# Problems with Yahoo mail?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 7, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556 "2003-08-07T09:56:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![capnfutile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556/1 "2003-08-07T09:56:19Z")

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Anyone here having issues recently with Yahoo mail? My wife and I both use it - she uses the web interface, I pony up for the enhanced POP service. She often has pages expire on her, many times losing the message she’s just composed, and often she can’t even get in to her inbox.

Natch, I’m having zero issues with my POP access, so I have no clue what could be causing this.

If there’s a better place to ask this, please LMK, but trying to google with “Yahoo” and “email” in a search phrase is very little help. She can’t find any tech support number or email, and anyway, how willing would they be to help someone who’s having trouble with a free service (I wouldn’t)?

Yeah, she should be using a mailreader and POP3 access. Try telling HER that!

Thanks,  
capn

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**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556/2 "2003-08-07T10:40:39Z")

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Is “pages expire” the only problem she’s facing ?

Then, try this:

1. Sign In.
2. Click on Mail Options top right.
3. Click on Account Information on the left.
4. Enter your password again.
5. Click on the Edit at the right of Member Information
6. Scroll down to General Preferences and change Prompt for Password to Every 4 hours or greater.

What was the original setting ? If it was Every 15 minutes, that’s where your problem lies.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556/3 "2003-08-07T10:55:13Z")

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The Yahoo webmail server is up and down like a whore’s knickers. Also, as **xash** alluded to, page expiry is a security feature. If she takes a long time to compose mails, maybe she should write them in notepad, then paste them in when she’s finished.

Yahoo customer support is automated and almost entirely useless, even for paying customers.

I recommend using some other service.

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**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problems-with-yahoo-mail/193556/4 "2003-08-07T11:22:23Z")

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On the other hand, my wife and I have three yahoo email accounts (free), and never have any problems. This could be time-zone related - we are robably asleep when it’s rush hour on the yahho servers in the USA.