Unable to send emails

[EricJ1]

Merry Christmas!

I am unable to send emails but am able to receive.

I have checked my settings and it advises that it cannot connect to the server to validate.

I’ve also tried to send test emails, but it just advises it ‘couldn’t send’ - any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Gondola]

Perfect.

Grateful thanks for confirming. It's always good to know when a topic is solved.

[EricJ1]

I seem to be back in action, thank you, couldn't update my app, but I have retyped everything in as suggested and working so far.

Thank you

[Gondola]

Hi Eric

Are you back in action?

I appreciate your time to let me know. Thank you.

[Gondola]

Hi @EricJ1 

I see you have an older email app but it will work if you follow the settings I'll give you here:

The outgoing SMTP server: smtp.talktalk.net

Security type: TLS

Port: 587

Require Authentication to send emails: Yes, The full email address and password

The incoming IMAP server: mail.talktalk.net

Security type: SSL

Port: 993

Username: the full email address

Password: the email password

[KeithFrench]

Hi @EricJ1 

The problem is the app that you are using doesn't support the required Security type: SSL/TLS required for IMAP. I'd suggest you either update it to see if that gives this setting or change to another email app that does.

[Gliwmaeden2]

@EricJ1, I have removed two of the images from public display as you are showing your email address to all the world, which is an open invitation to spammers and scammers (& against forum rules!).

[EricJ1]

I changed to the above and now neither my incoming or outgoing mails are working…screenshots attached. I can send & receive emails in a browser 

[Gondola]

You're not using the recommended outgoing server settings.

The outgoing SMTP server: smtp.talktalk.net

Security type: STARTTLS

Port: 587

Username: the full email address

Password: the email password

Authentication: Normal password

And just in case you need the incoming server settings for an IMAP email account:

The incoming IMAP server: mail.talktalk.net

Security type: SSL/TLS

Port: 993

Username: the full email address

Password: the email password

Authentication: Normal password

[EricJ1]

Ok....me again, putting my password into the outgoing server settings worked for a day, however I'm getting the same error.

I'll attach a screenshot of the outgoing details if anyone has any other suggestions?

[EricJ1]

Thank you for all the advice, I asked my daughter to go through it for me and she redid all the settings, she re-added my password and no error message was received and my outgoing emails are now sending. 
I hadn’t changed the password and certainly wouldn’t have known to change it in the server settings if I had, but I’ll remember to check next time.

Thank you

[Cluster-Lizard]

I would suggest you check the outgoing SMTP server settings very carefully.

This is a bit embarrassing for me but when I checked my own I thought I'd just redo it all and when finished I found that sending emails from this PC started working OK. It was, as I thought, the outgoing SMTP server settings but likely my mistake that caused it. 

My thinking is that when I transferred them in I remember I actually copied the new outgoing SMTP server settings last year from another PC. I must have accidentally added a blank space at the end of one of the settings entries. It is a rooky mistake when copying anything to do that. That's the only thing I can think of which explains why it is now working for me because otherwise the settings seem to be exactly the same as before.

I can't have sent or tried to reply to any emails from this particular PC since that happened so just coincidentally I noticed the problem at the same time as other users have reported similar trouble.

So matter fixed in my case; I hope the solution is as simple as that for you.

EDIT

Messages about separate threads for each user problem understood but I was trying to help the OP and whilst the cause may well be something else in his case checking the outgoing SMTP server settings too would seem to be the most obvious first thing to suggest.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @EricJ1 

Please can you include some screenshots of the account setup, so as I can check them for you?

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Cluster-Lizard 

You may have a similar problem, but it may not have the same resolution.

If you want help, you cannot use someone else's thread.

To get help, you must start your own thread. To create your own thread, go to the main page for the board in question & click the "Start a topic" button.

TalkTalk insists on one thread per problem per customer. Please note, TalkTalk makes the rules, not me.

Thanks.

[EricJ1]

It is the imap server to receive, which is what i updated it to in Feb, but smtp for the outgoing server, which i also updated in Feb.
Both webmail and phone emails do not work to send but I can receive.

Do I need to change my outgoing server address?

Thank You 

[Cluster-Lizard]

I've been having what sounds to be the same problem but it is only affecting one of my PCs which I do not often use for sending emails, just reading them. That was on Saturday 23.12.23.

That one is using the most up to date version of Thunderbird (IMAP). I also tested the previous version and that had the same problem. It says it can not connect using the SMTP server settings. It even tried the secondary setting (my old Onetel one that became redundant in December 2022) which I'd left in the list for just such a situation so if it tried to use that it would indicate to me where the problem was. 

However on another, otherwise almost identical, PC but with an older version of Thunderbird kept for just this sort of trouble, and using identical email server settings too of course, I've just sent an email using that and had no similar problem at all.

So, unless this is a problem that has been fixed, it suggests an issue with the outgoing SMTP sign in protocols and the newer Thunderbird versions.

I'll test the other PC with the newer Thunderbird version tomorrow as I'm busy with other stuff now but hopefully whatever the problem is that EricJ1 reported has already been fixed. Fingers crossed.

EDIT 27.12.23

Tried on this ie. other PC with Thunderbird v115.6.0 and still the same problem when I tried to send a test email today.

I've attached screenshots of the messages it is giving me. First time, with "Normal Password" which has always been my default I have to enter my TalkTalk password and then press Send. Second time if I try again it just continues on the Sending Message screen until I cancel it. I then get the same error message again.

I've tried changing the SMTP Outgoing server settings security system to SSL/TLS and when that did not work then tried the other security setting options too, rebooting Thunderbird each time. The problem remains. Same if I change the password type settings too.

Very frustrating - it must be some odd email client/Thunderbird SuperNova/TalkTalk issue. If EricJ1 can confirm what email client he is using too it might help.  

Send Email Problem

[KeithFrench]

Are you trying to do this, from an IMAP email client, if so which one, have you tried webmail, does that work? There are issues with changing passwords currently, have you been trying to do that?