Another sending email problem.

Hello all.

I am using NS 7.1 and running win2k pro. I am using the my email account trouble free for a couple of years. I am not using Netscape webmail account. My problem just started recently. My emails are not being received. It does happen intermitently. Sometimes if my computer has been shut down for the day and I boot up and open Netscape mail everything is working normally. Other times like now it is not. I am using a dial up service for my internet connection and mail account. I use mozilla. I am receiving mail just fine. I can send mail to myself and others from a different web mail account ( a free email account on my ISP web page "“ very clunky though) Since all my address’s and saved mails are in my Netscape mail account I would like to get it working again.

Here are a few things I have tried.

I did a search of this site and found several similar problems. I tried the various suggestions i.e.- changing the sent folder, the various workarounds as per Ramona, checking with my ISP, but nothing seems to work. The frustrating part is having it work part of the time, which are the times I think the problem is over, and then have it happen again.

When I send myself a test e-mail it shows as being sent successfully but I usually don't receive it. Sometimes though it has shown up almost 12 hours later and sometimes not at all. I have never received an error message regarding sent mail. Everything that I have emailed, tests and everything else do make it to the sent mail folder. I wonder where are all the tests and other mails end up that I have sent???

I called my ISP tech and he could not find anything at their end. Everything appeared normal when I sent an email to them, they just didn’t receive it. Went over my settings for incoming and outgoing mail (SMTP) and all was fine. Never is checked for secure connection (SSL) and the port was blank. We tried 25 for this setting but nothing changed so it is back to blank, He believes it is a Netscape problem since I am able to send mail from a different mail server successfully. I have also talked to a local Netscape guru and he thinks it is the ISP with the problem since the messages are shown as being sent and making it to the sent box.

I did a virus scan (AVG anti virus) and no viruses were found.
I am not running Norton or McGaffe(sp?) apps.
I removed Netscape 7.1 and reinstalled it. No help. (saved my mail folder and reinstalled it "“ could the problem be in the mail folder?)

Anything you folks think may solve this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - TRoof

 

Your problem really sounds like a network or ISP connection issue, not a Netscape issue. Try this . . .

Next time you can't send an email, "ping" your outgoing mail server. To do this, click on "Start" then "Run ". In the Run window, type "ping outgoing_mail_server_id ". (Do not type the quotation marks and use your actual outgoing mail server id.) If your computer is communicating with the outgoing mail server, you will see "reply" messages. If you do not get replies, you should check your modem, network connections, network config, and your ISP.

You may need to specify different profiles if you connect to your ISP differently or use different ISPs sometimes. Each may have a different outgoing mail server which may not be available from each of your connections.

 

Excuse the interruption

bobcat
Would like to use your "Ping test for mail server ". Inputted your cmd. line, the screen opens and closes in a heartbeat. Is there a value / setting that allows the results and the screen to stay open.
Thanks

 

Bobcat

Ran the cmd. as you said. It was shown quickly as Dennis said. I was able to run it several times and read what came back.

Reply from 6.118.192.3: bytes=32 runtime=240ms TTL=47

This was repeated four times then the window closed.

TRoof

 

You can execute the same command from "Start/Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt ". That window should stay open. But . . . if the ping was successful, it would repeat itself 3 times and that usually takes several seconds. If if closes in "a heart beat ", you probably aren't reaching the outgoing server.

 

Anyone have any more ideas on this strange problem? Is it witch doctor time?

 

I'm stumped. If you are getting a reply from the "ping ", your computer is communicating with the outgoing mail server just fine.

 

Thanks Bobcat

There is one thing I noticed and was wondering if it could be a factor. When I go to Edit/ Main and newsgroup account settings/ my account and then open advanced in the lower right it has two choices in the drop down menu for my outgoing server (SMTP). One is the default setting which is the mail.gobrainstorm.net which is highlighted and is the correct one. The other is smtp.netscape.net which is not highlighted. There doesn't seem anyway to get rid of this one anyhow. I no longer have the netscape webmail account listed in my email accounts. Only my personal account and the local account are listed. Could this be causing a problem?

I sent a test message to myself this morning at 6:14 est and have not received it yet. I did receive three messages that I sent between 7 and 8 last night when I checked messages this am. I had not received them as of 11pm. Of course I did receive some spam and a regular messages as usual with no time lag.

What would happen to my address books and all my saved messages if I downloaded and reinstalled mozilla 1.5?

Is it the ISP or is it Netscape? Please raise you hand.

Thanks

 

In the "Mail and Nesgroups Account Settings" there is an "Outgoing Server (SMTP)" selection available. There should be an "Advanced" click box there that will take you to a screen where you can delete the netscape server.

I doubt that you will see any difference, however, since everything should be going out trough your default server.

I have not tried Mozilla yet but am considering it due to a number of "funny things" that happen occasionally with Netscape. Like your problem, the funny things come and go, although mine are not as serious as yours. And, I don't think that will fix your problem, but you can try.

Be careful with an upgrade to Mozilla. Mozilla and Netscape 7.1 will try to share the same profile and real ugly things will happen. If you want to upgrade, you should first create a second profile with Netscape's profile manager, then use one profile exclusively for your Netscape and the other for Mozilla.

From you last message, it looks like last night's messages to yourself came through, but with a long delay. I think you said you connect through a Modem. I assume that you shut down after sending last night and that when you reconnected this morning the messages were there? This points to your ISP because your Netscape obviously transmitted the message while you were connected. The long time delay occurred at the ISP end of things.

A lot of times you feel you are talking to a wall when you try to get help from your ISP. I know it is a pain to switch ISPs, but you might consider a trial subscription to another ISP and see if things work better. If nothing else, that'd give you some leverage when talking to your current ISP. "I don't have this problem with my other ISP. If you can't give me any better answers, I'll just have to drop your service!" Might get their attention.

If you want to try a "free" ISP, I use Netzero. Their free service is limited in terms of storage space, dial in numbers, internet access time, etc, but their pay service is pretty good and is only $10/month. The free service would let you check them out, if they are available in your area. Look at www.netzero.net for more info.

 

Bobcat,

The outgoing server I mentioned before does not show up in the outgoing server (smtp)/advaced dropdown menu. It is only in the account settings account/advanced drop down menu.

I forgot to tell you that I have mozilla running on my computer already. I was wondering obout uninstalling it and reinstalling it. Not sure of the relationship between Netscape and Mozilla?
I thought it came with NS7.1 when I downloaded 7.1 It's been a while.

Yes I did shut down at 11pm and I do connect through a modem.

Could there be a problem in the mozilla/profiles folder? I created a new profile and copied my existing mozilla folder to it. Still same problem though.

Thanks

 

As I understand it, Netscape runs using the Mozilla engine but is no longer being supported. So any upgrades beyond Netscape 7.1 are only available directly through Mozilla. So a Mozilla upgrade replaces Netscape.

The fact that you got a long time delay on your messages last night points to an ISP problem, not a Netscape problem.

Do you have your Account Settings "Advanced" tab set to "Always use default server "? It sounds like you have a couple of funny things going on with the netscap server listing that only shows on the account settings, but I don't think they are the source of your problem.

If you are real brave and want to try to get rid of the netscape server listing, it might be something left in your registry. You can go to "Start/Run/regedit ". You should always back up your registry first. Then, you can do a search for "smtp.netscape.net" and delete it whereever you find it. It shouldn't cause you any problems, but editing your registry can be a dangerous thing. Bottom line - procede with caution.

 

Bobcat,

Here are the latest sent and received times.

I sent three messages this am.

6:14 am
8:48 am
9:12 am

I have so far received the 8:48 test. I was logged off for a bit and it downloaded just now. The others haven't shown up.

I do have the advanced tab set as always use default server.

If I tried a different ISP like Netzero as you suggested can I still use my Mail account through Netscape/mozzila or would I have to use their mail account?

Re: Regedit. Any clue where I might start looking for smtp.netscape.net . Which HKEY? Lots of folders to go through otherwise.

 

I use Netscape as my mail client for Netzero, although you will find that Netzero always launches IE. I just close IE and launch Netzero. Netzero has it's own dialer, but uses external browswer/email client. It will set you up with a "pop" email account that can be accessed through the web, netscape, outlook, eudora or any other pop compliant email client.

If you venture into regedit, there is a "find" command that you can use to search for occurances of the netscape server. I know it is available in one of the menus. I think you can also "hotkey" into it with a CTRL-F. After your first search, I think F3 will search for the next appearance.

Good luck.

 

Bobcat,

Thanks for the information. Will let you know how things go as I try some of your suggestions. At the moment I have to take some time out to earn a living

Thanks again for the help.

TRoof

 

TRoof,

Before you start mucking about in your Registry:

Your ISP Tech is full of bologna! If he didn't receive the email, it is a server problem! Read: ISP!

We can, however, still troubleshoot Netscape. I am a little confused which browser you actually use. In your first post you stated that you use Netscape 7.1, and then later in the post said that you use Mozilla? When you use Mozilla, what Version are you using? Click on Help | About Mozilla and let us know.

Open your prefs.js file, using Notepad
Start | Programs | Accessories | Notepad
Click on File | Open
Navigate to your *.slt folder
Profiles Folder Location
Do you see this script, or one that is similar:
user_pref( "mail.smtp.defaultserver ", "smtp1 ");
Post back with your script, as we may be able to get rid of the webmail smtp here.

Do this for me:
Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings
Highlight the Defaul Mail Account
In the right pane, click on "View Settings for this account "
In the Account Settings Window, left pane
Do you see the old Netscape Web Mail Account listed here? If so, highlight the account and then click on the "Remove Account" tab.

You need to get rid of the netscape smtp listing, and when you post your script from the prefs.js file, we'll see if it is listed there.

If you have been sharing a Profile with Netscape and Mozilla, that can certainly cause conflicts. It may be necessary to create a new Profile for both browsers, but first, if you will post back with the info, we can go from there. Don't do anything yet...

Thanks!

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona,

Thanks for joining in. First of all I have done nothing to the reg. at this point. I did, however, create a new Netscape mail account just to see how it behaved. I was able to send and receive mail to my ISP mail account using my newly created Netscape webmail account.

The advanced account settings now has two smpt.netscape.net outgoing servers.

Do you want me to remove that account and the two smpt.netscape.net outgoing servers?

Here is what I found in my Prefs file. Anything out of place here?
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.auth_method ", 0);
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.hostname ", "mail.gobrainstorm.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.try_ssl ", 0);
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.username ", " ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp2.hostname ", "smtp.netscape.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp2.username ", "batroofn ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp3.hostname ", "smtp.netscape.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp3.username ", "batroof ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpservers ", "smtp1,smtp2,smtp3 ");

This one - user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp2.username ", "batroofn ");
was from my original Netscape web mail account that I removed a while back "“ before problem.

Sorry about the confusion with NS and Mozilla. I thought they were joined at the hip. Here are the versions as shown in help/about - Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

“Do this for me:
Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings
Highlight the Defaul Mail Account
In the right pane, click on "View Settings for this account "
In the Account Settings Window, left pane
Do you see the old Netscape Web Mail Account listed here? If so, highlight the account and then click on the "Remove Account" tab."

As I mentioned I have a new Netscape Web Mail account and it is the only Netscape Web Mail account. What is listed now are my personal account ( the one I am having a problem with) , the new Netscape Web Mail account, and the Local mail account.

I guess the ISP tech feels since I can send mail with other accounts they are not the problem.

I have not touched anything at this point. Good thing I have to work for a living or else I may have had the time to really muck things up before your message.

Let me know how I should proceed.


Just received a test I sent myself at 2:35 this PM when I logged on to send you this.

Thanks,

TRoof

 

Ramona,

Whoops, left out the first line of the above pasting from the Prefs file.

user_pref( "mail.smtp.defaultserver ", "smtp1 ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.auth_method ", 0);
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.hostname ", "mail.gobrainstorm.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.try_ssl ", 0);
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp1.username ", " ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp2.hostname ", "smtp.netscape.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp2.username ", "batroofn ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp3.hostname ", "smtp.netscape.net ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpserver.smtp3.username ", "batroof ");
user_pref( "mail.smtpservers ", "smtp1,smtp2,smtp3 ");

 

TRoof,

Yes, I would remove all Netscape Webmail Accounts. Then close Netscape, so the information will be written to your prefs.js file.

While you have Netscape closed, delete the Sent.msf file from your mail account folder. Only that file: Sent.msf. The Sent file, with no .msf extension, contains your sent mail.

Another thought on the send problem. Do you keep up with routine maintenance? By routine maintenance I mean, do you frequently:

Delete the Cache folder
Delete the history.dat file
Delete the XUL.mfl file
(All the above files/folder are found in your *.slt folder)
Delete everything in the C:\WINDOWS\Temp folder

If you haven't done so, do it now, ensuring that Netscape, and Quick Launch are closed.

Open Netscape, check the:
Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings | Default Account | Advanced Tab
You should only see:
"Always use default server "

Now check:
Edit | Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings | Outgoing Server (SMTP) | Advanced Tab
You should only see:
mail.gobrainstorm.net (Default server)

Let us know.

The fact that you can send and receive mail from the new Webmail account still does not explain why you cannot send from your default account (ISP). You're using the Netscape Webmail Server, not your ISP SMTP server.

Ramona

 

Ramona,

I have done both.

I do keep the cache , history, and temp files pretty clean. Not sure about the XUL.mfl file though. What is it?

mail.gobrainstorm.net is the default server.

I wasn't sure about this to even mention it to him.




I will try another test message after I post
this.


Isn't quick sand fun? I can feel it touching my chin.


Thanks

TRoof

 

Ramona,

Did not get my test message. Glub,glub.

Back to my ISP Tech??