POP Access

[Erik]

Here is my situation, I am pretty much stuck using AOL as my so called ISP. I want absolutely nothing to do with them, so am trying to setup a POP email account on Yahoo!. I am able to receive my messages just fine, but can't send them. It seems that AOL blocks be from using smtp.:mad: Except for there own servers on a different port. Any way I can work around this so I can setup a regular pop account?

I have a Linksys router, and am thinking that playing around with the ports might be the key, but am not really sure what to do. All I know is that AOL requires I use port 587 for their smtp servers, and Yahoo uses 25 like all normal places. I can setup an account to retrive mail from Yahoo, but send through AOL. So if I get email at myacount@yahoo.com and respond it will be as if I sent it from myaccount@aol.com. If I just use my Yahoo account as the email address I get an error saying that the email address is wrong, so I guess AOL is checking that.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[PrntRhd]

AOL is proprietary, what more can I say?

Why can't you use a different ISP? There are tons of others out there.

[Erik]

The really weird thing is that I can setup Outlook to work with my AOL account just fine. But if I try setting it up to use my Yahoo account I am not able to send messages.

I think that the problem is that AOL blocks traffic on port 25, and all other smtp services use that port. Is there anyway that I can set this up so that the traffic will use port 587 to leave my computer, but arrive on port 25 at the destination? I am not very familiar with routers and such, would port forwarding accomplish this?

[Paleo Pete]

As much as I would like to blame it on AOL, if you're trying to use a free Yahoo account it's more likely to be on their end. Yahoo stopped supporting POP mail about 3 years ago, that's why I shut down my Yahoo account. That and I was getting 50 spam emails a day or more...

To get POP/SMTP support with a Yahoo account you have to get the pay version. Premium account I think they were calling it at that time. When they cut off POP support it was $10 a month.

If you're using a pay Yahoo account, then it might be AOL insistin on different ports. I think you can set what port it uses, but I've never used Outlook, only Outlook Express, and don't remember where the setting is. Seems it should be in the account options in the Connections tab.

[Erik]

I am using a pay account, so I should have no problems because of that. I am alos unable to send mail through the account my school gives me, so I am pretty sure the problem is with AOL.

As for swithing ports in Outlook I know how to do this, and have tried too. I still get an error on my Yahoo! or school account. If I switch ports doesn't that mean I will be sending to a different port on the other macine? Then it isn't configured to take data form that port, and will reject my mail?? When I set the smtp port to the AOL used one the Yahoo! account reports back that it couldn't find the server. When it is set to 25, Yahoo!'s port, it just can't send the message, but can find the server.

Thanks again.

[Paul Komski]

A number of isps will block some or all other smtp access - particulrly competitors - but the workaround is to use the AOL smtp and configure just the pop part for the other mail server you wish to collect your mail from.

Thus if your pop and smtp settings for your other mail account were pop.otherisp.com and smtp.otherisp.com you would just change the smtp part to smtp.aol.com which is the Outgoing e-mail server address for AOL. I took this smtp addy from http://help.channels.aol.com/article.adp?catId=1&sCId=416&sSCId=4093&articleId=217449 which outlines how to setup a non-AOL email client to use the AOL settings - so I hope this works for you.

If it doesnt work contact AOL and ask them how to configure the settings for another mail account.

[Erik]

Originally posted by Paul Komski

Thus if your pop and smtp settings for your other mail account were pop.otherisp.com and smtp.otherisp.com you would just change the smtp part to smtp.aol.com which is the Outgoing e-mail server address for AOL.

This works, in a way, but really it doesn't. If I just change the servers I get a message telling me that the email address isn't valid. Guess AOL is preventing people from using their servers to send outside mail. So If I change my address to my AOL one I am just using the AOL account, which I want to avoid.

Guess I will have to try talking to AOL again. Last time they were of no help. Maybe I will get lucky and get someone who knows what they are doing.:rolleyes:

[Erik]

I am begining to think I just might be out of luck here. I just talked to AOL Tech Support, if you could call it that, and they denied blocking that port. I really can't think of anything else it could be though. I have three accounts that use SMTP to send mail, my school account, a premium Yahoo! account, and a HotPop account. All of them receive mail, but can't send. So this pretty much eliminates me making the settings incorrectly, as at least one of these should have worked. Plus I double checked everything, and it was all set properly.

Then I thought maybe the firewall was blocking things up, so I disable it. Still can't send mail. Maybe the router? Tried connecting directly to the computer, even tried using a 56K modem, and still couldn't send. Maybe something on my computer, or something wrong with Outlook? Tried using different copmputers, Outlook Express, and Outlook 97. Still couldn't send any mail. Oh, maybe AVG was preventing me from sending my mail? Tried disabling it, and still couldn't send. Hotmail is an HTTP mail service, and it works with no problems. Wonder why?? Could it be that HTTP uses port 80, and AOL can't block that port because it is needed to surf the web??

Pretty much all that is left is AOL blocking the required port, which they deny. HA, I don't believe that for a second. There isn't anything wrong on my end, and all three different servers couldn't be down at the same time, and for multiple days. And if AOL doesn't block traffic on port 25, why bother using a non standard port for SMTP???

[Paul Komski]

Here are a couple of links from ohio-state-edu
http://kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu/isp-personality.html
http://kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu/smtp-trap.html

They mainly describe using Eudora but OE can also be configured. The "trick" is to use your AOL email address as the from address but use your "other e-mail" as the reply to address. There are two boxes for these two fields in the OE account settings. They also describe some different smtp settings for AOL which could be worth a try.