# email problems. Help for my Dad **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-problems-help-for-my-dad/460299 "2008-08-17T17:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-problems-help-for-my-dad/460299/1 "2008-08-17T17:06:50Z")
My Dad can send emails but not receive them. His inbox and deleted emails box is empty. He is using Outlook express. His address is [MyDad@qwest.net](mailto:MyDad@qwest.net). (user name changed) He can send and not receive. When I get a bounce that it can not be sent, I get this notice. \* [MyDad@mpls-mailin.inet.qwest.net](mailto:MyDad@mpls-mailin.inet.qwest.net)\>: service unavailable. Command output: Disk Quota Exceeded. Sorry, your message cannot be delivered. \* Whats up with [mpls-mailin.inet.qwest.net](http://mpls-mailin.inet.qwest.net)? That’s a different server, no? Is it something where his inbox goes to a different server that he can’t clean out? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-problems-help-for-my-dad/460299/2 "2008-08-17T17:13:15Z")
The key here is likely “Disk Quota Exceeded”. Perhaps Outlook Express needs to be set to delete mail from the server after retrieving it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-problems-help-for-my-dad/460299/3 "2008-08-17T17:20:28Z")
[QUOTE=Revtim] The key here is likely “Disk Quota Exceeded”. Perhaps Outlook Express needs to be set to delete mail from the server after retrieving it. [/QUOTE] It does, I checked his settings. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/email-problems-help-for-my-dad/460299/4 "2008-08-17T17:29:19Z")
Log into his account at the Qwest website and see if he has a spam folder that is full. I had this problem with a client recently (their ISP was Verizon), and Verizon had just created a spam filter that was putting all suspected spam in a folder, but not deleting it. When the folder filled up and exceed the maximum capacity of the account, all new mail was bounced. This may also be of help: [Qwest Quota Warnings and FAQs](http://www.qwest.net/help/quota_warning.html)