SKY tech support (not)

Here is one for you brainy people out there (yes I'm admitting I don't
know everything).

Ever since I've been on SKY I have never been able to connect to their
mail servers, with consistent socket errors with the SMTP server
reporting

The connection to the server has failed. Account:
'mail.bande-cottee.me.uk', Server: 'smtp.sky.com', Protocol: SMTP,
Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10060, Error Number:
0x800CCC0E

& their POP server

Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible
causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long
period of inactivity. Account: 'pop.sky.com', Server: 'pop.sky.com',
Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F

Which basically means I can't connect, even though I can see them &
ping them.

I have removed both the Firebrick & the software fire wall no joy
(left the brick out for now & changed my firewall just in case), have
uninstalled OE & reinstalled it no joy.

After spending over 90 minutes on the phone to SKY tech support, the
answer was they don't support OE but they will look into it for me.

Any ideas of what I have missed at my end because (here is the twist)
the woman downstairs (you know the one who thinks she must be obeyed)
can send out mail using SMTP.sky.com but for the life of me I can't
find anything different between the 2 machines configuration.

Go on point out the stupid mistake (other than going with SKY), but
I've been fighting this for over a month & am just to close to see
it..

I wouldn't really be bothered but over night a couple of ISPs have
decided to refuse mail from my domains servers as they are open relays
so I can't get mail out at the present moment so I need to get the
SMTP server working for me..

--
Life is a lemon
And I want my money back!

Try a couple of things -
Alternate email client (like Thunderbird) to prove it isn't an issue with
your client.
You can also telnet to the server, run "telnet pop.sky.com 110" then log in
with "user username" <enter> "pass password" <enter>

If neither of those can connect then its going to be a network/software
issue your end, unless the server is being fussy. If you can get to another
computer on a different connection and try to connect then that will prove
if it is your problem or something wrong at sky's end.

--
Colin
*Drop DEAD from the email address to reply*

"kráftéé" <kraftee@b&e-cottee.me.uk> wrote in message
news:eo19r6$ba5$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Here is one for you brainy people out there (yes I'm admitting I don't
> know everything).
>
> Ever since I've been on SKY I have never been able to connect to their
> mail servers, with consistent socket errors with the SMTP server
> reporting
>
> The connection to the server has failed. Account:
> 'mail.bande-cottee.me.uk', Server: 'smtp.sky.com', Protocol: SMTP,
> Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Socket Error: 10060, Error Number:
> 0x800CCC0E

some mail servers want the same source domain for the mail

try a telnet to port 25 and go thru the dialog by hand - at least you will
know where it is going wrong...
>
> & their POP server
>
> Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible
> causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long
> period of inactivity. Account: 'pop.sky.com', Server: 'pop.sky.com',
> Protocol: POP3, Port: 110, Secure(SSL): No, Error Number: 0x800CCC0F
>
> Which basically means I can't connect, even though I can see them &
> ping them.
>
> I have removed both the Firebrick & the software fire wall no joy
> (left the brick out for now & changed my firewall just in case), have
> uninstalled OE & reinstalled it no joy.
>
> After spending over 90 minutes on the phone to SKY tech support, the
> answer was they don't support OE but they will look into it for me.
>
> Any ideas of what I have missed at my end because (here is the twist)
> the woman downstairs (you know the one who thinks she must be obeyed)
> can send out mail using SMTP.sky.com but for the life of me I can't
> find anything different between the 2 machines configuration.
>
> Go on point out the stupid mistake (other than going with SKY), but
> I've been fighting this for over a month & am just to close to see
> it..
>
> I wouldn't really be bothered but over night a couple of ISPs have
> decided to refuse mail from my domains servers as they are open relays
> so I can't get mail out at the present moment so I need to get the
> SMTP server working for me..
>
> --
> Life is a lemon
> And I want my money back!
--
Regards

(E-Mail Removed) - replace xyz with ntl

kráftéé wrote:
> Here is one for you brainy people out there (yes I'm admitting I don't
> know everything).
>
> Ever since I've been on SKY I have never been able to connect to their
> mail servers, with consistent socket errors with the SMTP server
> reporting

Do you have all the outgoing server authentication details _un_ticked? The
three SkyBB/OE combos I 'support' have all worked from day one - not much
help, I know, but it should work

If you get really stuck, Clara do a SMTP/POP3/text NNTP account [1] for a
tenner a year - it's what I use to send mail from Pipex, Sky, BT, Orange
GPRS, hotels, clients' offices etc. etc.


[1] http://www.uk.clara.net/homeaccess/mail_and_news.php

kráftéé wrote:
> Ever since I've been on SKY I have never been able to connect to their
> mail servers, with consistent socket errors with the SMTP server
[snip]
> Any ideas of what I have missed at my end because (here is the twist)
> the woman downstairs (you know the one who thinks she must be obeyed)
> can send out mail using SMTP.sky.com but for the life of me I can't
> find anything different between the 2 machines configuration.
>
> Go on point out the stupid mistake (other than going with SKY), but
> I've been fighting this for over a month & am just to close to see
> it..

You're not using a VPN of some sort, to get onto your work network or
something? Those ports are unavailable to IPs outside the Sky network so
if your traffic is being routed through a non-Sky IP you won't be able
to access them.

Make sure your and your Mrs machines both return the same from
http://www.whatsmyip.com/

Geoff

"kráftéé" <kraftee@b&e-cottee.me.uk> wrote in message
news:eo19r6$ba5$(E-Mail Removed)...

> I wouldn't really be bothered but over night a couple of ISPs have decided
> to refuse mail from my domains servers as they are open relays so I can't
> get mail out at the present moment so I need to get the SMTP server
> working for me..

If nothing else works then register for a gmail account as it supports pop
and smtp (but not the standard ports).