windows problems with email server

[apprentice]

Ok guys, please remember I am a hobbiest at computer security, I have some questions. Yes I have tried Google. I will be spending more time on the phone with ISP tech people in the future.

SBC/Yahoo is not supporting any browser or email client other than IE. I use Navigator. Their server usually doesn't allow me to connect with Navigator or IE. The few times I've been able to connect the connection is broken by the server.

Up until today I've been able to reconnect after I have disconnected and rebooted the computer and dialed in again.

I am in the process of switching ISP's due to other things and I will need to contact the new ISP so I can use email. They say they support both Navigator and IE. At this point with the new ISP I can browse but I can't do anything with email.

Both ISP's want me to use their proprietary software which I know I don't need to do and don't want to do.

I really don't want to use IE. I really don't want to use XP but I have other things to do with my time than geek out with another OS that I have to learn from the ground up. I just want to be able to work.

I'm using XP home on a toshiba laptop.

At this point I'm mostly using the Internet for email, but with the problems I'm having I'm about ready to give email up as it is more hassle than anything else.

Are there limits to the amount of HD space that email clients can use without modifying settings? I have a lot of email on my machine.

Any help or consideration would be greatly appreicated.

[murakami]

To answer your question, email clients don't put a quota on your local drive, only you can put those quotas.

Your choice of ISPs seem very restictive, what email protocols do they support? I suspect that they should at least support pop3 and smtp, which the majority of email clients support.

Haven't you asked a similar question before?

[blackwave]

apprentice,
... perhaps they are only telling this to "clueless users".
... perhaps they are only offering some type of microsoft web mail.

although chances if you can telnet and view your email, you can most likely use any email client.

see instructions here (always good to know btw):
http://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=475

... and murakami is correct, I could have sworn you asked something like this before... back in february even!
http://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1227

... you must really hate saying the word email. luckily you aren't french, otherwise you would be saying "Courriel" all the time.
http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/c...5E8362,00.html

[apprentice]

Thanks very much for your reply.

Similar but not exact. In the past I was told by SBC that I "had" to use their proprietary software. Their software corrupted my system and I couldn't get email until I uninstalled it. All I really "had" to do was change server names in my client.

Now the few times I've been able to connect I've been able to download some of my email but then the connection is refuesed by the server.

At that point I've disconnected, rebooted and reconnected to download another portion of my email.

Now I can't even do that. Although I've only tried that twice so far in the past two days.

I'll be leaving SBC/Yahoo at the end of the month but I would like to get the email that is on their server.

I'm going with att and I need to call them to find out why I can't do anything with email. That will be done tomorrow morning.

[blackwave]

seriously, have you tried using telnet to check your email?
http://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=475

The only reason I stress this is because by doing this you basically rule out any of your email client configurations which could be mucked up by the instructions or the end user (that being you)...

You are the first person I have heard to have so much trouble with email all around. Email shouldn't be all that problematic for anyone.

Also why aren't you downloading the email directly to your local drive? Unless you are travelling around and use different machines it is safer if you remove the email from the server once you have checked for new mail using your client.... if you aren't chances are you probably have hundreds of megabytes of data laying there for anyone to read...

[apprentice]

Originally posted by blackwave

You are the first person I have heard to have so much trouble with email all around. Email shouldn't be all that problematic for anyone.

Tell me about it! I didn't have any problems for years until I downloaded that stupid preprietary software when Yahoo teamed up with SBC!

Also why aren't you downloading the email directly to your local drive? Unless you are travelling around and use different machines it is safer if you remove the email from the server once you have checked for new mail using your client.... if you aren't chances are you probably have hundreds of megabytes of data laying there for anyone to read...

This is what I am trying to do! I have only been able to download a portion of the email on the server. This morning about 50 out of 200 when the connection was refused by the server.

This problem didn't crop up until about two weeks ago. Was trying to fix it on my vacation >:\