Why doesn't my email work?

We sometimes hear from customers who suddenly have email connection problems, even if they have been using email with no problems in the past.

The first question you'll naturally ask if this happens to you is, "Has Tiger Technologies changed something?" The answer is no; any email settings we've ever told customers to use should still work.

The trouble is probably caused by an issue with software on your computer, or by an anti-spam change your ISP has made. Try these steps to solve the problem:

  1. Delete any messages in your mail program’s Outbox and restart your computer. This eliminates any temporary problem with your email program or anti-virus software.
  2. If you use any firewall or antivirus programs, particularly Norton or SonicWall security products, try disabling them. Here's how to disable Norton.
  3. If the problem is only with outgoing mail, try changing the "port number" in your outgoing mail program to make sure your ISP isn't blocking the messages.

Following these instructions will solve most cases where email suddenly stops working.

If these steps don't help, try the steps on our Testing Email Connections page.

If that doesn't help, please contact us if you’re one of our customers. Be sure to include all the details of the problem (particularly the exact error message you see) and mention that you've already tried these steps.

Also, don't forget that if your email program (such as Outlook) has stopped working, you can still access your email account via our Webmail system. This may be particularly useful when trying to read our reply to your message.