Odd email problem

[Patrick Keenan]

Have a client's laptop with an odd problem that shows up in email clients.
It's a Dell running XP Home, SP2. All relevant updates are applied.

This isn's specifically an Outlook issue, but I'm looking for any help I can
get.

Outlook 2003, Outlook Express, and Thunderbird cannot receive mail on port
110. In Outlook, the Test Email button eventually returns a message that
there is no response from the POP server, and to check SSL settings (not
required for these accounts). If I swap in a gmail account using POP on
port 465, I can connect to the POP server - but not the SMTP server on port
995. Gmail, of course, does require SSL.

Except for connecting to POP servers on 110 and this gmail SMTP issue,
networking is fine.

I am absolutely sure that the settings are correct, and that the problem is
not related to a router or other network issue. I've tried it on two
physically separate connections, wired and wireless and different locations,
and my laptop with the same settings works properly when connected to the
same router. Bypassing the router doesn't help. I've created a new Outlook
profile using one of my email accounts, and still cannot connect to the POP
server. I get the same messages. The web mail interface confirms that
incoming messages are on the server.

I've tried resetting the TCP/IP stack and general cleanup. I've disabled
firewalls and antivirus apps, and applied all updates. Everything looks
fine, but obviously isn't. The problem exists on both of the two user
accounts on that system.

If I try to telnet to the POP server, I get no prompt, just a flashing
cursor, and any keystrokes immediately end the telnet session. Doing the
same thing on another system connected to the next switch port logs me in,
shows me a prompt, and works properly. I think this may be presenting me
with a clue as to the real problem, but I'm just not sure what that clue is.

Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem may be?

Thanks!
Patrick Keenan

 

[Brian Tillman]

I've tried resetting the TCP/IP stack and general cleanup. I've
disabled firewalls and antivirus apps, and applied all updates.
Everything looks fine, but obviously isn't. The problem exists on
both of the two user accounts on that system.

If I try to telnet to the POP server, I get no prompt, just a flashing
cursor, and any keystrokes immediately end the telnet session. Doing
the same thing on another system connected to the next switch port
logs me in, shows me a prompt, and works properly. I think this
may be presenting me with a clue as to the real problem, but I'm just
not sure what that clue is.

Can you ping the SMTP server? So you have a firewall blocking the ports?

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Can you ping the SMTP server? So you have a firewall blocking the ports?

Thanks for the reply! I think that PING has been disabled on those
servers, since I cannot ping them from the other systems connected to the
same router, where mail does work properly.

I can, however, telnet to them from other systems. As noted, on that
system only, telnet does not work properly - it appears to connect but any
keystrokes terminate the session.

Outgoing mail on SMTP is not affected by this. The problem is only with
incoming mail.

I have disabled the firewalls on the PC, both the Sympatico "freedom"
firewall and the Windows firewall, bypassed the router and gone directly to
the DSL modem, and taken it to a completely different network where mail
works properly on all other systems. The error messages from Outlook
indicate that the server has been found, but there's no response.

So it's possible that the Sympatico firewall has malfunctioned and is
meddling with ports inappropriately despite being disabled. I'll go back,
turn the firewall on, and explicitly open those ports. If that doesn't
work, perhaps I'll remove the firewall and if I can get the incoming mail
working, reinstall it.

Thanks again for the reply. Any suggestions are most welcome.

Patrick Keenan

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Can you ping the SMTP server? So you have a firewall blocking the ports?

Thanks, that was the clue I needed. There was an application with a
firewall function that was improperly terminating, and even when its
firewall was disabled was blocking that one port. Terminating the entire
application, and subsequently uninstalling it, solved the problem.

Thanks again!
Patrick Keenan

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks, that was the clue I needed. There was an application with a
firewall function that was improperly terminating, and even when its
firewall was disabled was blocking that one port. Terminating the
entire application, and subsequently uninstalling it, solved the
problem.

Yay!