dR03
join:2002-09-13
Houston, TX
| POP Server's Not working?
I am having some real trouble, it began about a week ago, I get an error when trying to use OUTLOOK for Office 2k3 to login to my POP server pop.sbcglobal.yahoo.com.
error:
Task 'XXXXXX - Receiving' reported error (0x800CCC90) : 'Your incoming (POP3) e-mail server has reported an internal error. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP). The server responded: -ERR Service not available (server error)'
I have no problem logging into WEB MAIL.
please advise, I have changed no settings, this recently began to happen. |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| Gonna need to contact SBC or post this at SBC Direct.
The error has to do with only the POP3 mailbox, and its not going to fix itself. Someone has to fix it for you.
If you call, ask for Second Tier. The first level will not know what to do. If you do call also, give that exact error word for word, and highlight the last words in the error. That's what the mail server is saying the problem is. |
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GoHogsAR
join:2005-12-02
| reply to dR03
Were you able to get any resolution? My Outlook pulls from several different accounts and I haven't had any problems until the last week or so, when my Yahoo account started prompting me for my password a couple of times a day. Today was the worst - it was prompting me every 10 minutes or so (it pulls every 1 minute), but since this evening it will not pull email at all. My other accounts have been acting fine, but now that the Yahoo password prompt never goes away I can't pull or send from those accounts either.
I spent a frustrating hour with tech support confirming, then reconfirming, then reconfirming again that my Outlook settings are correct (man, those people are just robots who refuse to deviate from their script!). Finally, the gentleman said he was going to transfer me to Level 2 but after holding for five minutes he came back on to tell me they are really busy and it would be best if I just called myself. I dialed the 800 number he gave me but it asks for a "2 or 3 digit transfer code" and won't let me past that point.
I called back to tech support and spoke with someone new. I told her that I was given the number to Level 2 and just needed a transfer code, but she insisted on pulling all my information and reviewing the notes from the hour-long conversation I'd just had. She then started in on trying to verify my settings and I told her I was 100% positive my settings were not the problem. She informed me then that meant that Outlook was the problem and Microsoft would have to help me. She refused to connect me to Level 2!
Anyway, if you were able to fix this problem please help! |
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dR03
join:2002-09-13
Houston, TX
| Still not able to fix the problem, although, I have gotten the "login pop-up" you are talking about in the past, this is not the problem I am having.
My Outlook pulls from 4 different accounts (2 Gmail, 2 SBC) I am able to receive no problem with Gmail accounts, but the SBC accounts continue to give me the POP3 error message.
I'm wondering if there is a different POP3 server that people can use, rather than the pop.sbcglobal.yahoo.com. Because, this is getting rather frustrating, I HATE WEB MAIL!  |
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jimkyle
Btrieve Guy
Premium
join:2002-10-20
Oklahoma City, OK
 ·AT&T Southwest
| reply to dR03
I've gotten that password prompt from time to time; apparently SBC-Y! does a round-robin redirection to several different POP3 servers, to equalize the load, and sometimes the supporting data isn't present on the current server so it gives the password prompt.
It sounds as if you're getting sent to a non-existent server for some reason.
Your best bet is to forget about calling anyone, and post in the SBC Direct forum here instead. The techs there are most all Level 2 and above, and can handle most problems in just a few minutes once your message works its way up to the top of the list. That may take several days, since they process messages on a first come first served basis and don't work on weekends, but you'll get the best service instead of having to work through the same script a dozen times and getting nowhere.
Note that it's a private area; you won't be able to read any threads other than your own. Just post a new message there, asking for a reply notification when you do, and wait for an answer. Because it's private, you're perfectly safe posting private data such as your phone number (and that's necessary in most cases for them to check things out). Good luck! |
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dR03
join:2002-09-13
Houston, TX | Thanks I will give that a try. |
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brianinstl
join:2005-12-02
Saint Charles, MO
| reply to dR03
Hey guys, the "enter your password" prompt box isn't SBC. If it is an outlook box requesting you to re enter your password and it's there (and yes, you've clicked "remember my password") and that doesn't fix it, go to microsoft.com. Known bug with the reg... Had to do it and it's a safe fix.
b |
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jimkyle
Btrieve Guy
Premium
join:2002-10-20
Oklahoma City, OK
·AT&T Southwest
| The prompt I get comes (at least indirectly) from SBC. I don't use any Microsoft product on the net, except for Windows itself. My mail client is Eudora, and it only asks for a password when instructed to do so by a status code from the server at the other end of the line... |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| reply to dR03
said by dR03  :I'm wondering if there is a different POP3 server that people can use, rather than the pop.sbcglobal.yahoo.com. Because, this is getting rather frustrating, I HATE WEB MAIL! There is no other server to choose from. As I stated, its a problem with the mailbox at SBC's side for yours. The only way to fix yours is to have someone at SBC send it to Yahoo.
Telnet into the mail server if you need to know exactly what the problem is. »www.yuki-onna.co.uk/email/pop.html will tell you how to do it. The error "-ERR Service not available" is the problem, and if you telnet into the mail server, you will see it. |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV
 ·Packet8
·Callcentric
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
2 edits | reply to brianinstl
Is this the Microsoft KB article you are referring to ? »support.microsoft.com/?id=290684
I saw this, but am hesitant to try this because I still think it's an SBC/Y! problem. Outlook polls 16 of my POP e-mail addresses every 5 minutes. I have 7 SBC/nvbell.net addresses, 4 GMail accounts, 3 Worldnet accounts and 2 e-mail accounts from my business domain - and the Outlook popup ALWAYS gets stuck on SBC POP server.
I have a friend that has 2 sbcglobal e-mail accounts, and is also running Outlook 2003, and it happens to her too.
This started about 2 months ago - so did SBC/Y! make a change about that time? |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV | reply to psx_defector
I found the telnet info. interesting, but for me I didn't have any problems logging in and it didn't show any errors - even though at the exact same time I was getting Outlook popups. |
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brianinstl
join:2005-12-02
Saint Charles, MO
| reply to Brian Grif_n
Well, I only moved over to Outlook 2k3 about a month ago, but have had SBC forever. Never really had any problems till I went to 2k3, as Outlook 2k was fine for me. But the long answer is yes. That's the KB I was referring to and it's been working for me. Like I said. Up till a month ago was on 2k, and put a new server into place (SBS2k3 with all of the goodies) and started having the problem. Fixed it for me.
Brian |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV | Are you/were you polling any other POP accounts besides SBC accounts? And if so, were you getting the popup box for you other accounts? Thanks. |
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brianinstl
join:2005-12-02
Saint Charles, MO
| Nope, just SBC (current and legacy) accounts. My yahoo IM is pilot_63302 if that helps. I'll do my best. I'm just happy I got VPN running when all others (including the VLAN guys) couldn't.  |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| reply to Brian Grif_n
Then your email box isn't the problem. You are looking at a problem with Outlook. Check the error for any variation. The errors are unique, and there should be a variation on the error message, usually at the end of it.
Check that out, and you have a basis to go after it. At least you have eliminated a problem with SBC though. |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV
·Packet8
·Callcentric
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
| If it's an Outlook problem, why would it never occur when polling my 9 other accounts?
I just had it pop-up on one of my accounts as I write this post. I clicked "OK" and the popup wouldn't go away. I telneted into the server and got the following message after entering USER myusername@nvbell.net... "-ERR popgate unknown command". I then tried to click "OK" on the popup box again, and it took 4 times, before it went onto one of my other sub-accounts and popped up for that account too. 
What do you know about the "round-robin redirection to several different POP3 servers" that was mentioned by jimkyle?
I suppose I could test your Outlook theory by putting all my SBC accounts in a seperate Account Group that only polls every 30 minutes, and see if my problem pops up just as frequently with my other e-mail accounts, or just becomes less frequent and still affects only my SBC/Y! accounts. |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV | reply to psx_defector
Just checked my Outlook log (apparently telnet responses)... a bunch of
"-ERR invalid user/password" and "-ERR maildrop unavailable." all related to SBC accounts. |
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Brian Grif_n
Wireless Guru
join:2001-01-17
Reno, NV
·Packet8
·Callcentric
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
2 edits | UPDATE: I've put all my SBC accounts in a seperate account group which only poll every 30 minutes. My other accounts remain in another account group which polls every 5 minutes.
After working on the computer for about 1 1/2 hours this morning, the Outlook popup box has only come up 2 times this morning (at about 30 minute intervals), but always popping up asking for the password for the pop server related to an SBC account.
Checking the Outlook error logs for just this morning's activity, the error messages are a combination of "-ERR invalid user/password" and "-ERR maildrop unavailable.", again only related to SBC accounts.
SBC/Y! - we have a problem! |
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psx_defector
join:2001-06-09
Allen, TX
| said by Brian Grif_n :UPDATE: I've put all my SBC accounts in a seperate account group which only poll every 30 minutes. My other accounts remain in another account group which polls every 5 minutes. After working on the computer for about 1 1/2 hours this morning, the Outlook popup box has only come up 2 times this morning (at about 30 minute intervals), but always popping up asking for the password for the pop server related to an SBC account. Checking the Outlook error logs for just this morning's activity, the error messages are a combination of "-ERR invalid user/password" and "-ERR maildrop unavailable.", again only related to SBC accounts. SBC/Y! - we have a problem! Maybe with maildrop unavailable. But I hardly think this is an SBC issue with invalid user/password.
Something is passing bad data across to the mail server. Why the heck do you have 9 other accounts in your Outlook profile anyways? Outlook is pretty tempermental, and will freak out over too much junk going on.
My suggestion to you is to nuke and pave your accounts out of Outlook. You probably have a corrupted profile that is pulling the bad username/pass. As for maildrop unavailable, that's usually due to someone hitting it like a drum. Remove all accounts out of Outlook and put them back in one by one, starting with the "problem" account. That should give you an idea of where to start with the issue. But I don't believe that there's a problem with SBC in this case. |
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owlhooter
Premium,VIP
join:2002-01-19
Wylie, TX
| reply to dR03
With recent testing of the yahoo POP servers it has come to my attention that if there are excessive login attempts from one IP address (for any ID/Pass combo) the server will block login attempts for some predetermined period of time, when the server is blocking the attempts it will constantly respond with "-ERR Invalid user/password" once the period of it being blocked has expired, you will then be allowed to log back into the mail server. So if you have any computer on your local LAN that is trying to POP that account excessively (as determined by Yahoo) you could be getting blocked by the server. |
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