Solution:
E-mail error messages are a bear to solve because it's difficult to tell if incorrect settings or trouble at the e-mail server caused the severed connection. Usually, if your e-mail is working and suddenly becomes inaccessible, the problem's with the ISP (Internet service provider), but there are exceptions. In any case, your first step should always be to contact technical support at your ISP immediately or wait for a few hours to see if the problem goes away on its own. Most respectable ISPs are on top of e-mail problems very quickly because they get deluged with phone calls anytime a customer can't access e-mail for more than a few minutes.
If waiting doesn't work, take steps to tackle the problem yourself. The first message regarding the rejected password means your e-mail software is able to contact the mail server on the other end, but that mail server isn't letting you in because the supplied password presumably doesn't match the username stored in the mail server's database. Try this: Carefully retype your password to make sure it wasn't accidentally changed. Make sure you haven't engaged CAPS LOCK. If the light is on, it's engaged. Press CAPS LOCK again to turn it off; passwords tend to be case-sensitive. If you enter your username and password in a pop-up dialog box, retype those entries in the box when it appears. If you're using a program, such as Microsoft Outlook, you'll have to dig for the appropriate preferences. The procedure varies depending on the e-mail package you use, but because many people rely on Microsoft Outlook Express, we'll cover instructions for accessing the settings in OE6. A similar procedure should work if you are using an earlier version of the software, but the menu entries and dialog buttons may not match exactly.
Launch OE6, click Tools on the menu bar, and select Accounts. Click the name of the account that's giving you problems (or the only account listed, if you don't use more than one) and click Properties. Select the Servers tab and type the appropriate information in the Account Name and Password fields under the Incoming Mail Server heading. Make sure the Remember Password box is checked and click Apply before exiting the menu. Try to get your e-mail. If you receive the same error message, repeat the procedure to get back to the Servers tab, retype everything carefully again, and put a check in the Log On Using Secure Password Authentication box before clicking Apply. Try to retrieve your e-mail. If the password is still rejected, head back to the Servers tab, clear the check from the Log On Using Secure Password Authentication box, click Apply, and contact your ISP. The mail server on its end is causing the trouble, and you'll need to make sure technicians are working to fix the problem.
The other message, telling you that the host can't be found, is computer speak for saying your e-mail software went knocking on the door of the mail server (the host), but nobody answered. This happens either because the e-mail software is looking in the wrong place or the mail server is experiencing problems and can't accept any incoming connections.
Your e-mail software needs to access two servers each time it checks your e-mail: one to send outgoing e-mail and another to grab incoming e-mail. That's why you sometimes can send e-mail but not receive it and vice versa. To determine which server is causing problems, look at the name in quotes in the error message. We listed it in the example message as "XXXX," but the name varies depending on the settings your ISP has established. Most often the problematic server is an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, which handles outgoing e-mail and frequently must be accessed before the POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) server that handles incoming e-mail can be contacted. If the letters "SMTP" appear anywhere in the name within the quotes, that's the server you need to worry about.
As with the other e-mail error message we just covered, you'll find the tools for changing the SMTP server settings on the Server tab in OE6, so open that dialog box if you use that e-mail software. If you use another e-mail package, you'll have to consult the documentation to see how to edit the incoming and outgoing e-mail server settings. If your Internet access is working, connect to your ISP's Web site and search through the user support section for the names of its e-mail servers. The name of the outgoing server generally begins with SMTP, and the name of the incoming server usually starts with POP3. For example, the outgoing e-mail server for Yahoo! accounts is smtp.mail.yahoo.com, and the incoming server is pop3.email.yahoo .com. In this case, we're interested in the SMTP server, so copy down the name and switch back to the OE6 Servers tab. Type the exact name of the server in the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) field and click Apply. Check your e-mail and if you still can't connect, go back to the Server tab and check the My Server Requires Authentication box under the Outgoing Mail Server entry and click Apply.
Check your e-mail again. If you get no response, return to the Servers tab and click the Settings button next to the My Server Requires Authentication box. The radio button is probably set to Use Same Settings As My Incoming Mail Server. Try switching it to Log On Using and type your e-mail account name and password in the respective boxes (these usually match the username and password you use to login to your Internet connection). Click OK, Apply, and check your e-mail.
Still not working? You guessed it: Make another trip back to the Servers tab. Open up the Outgoing Mail Server settings one more time and check the Log On Using Secure Password Authentication box. Some e-mail servers require this, some don't, and sometimes ISPs don't bother to tell their customers when they've changed their account policies. Click OK, Apply, and check your e-mail one last time. If that didn't get you in, the problem is either with your ISP's mail server itself, faulty network settings on your computer, or a glitch with your modem. Change all of the settings you changed in the Server tab back to their original values (removing the check from the My Server Requires Authentication box will disable everything you changed in the Outgoing Mail Server settings box, so you don't have to go back in there, at least). If you can connect to the Internet and browse, it usually means all of the settings are fine with your modem and network connection, and you'll have to contact your ISP to resolve the e-mail problems.
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