N. Miller wrote:
On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:34:13 -0500, AJ wrote:

Bruce Hagen wrote:

"AJ" wrote in message
. ..

For the past three days I have not been able to send email but can
receive fine. I have three systems on a LAN that act the same. I
have run updated VS and various Spyware applications but find no
problems. None of the settings have changed and finally I just got
off the phone with Comcast who could not offer any explanation of
my problem. He recommended I try the computer manufacture which is
no help. What else could it be. I can send email if I cut and
paste to webmail from Comcast site but that is no good.

Thanks for anyone with any ideas

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a
redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs, slows down sending,
and causes a multitude of problems such as time-outs and account
setting changes. Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to
protect you sufficiently. For more, see:
http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3

Reboot and try.

If still no joy:

Do the following for the Outbox, and if the problem persists, repeat
for Sent Items after you move any messages you wish to save to a
local folder you create.

Tools | Options | Maintenance | Store Folder will reveal the
location of your Outlook Express files. Press the Tab key to
highlight the folder location, then Ctrl+C. Close OE, then Start |
Run | Ctrl+V will put the location in the box - Click OK and you'll
see the OE files. Otherwise, write the location down and navigate
to it in Windows Explorer.
In WinXP, Win2K & Win2K3, the OE user files (DBX and WAB) are by
default marked as hidden. To view these files in Windows Explorer,
you must enable Show Hidden Files and Folders under Start | Control
Panel | Folder Options Icon | View, or in Windows Explorer | Tools |
Folder Options | View.
With OE closed, find the DBX file for the folder in question
{Outbox.dbx} and delete it. A new one will be created automatically
when you open OE.
General precautions for Outlook Express:

Do not archive mail in default OE folders. They will eventually
become corrupt. Create your own user defined folders for storing
mail and move your mail to them. Empty Deleted Items folder
regularly. Keep user created folders under 100MB, and Default
folders as empty as is feasible.
After you are done, follow up by compacting your folders manually
while working *offline* and do it often.

Click on Outlook Express at the top of the folder tree so no folders
are open. Then: File | Work Offline (or double click Working Online
in the Status Bar). File | Folder | Compact all folders. Don't touch
anything until the compacting is completed.

Turn off e-mail scanning in your anti-virus program. It is a
redundant layer of protection that eats up CPUs and causes a
multitude of problems such as time-outs and account setting changes.
Your up-to-date A/V program will continue to protect you
sufficiently. For more, see: http://www.oehelp.com/OETips.aspx#3

In Tools | Options | Maintenance: Uncheck Compact messages in
background and leave it unchecked. {N/A if running XP/SP2}.


What happens when you try to send? Does the message stay in the
Outbox? Does it appear in Sent Items? Start with the following.

When I try to send I get:

The connection to the server has failed. Account: 'mail.comcast.net
', Server: 'smtp.comcast.net', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25,
Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10060, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E

This is on all three systems. Comcast tech support had me create a
new account and set it as default but the problem persists. This was
the point when he gave up.

I wonder if it could be my router.

Here is a link to the MSFT site:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191687

Here is the error I get when I block outbound port 25 access at my
router:

Access to outbound port 25 is denied:
-------------------------------------
The connection to the server has failed.
Account: 'None',
Server: 'mail.pacbell.net',
Protocol: SMTP,
Port: 25,
Secure(SSL): No,
Socket Error: 10060,
Error Number: 0x800CCC0E

Comcast has put a block on outbound port 25. They will do this when
they get reports of abuse from an IP address, or when they detect
heavy outbound port 25 traffic to destinations off of their network.

http://www.comcast.net/help/faq/inde...nagement118435

They used to unblock upon a trouble call, if the customer assured
them that the cause of the problem was fixed. Apparently no longer.
If you were not using a third party Mail Service Provider, and
sending a high volume of port 25 traffic to that server, please do a
thorough check of your computer for malware. You should start by
running 'netstat -an' and examining the results. Hijack This is
another good tool. AV won't always catch a spamming zombie.

http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php

Don't try to fix the computer without first seeking assistance with
interpreting the HJT log; you could further damage your OS if you
don't understand what the log is presenting.

Finally, there is a way around the port 25 block which is fairly
permanent; if you only use 'smtp.comcast.net'.

http://www.comcast.net/help/faq/inde...k_Express17717

Tells you how to configure MS Outlook Express to use port 465 for
sending email and port 995 for receiving email. The Comcast mail
servers will work with these ports, even on a home connection.

If you use any other SMTP server, you may also be able to work with
other ports. Some SMTP servers I use, and their ports:

smtp.aim.com:587
smtp.aol.com:587
smtp.gmail.com:465
smtp.gmail.com:587
smtp.gmx.net:587
smtp.myrealbox.com:465
smtp.mail.yahoo.com:587
smtp.mail.yahoo.co.jp:587

And, for my ISP, AT&T Yahoo! HSI:

smtpauth.sbcglobal.net:587
smtp.pacbell.yahoo.com:587

Today port 25 is no longer blocked. It became unblocked mysteriously this
morning. Just as mysteriously as it became blocked. I never send email so it
was not SPAM from me so maybe it was a Trojan that is no longer working. I
use malware SW but this may have been something that will never be known for
sure I guess. I have used ZoneAlarm Pro for years and never any problems. I
use Pest Patrol and Ad-Aware along with others and have never had a bad
report.

Thanks to everyone that responded.

AJ