XP Home can't connect to Exchange 5.5 server

[BusyRon]

This one has me stumped! Our email system is the common NT4 computer running Proxy Server 2 and both have the latest service packs. This system is our webserver and feeds our email server which runs Windows 2000 Advanced server along with Exchange Server 5.5 Both W2K and E5.5 are running the latest service packs as well.

This system is running fine. The problem is with a new computer recently installed for one of my users. The system runs Windows XP Home, Office XP Pro with the latest service packs.

The issue here, is that the system cannot connect to the email server. I can use Outlook XP or Outlook Express 6. I've tried the users default email address and password. The error message in all cases indicates a failure to access the server. The computer has full network access as well as full internet access. I've tried other email accounts on this machine and all have the same result... the inability to connect to the server or incoming or outgoing email.

This client uses POP3 for incoming and SMTP for outgoing. Authentication is enabled.

I've tested the account on another computer and the email works fine. That tells me the problem isn't with the email account so much as it is with the XP Home computer.

Any HELP would be greatly appreciated!

 

[karmic]

Is your server by chance a domain controller? xp home was designed for exactly that, home use. It was never designed for logging into a domain. There is a registry hack however to force the issue.

One other thing to check as well... run IPCONFIG /ALL from the XP HOME workstation. check the DNS address, it should be the main DNS server address.

~ K.I.S.S - Don't make it any more complex than it has to be ~

 

[BusyRon]

The email server isn't a domain controller. Actually, the computer having the problems is my 7th Windows XP machine to be connected. Two of them are running XP Pro and the other 5 are running XP Home. This is the only one of the 7 that is having this problem. It's also the only HP brand computer. Maybe they did something different during the setup at the factory? Who knows?!

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the help. I'll give it a try first thing Monday morning.

 

[davie261]

Does the xp machine have the ICF enabled? If not configured correctly it would interfere with connectivity.

 

[BusyRon]

I don't believe the Firewall was enabled, but it IS a good possible cause of the problem. I'll check that thing tomorrow morning as well. On one of the XP Pro machines, I activated ICF AFTER getting it connected to the network. It actually works fine on that machine, which handles payroll functions. As a rule, though, I leave ICF turned off.

Thanks for the suggestion!

* Ron *

 

[davie261]

Let us know monday, I have a friend who has problems connecting to exchange 5.5 with Outlook 2000 on his network and I believe registry changes must be made to the exchange server to establish specific ports to be open. It seems Microsoft would make the two MS programs more friendly (excange and ICF)

davie

 

[BusyRon]

First, let me say that I'm very sorry to take so long in getting back here with the results of my investigations. The problem with being the only networking support person in the company tends to allow a lot to pile up while on vacation. That said, here's what I found out.

First, the firewall was not enabled. The IPCONFIG strategy didn't get tried because I remembered something else to try. Where the email account settings in either Outlook or Outlook Express are concerned, you are always asked to enter the server names for POP3 and SMTP servers. For our shop, let's say we normally would enter mail.server.com This would go in both fields. The result on this one computer was an inability to connect. What I did, instead, was to enter the actual IP address of the email server. WA-LA! Everything now works perfect!

Hopefully someone can explain to me WHY this works when the usual settings won't, but I leave this info here for anyone else it might help.

Thanks again to everyone who offered me assistance on this issue. It is greatly appreciated!

* Ron *

 

[ToyZilla]

I am having the -exact- same problem. I am also running Windows XP Home Edition on a HP machine. I can check email on three other computers here with no problem, but I cannot with the HP. I have even tried several different email clients, all to no avail.

This problem just started yesterday after I downloaded the Windows Update that "corrects SP1 and HP incompatibility", so I'm going to be looking into that further to see if I can find a fix. If anyone knows how to correct this, please let me know as this is more than just a little frustrating

Thanks

 

[BusyRon]

I think it's strange that we both have the same email related problems and that 2 things are in common.. both machines are HP's and both run Windows XP Home as the OS. This HP came with SP1 installed, by the way. In back-tracking, I discovered it happened after the prior Friday's series of Critical Updates. One of them caused the problem.

Actually, the problem goes back further... I've has numerous problems that required reconfiguring internet access on client machines.. ever since installing the latest service pack for Microsoft's Proxy Server 2 a few months back.

Give the email server's IP number trick a try. Who knows? It might resolve the problem you are having the way it did for me.

* Ron *