Troubleshooting Problems Receiving Mail in Internet Mail

This article describes steps to help you troubleshoot problems receiving mail in Internet Mail.

If you are experiencing problems receiving mail in Internet Mail, try the following steps to determine the cause.

Verify the Connection to the Mail Server

In order to use Internet Mail, you must have a connection to the Internet through your Internet service provider (ISP) or your local intranet. Internet Mail provides three options for this connection. To modify these options, follow these steps:

1. On the Mail menu, click Options.
2. Click the Connection tab.

The connection options include:

• Using a LAN Connection
  
  This means you connect to the Internet through your local area network.
• Connecting Manually
  
  Use this option if you want to dial into your ISP or intranet before starting Internet Mail.
• Using a Modem to Access Your E-mail
  
  This option instructs Internet Mail to use an existing Dial-Up Networking connection to establish a connection.

To be sure you are connecting to your ISP correctly, follow these steps:

1. Click the option to connect manually.
2. Click OK, and then quit Internet Mail.
3. Connect to your ISP or intranet using a Dial-Up Networking connection.

If this works properly, go to the next step. If not, check your connection and network settings. For more information about creating and trouble- shooting a Dial-Up Networking connection to connect to the Internet, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Downloading New Messages

Internet Mail, by default, does not download your mail messages automatically. To download messages manually, click the Send And Receive button on the toolbar. This transfers messages from your mail server to your local message store.

You can configure Internet Mail to automatically send and receive messages by following these steps:

1. On the Mail menu, click Options.
2. Click the Read tab.
3. Click the "Check for new messages every <n> minutes" to select it. Set the value of <n> to the interval at which you want Internet Mail to check for new messages to download. The default is 10 minutes.

Sending Mail to Yourself

Sending mail to yourself checks the connection to your ISP or intranet and mail server. If this works properly, Internet Mail is communicating with your mail server. If this does not work, it may indicate a problem with the mail server, or perhaps a problem with the sending computer. Contact your ISP or network administrator for more information about resolving this problem.

Check Server Settings and Configuration

Your server settings must be correct in order for Internet Mail to work properly. To access these settings, follow these steps:

1. On the Mail menu, click Options.
2. Click the Server tab, and then check the following settings:
   • POP3 and SMTP Server Names
     
     The Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) server names are sometimes but not always the same. To verify the correct server names, contact your ISP or network administrator. Also, make sure the account name and password are entered correctly. If you do not know, or have forgotten these settings, contact your ISP or network administrator.
   • Message Size Limit
     
     Internet Mail provides the ability to not download messages over a predetermined size. To do this, follow these steps:
     1. Click Advanced Settings.
     2. If the "Do not download messages over <n> KB" check box is selected, make sure the limit is not set too low. The default is 1000 kilobytes (KB).
   • POP3 Port Number
     
     The default value is 110, but you may need to check with your ISP or network administrator to determine if this value is correct.
   • Server Timeout
     
     The server timeout setting indicates how long Internet Mail attempts to connect to the mail server before stopping. Try setting this value higher if your connection or server is slow.

Check Inbox Assistant Configuration

Internet Mail includes an Inbox Assistant that can be configured to automatically route messages to a different folder than the Inbox. Check these settings to ensure messages are not being moved. For more information about how to perform this task, consult Internet Mail Help.