setting up e-mail - troubleshooting

If, after setting up an e-mail account, you have trouble sending or receiving, try a few things (The error message may steer you in the right direction):

• Sounds simple, but make sure your username and password are correct. Remember that the password is case-sensitive.

• Your ISP may want the entire address as the username. Enter that and try again.

• If you can't send or receive anything, and the eror says that the server cannot be contacted, make sure you're online. Open a browser (IE or Firefox) and connect to a web page. It's also a good idea to refresh the web page after the browser opens. If you cannot connect to a website, your e-mail isn't at fault.

• If you can access a website, but e-mail can't connect, check your firewall. If you are using firewall software like Zone Alarm or (EGAD!) Norton Internet Security, disable it, and try your e-mail again. If it works, PLEASE uninstall the firewall software. If you read this site, you know I'm not a fan. This is one of those problems it causes.

• If you can receive, but not send, try checking the setting for server authentication for outgoing e-mail. Go to Tools>Accounts and Properties for the offending account. Look for an option for Other Settings, then look for a tab for the Outgoing Server. Check the boxes as shown here, then close it all and try the account again.

• There are many times that the server is at fault, and not your computer, Internet connection, or e-mail client. Usually, if I have messages sitting in the Outbox (a sign they're not sending), I'll just wait a few hours. This is especially the case if things have been working, and all of a sudden, they don't. If the server or your ISP are at fault, the messages will eventually go out.