connecting via a router??

see: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;329918

[LadyGrey]

You guys are so awesome! You've given me some more to work on and explained it to me so I can understand.
Now, deleting the store folder. I have three identities on my computer that I use. I have my store folders set up on a different drive so I don't lose receipts and other important mails. I will have to make backups of those in order to delete the folders and start over. Hope I understood that right. I'll try it.
I didn't know I could uninstall and reinstall OE separate from IE. I thought they were both hooked together and if ya wanted to get rid of one you had to take the other too. Please explain about that as I don't see anything but IE in my add/remove.
I tried sending a plain mail with an attachment of a picture of Lady Grey that I've sent a million times before and it would not send. Got the same error messages as before.
I also got a message from Sygate, my firewall. It said,

NT Kernel System (ntoskrnl.exe) is trying to connect to mail.earthlink.net (207.217.121.220) using remote port 25 (SMTP-Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Do you want to allow this program to access the network?
I told it yes. I tried looking ntoskrnl.exe up on google but there was not much I could understand so I hope I did the right thing.
I will go open a free account at one of those places and see if I can send attachments through them.
As for how I connect I'm afraid I'm stuck with the old dial-up. Donnie has a phone line to his room and I have one to mine but we cannot be online at the same time. So, no routers or anything like that. Just V.92 modems. Verizon keeps saying we will get DSL here soon but as mjc said he's been waiting three years so I figure we got at least that long to wait.
As for checking the mail server, ya lost me! I truly don't understand how or what to do. Please explain about that.
I know, I can build a pretty darn good computer now days but I just can't run them! I'm more of a mechanical minded person, might be why I like to work on cars.:rolleyes:
Thanks so much for all the help and the patience that you give me!!
I'll let ya know what happens.
LG;)

[Donn]

Originally posted by LadyGrey

I didn't know I could uninstall and reinstall OE separate from IE. I thought they were both hooked together and if ya wanted to get rid of one you had to take the other too. Please explain about that as I don't see anything but IE in my add/remove.

Hmmm, that's odd. I have "Outlook Express Q837009" in mine. That is odd, and mine is OEM, but I already wiped the disk and reinstalled everything, and updated OE even though i use E-link as my default mail service.

I am assuming that you built this computer, LG? So it's already over my head. However, I don't understand why you do NOT have OE in your Add/Remove menu. Like I said, the only thing that comes to mind is something you downloaded that got fragged. Wait...did you recently download Earthlink Accelerator? If you did, if it was me, I would immediately uninstall and reinstall Earthlink, everything. If you can--reinstall from one of their disks, that would be better, or be VERY careful when downloading from their site that you download, when download is finished log off net, THEN shut down AVG Control Center (right click tray icon), then ctrl-alt-del and close AVG (Mine says AVGserv9), THEN click to start the installation.


That's all I got, hope it helps

:cool:

[Fruss Tray Ted]

A second phone line may help your loved ones to keep in touch with one another. ;)

IE6 and OE6 are separate here (in Add/Remove) on my 'Classic' 98SE machine :D Juz like an engine an' a tranny...

Got an inspection sticker on my vehicle today. Yeah! Almost took my breath away. What happened down your way?

[LadyGrey]

Oh geesh, it's there Donn, OE Q-something.:o Don't know why but I thought that was a patch or update or something!:rolleyes: Told ya I'd end up kicking myself!

As it stands right now, at least for the time being, I have solved the problem. I went ahead and switched ISPs. Paul was right on with the suggestion that it was Earthlink that was the problem. The more I looked at the error messages the more I became convinced that it wasn't on my end. I sent emails with stationary through the new ISP to all my buddies giving the new email address and it went right on through with nary a problem. I had been thinking about getting rid of Earthink for awhile now and this gave me the chance to do it. Don't know what their problem is but they been goin down the tubes for the last year, just steady problems with them. What kills me is for all the techs that I talked to not one would say it was their screw up and oh well. I don't like it when I know more than the so called techs who are supposed to solve problems.
So for now it looks like we are back in business.
Paul, I did finally at least find the spot to make sure that my email and reply address was the same so that was something I learned at least! I also uninstalled Mighty Fax just on the off chance it was that but it made no difference so I put it back in.
FTT, congrats on your sticker, Casper needs his too but hubby takes him cause if I do they tell me somethings wrong not knowing that I know my car like the back of my hand. As for down my way, if you mean the tornado we got clobbered with and knocked out power for two days we survived that and I already have a second phone line dear. Have had for about 6 months now.:p
Yep Donn you are right, I built my sons computer and have rebuilt mine now. Love the insides of a computer but like I said I just can't run them!!:D
Thanks so much for all the help, it's really appreciated! Don't know what I would do without you all!!!
LG;)

[Donn]

Good for you!! May I suggest that if you decide to go back to Earthlink, download Total Access 2004 from the disk, but for now, unistall all of it, and file search to ge the stragglers.

Do me a small favor? check my thread on Apps and Sec "Symptoms and HJT Log," and see if it rings any bells with you...I re wrote the symptoms paragraph in the third post, might be easier to understand. Whatever...


:) :D :cool:

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Not to plant an inaccurate picture in one's eyes, I had 2 brake lines replaced yesterday, when only one came up faulty. Did then, do now, and will TTDID!

[Donn]

TTDID???

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Think music


Till The Day I Die...