ACT2007 Unable to find outgoing email server with Comcast

[paulkinzelman]

Without changing anything that I know of, I am no longer able to send email via

the ACT email client.

I have it set to use 'smtp.comcast.net', and require authentication.

The error is: "failed to find outgoing server" when I "Test Connection..." under Advanced.

Comcast seems to have changed to port 587 for outgoing email (according to their

POP setup instructions, and that's how I got Thunderbird to work), and that's not the

standard port. How can I change the port ACT uses to something non-standard?

Or alternatively, how can I use the ACT email client to send email given my

choices of gmail (SSL) and comcast (non-standard port)?

Or even more alternatively, if that is broken and can't be made to work (why not),

what do you suggest? Use outlook exp? Does Windows Mail on Vista work (apparently

the replacement for OE on Vista)? I really didn't want to resort to that. If

so, what's the easiest conversion considering there's really no email I need to

save that's not already connected to existing records.

Or could it hook up to Thunderbird? 

TIA! 

[GLComputing · Accepted solution]

the only option for a non-standard port is to use Outlook or Outlook Express.

With Vista, you don't have Outlook Express, so only Outlook will work

Also, if Outlook 2007, you need ACT! 2008

[GLComputing · Accepted solution]

the only option for a non-standard port is to use Outlook or Outlook Express.

With Vista, you don't have Outlook Express, so only Outlook will work

Also, if Outlook 2007, you need ACT! 2008

[paulkinzelman]

I just got off the phone with ACT, and they concur with what you said. And my response was that

it's pretty poor customer service to allow their program to break when it'd be so easy to send out

an update to allow the use of non-standard ports.

And I'm certainly not going to buy Outlook 2003 or something just to use ACT email,

especially because it might not even work on Vista.

Looks like what I'm going to have to do is to put ACT on an XP system and use

OE on that if I can't convince Comcast to allow the use of the standard outgoing port.

[GLComputing]

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@paulkinzelman wrote:

I just got off the phone with ACT, and they concur with what you said. And my response was that

it's pretty poor customer service to allow their program to break when it'd be so easy to send out

an update to allow the use of non-standard ports. 

You could aslo say it's poor customer service for an ISP to use non-standard ports ...

And I'm certainly not going to buy Outlook 2003 or something just to use ACT email, especially because it might not even work on Vista.

Outlook 2003 should run on Vista... better yet Outlook 2007 and ACT! 2008

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[paulkinzelman]

>You could aslo say it's poor customer service for an ISP to use non-standard ports ...

Absolutely! I'm on hold with Comcast as I'm typing this trying to get them to explain

what changed and to change it back from a week or 2 ago. But requiring authentication

on sending email is a reasonable thing to do so I understand that part, but removing

the standard port is not. Turns out they had a report of spam originating from my

IP address so that's why they turned it off. We don't send spam and don't have

a virus (we run anti-virus regularly) so I don't know how that could have happened,

unless they made a mistake. But that's why it changed.

I finally got connected to a security expert who explained what was going on.

He said the industry is moving toward 587 being the same as port 25 but requiring

authentication whereas 25 does not so viruses use 25. So 587 is the new standard.

>Outlook 2003 should run on Vista

Yes, but I'm not going to buy O-2003 just to send email from ACT2007, I don't use it

enough. But it is *VERY* irritating. 

[GLComputing]

I don't know about "the industry moving toward 587"... it has been added to the RFC for smtp submissions, but only a few ISPs are doing it so far.

It's not for authentication, it's so ISPs can block port 25 (and prevent open relay smtp servers) while still allowing you to send to their smtp. Then their smtp server relays via 25 as normal.

It's a step to try and prevent some of the spam, but will only work if most ISPs do it... so, like other similar methods, it's unlikely to have a real effect

[fredleeb]

I have ACT 6.0.3 and have had the same problem.  I am to work around this with Outlook Express but I find that if I reply or forward an email it says that I have network problems, doesn't send the email and kicks me offline.  Is there a solution to this?

Fred Leeb 

[paulkinzelman]

What "Same problem"? Are you running Vista? XP?

And can you send mail directly from Outlook? That'll tell you if you have a problem

with how Outlook is set up, vs a problem with the hookup between ACT and Outlook.

[GLComputing]

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@fredleeb wrote:

I have ACT 6.0.3 and have had the same problem.  I am to work around this with Outlook Express but I find that if I reply or forward an email it says that I have network problems, doesn't send the email and kicks me offline.  Is there a solution to this?

Fred Leeb 

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You should have started a new thread for this.

Are you replying in OE or from ACT!'s email?

Can you send new emails?

What's the exact error?