The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Internet Mail and News version 1.0 for Windows 95
SUMMARY
This article describes steps to help you troubleshoot problems receiving
mail in Internet Mail.
MORE INFORMATION
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:
- On the Mail menu, click Options.
- 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:
- Click the option to connect manually.
- Click OK, and then quit Internet Mail.
- 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:
ARTICLE-ID: Q138789
TITLE : How to Connect to the Internet in Windows 95
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:
- On the Mail menu, click Options.
- Click the Read tab.
- 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:
- On the Mail menu, click Options.
- 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:
a. Click Advanced Settings.
b. 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.