Browser works but no mail or ping

Hi all,

I am helping out a friend by phone and email 700kms away. The old laptop on dialup is still working ok for email (and browser).

The new laptop is ethernet connected to a satellite modem. The browser works 100% on the new computer. I was on site last week and I am sure that the email was also working on the new computer (but no guarantees with my memory). However, email now does not send or receive.

I established (by phone) this morning that the browser has full access to the 'Net. I talked them through turning off incoming email and setting up one only email in the outbox.I then emailed all the info necessary to send email out. It failed to send reporting the error "could not find outgoing server" (or similar).

I then talked them to a DOS box (command level) and tried a ping to the SMTP server both by domain name (human readable) and IP number. To my dismay this did not work:crying:. I expected it to as the browser was fine. I then confirmed that a ping to www.google.com also did not work.

I am satisfied that it is not the satellite link provider or the email ISP, but something within the network setup in Vista.

Any suggestions to assist me to help them would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Jeff Perth Western Australia

 

Next time you talk to them, have them do the following:

1) Open a command window with elevated rights

2) Type "ipconfig /all"

3) Have them read the result -- should have DNS assigned, and IP address assigned.

4) If not, have them type "ipconfig /release", wait a couple of minutes, type "ipconfig /renew" this should re-establish their internet connection and get them an IP address.

5) Presuming this works, do "ipconfig/all" again. Should now see DNS assigned and IP address.

6) Have them ping an internet location (www.intel.com is always up)

7) Have them ping the email server address



If these don't work, you will have to contact their ISP, as I have frequently seen situations where an ISP drops or otherwise corrupts the authentication information for a customer and they can no longer get an IP address.

 

Thank you for your swift reply. I was unable to use your "ipconfig" advice. WhenI contacted my friend this morning, he said that it is now working afterhe "ticked a few boxes" but could not remember exactly which. Don't you hate that.

It may still be 'intermittent' as I remember when I was there that I sometimes needed to reboot (re-power) the satellite modem and/or reboot the ethernet by unplugging the ethernet cable at the laptop (by far the easiest to demonstrate to newbies).

Watch this space.

Jeff