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can't send or receive mail and can't ping mail servers

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networkingguy

Technical User
Mar 7, 2002
10
CA
Checked the settings in Outlook 2000. OK. Deleted old profile and recreated a profile. (OS98). Still can't ping servers.
 
If you can't ping your mail server, no settings you change in Outlook will fix that.
I'm assuming this PC is on a network...If so, can you ping any other PCs? Are any other clients having this problem or just this one?
 
Cabraun and Crisc thanks for your replies. I have an ip address. I can ping my gateway. But no addresses outside of the network. None of theother PC's on the network have a problem pinging the mail server.

 
Did this PC at one time work correctly, and if so, when did this problem start?
Have you tried the basic stuff like swapping in new cables and NIC?
 
The email did work before we increased our ADSL lines. I've disable DNS in TCP/IP network components. It gets an IP automatically from DHCP. It can ping the gateway. Wouldn't that mean that the NIC's OK?
 
Yes, if you are able to ping an external IP that would suggest that the NIC is working, but I've seen situations like this before, and when the NIC was replaced the problem was gone.
It's quick and easy to swap in known-good hardware and eliminate that from being the cause. Start with the simple stuff first.

Good luck.
 
cric is right. I have also seen this before. Believe it or not there is a difference in newer NICs.
 
Have you tried a tracert in addition to the ping? That would give you an indication of where you might be hanging up.
 
I noticed that earlier you said that you had disabled your DNS because you have DHCP. I thought that your DNS had to be enabled for the DHCP to pull the ip address, unless you had a fixed static address. Try to enable the DNS and reboot. Check in the run command your ip configs to be sure that the dhcp took.
Cindy
 
DNS does not have to be enabled locally if you are using DHCP, it can be utilized through the server.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm pretty sure it's not the NIC. I can browse web sites on that computer.Just can't send or receive email on that computer. Have put in the numeric IP address into incoming and outgoing mail servers. Have tried it in Outlook Express - same problem: does not recgonize pop or smtp servers. Could it be a lmhost problem?? Please keep the suggestions coming.
 
So you can browse web sites but you cannot ping them is that correct? Have you tried my suggestion about using tracert?
 
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