How Do I Fix My Email? It's Not Working!

 

Are you having any of these problems with your email?

  • Won't send.
  • Won't receive.
  • Keeps asking for user name or password.
  • Get weird pop-up errors in Outlook or Outlook Express.

If you're having any of these problems, turn your computer off and leave it off for at least 30 seconds. This will give the memory time to clear and the ROM BIOS chip time to re-set. Simply re-restarting the computer CAN help, but a complete shut down and re-start will fix email problems 95% of the time.

If you're still having problems, please read further down this list...

Triple and Quadruple Check ALL your settings

Check your settings and check them again.  Settings should be in ALL lower case.  This includes your email account name and your POP and SMTP server names.  (If you're unsure about how to input these, check out our page on how to set up email by clicking here).

If you host your web site and email with BusyBrain, both your POP and SMTP server should be:

secure.busybraininc.com

There are exceptions to this when it comes to Local SMTP Settings.  If your Internet Service Provider has a policy that you must use their settings for the SMTP server setting, please click here, or contact BusyBrain.

Your account name should be your email address in all lower case.   So, if your email address is johndoe@abccompany.com, your account name would be johndoe@abccompany.com. Click here for more information on account name settings.

Check your Virus Scan Software

Open up whatever software you use to check email for viruses and double check the settings.  Some software can be set to check outgoing email for viruses, and this could be causing you problems if you use email stationery, graphics, or attachments when you send email.  Trying telling the software not to scan OUTGOING mail.

Try a local SMTP setting

The SMTP (Small Mail Transfer Protocol) is what sends email FROM your computer.   In the past, ISPs (Internet Service Providers) allowed mail to flow through their systems on the way to a server that would hopefully check it for spam, viruses, and spyware.  More and more local ISPs are NOT permitting this anymore, and are insisting that you use their server for these functions.

This is their way of helping to cut down on destructive email.  BellSouth, RoadRunner, BellAtlantic, Bell of Pennsylvania, BrightHouse and others are now doing this, and it seems to be happening one state at a time.  North Carolina and Ohio ISPs seem to be at the forefront of this movement, but BusyBrain has now heard from customers in Georgia and Texas who are starting to encounter this change.

Quite simply, while it's a good idea for the ISPs to take a more active role in helping to monitor destructive email, it also causes customers to have to make changes to their settings without prior notice.

You can try changing your SMTP setting in your email software to force your email to use the local ISP, and if that doesn't work you can change it back.

Click here for a list of ISPs and their settings

If you're a BusyBrain Hosting & Email customer,
and none of these suggestions worked for you, contact us toll free at:
888-223-8569