I don't seem to know how to operate a computer. Please teach me.

Factual Questions
1

I tried to send an email to my daughter’s high school biology teacher today, using gmail. I had to copy and paste the address out of an Outlook Express window that the school’s website defaulted to when I clicked on his name. The problem arose when I sent the email, and immediately got a message from the postmaster that the attempt to deliver it had failed.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “I’ll play their silly game.” So I went along with the default of sending it through Outlook Express. I c&p’d the text of the email, and hit “Send.”

So it opened an internet connection wizard and tried to set up Outlook Express for me. I entered the name I want to use, and the gmail address I want to send emails from.

Then it asked me for email server names. :confused: What?

It told me that my incoming mail server is a POP3 server (although a pulldown window suggests that I can tell it that it is something different). Then it gave me two little forms to fill out. The first one said to enter my incoming mail server, so I entered POP3 (like it said). The second one told me that my outgoing mail server was an SMTP, and to enter the outgoing mail server name, so I entered SMTP (again, like it said).

It then asked me for the username and password required by my ISP, which I entered. I elected not to select that I was required to log on with a secure password authorization (or whatever it’s called), and then I clicked “Finish” to finish the wizard.

Then I tried to send the email again, but it told me it couldn’t find the SMTP host. This is the text of what it said:

(Mods, if that’s supposed to be private, please delete it)

If I didn’t enter the right things in the Wizard, please tell me how to find the right things to enter.

Also please tell me how to get the Wizard to open again, because it’s not doing it.

Thanks very much for any assistance that comes along.

2

The problem has nothing to do with your computer or how you send email. Either the email address on the web site was incorrect (and that’s why it bounced) or you copied it wrong (e.g. accidentally grabbed some text around it or fat-fingered when you pasted.)

It is not necessary for you to setup Outlook for any reason if GMail works for you. But if you want to, the SMTP thing is a server name, something that looks like smtp.yourisp.com or mail.something.net, etc., not the word “SMTP.”

3

Oh. Is there any way I can look up what the SMTP name is supposed to be, then?

4

As a long-time user of web-based email (hotmail and yahoo), I feel your pain. Those pop-up windows that default to Outlook Express are a constant source of irritation. However, I’ve had success doing just what you did…cut/paste the address to my hotmail window. Doesn’t always work, for some reason, I suspect because of what friedo said…operator error on my part. The only thing to watch out for is that sometimes the recipient’s mail server will be set to reject a hotmail or yahoo address as junk or spam.
SS

5

Instructions from Gmail: Check Gmail through other email platforms - Gmail Help

6

Thanks all.

I still haven’t enabled Outlook Express on my computer, but I did go to my wife’s computer, c&p the text from my gmail account, and send it on using OE.

I found out this evening that it bounced back at her too.

So I went back to my gmail, opened the original and forwarded it to his principal.

7

The website of your Internet Service Provider is the best place to find your SMTP “Outgoing” server addresses. Most people need this information to send email from a stand-alone client, so they provide it openly.

The POP3 is for “incoming” or receiving emails, and is found with whoever hosts your email address, which may or may not be your ISP. Mine, for example, is my website host, because I use my own personal domain.

So, for example:

ISP: internet.net.uk
Email address: kaylasdad99@website.co.uk

Would have something like:

SMTP: mail.internet.net.uk (found at your ISP website)
POP3: pop.website.co.uk (found at your email domain host)

8

FYI, Outlook Express is no longer supported by Microsoft. Don’t bother with it. You can download the replacement for free (Live Mail).

If you pull up the email and click on the person’s name and then right click you can copy/paste it into a word document to see what the actual address is. It will likely include the “;” symbol which you don’t want if you’re building an email address from scratch.