Why does my mail program change the mail server name to 127.0.0.1?

We've heard of cases where entering the incoming and outgoing mail server name as "mail.tigertech.net" doesn't "stick" — the next time you open your mail server settings window, "mail.tigertech.net" has been replaced by "127.0.0.1" or "localhost".

This is caused by anti-virus or anti-spam software you've installed on your computer. Some of those programs install special software that acts as a fake mail server on your own computer (IP address "127.0.0.1" or "localhost"), then changes your mail program's settings to connect to the special software running on your computer instead of connecting directly to our servers. The special software then (hopefully) makes the real connection to our mail servers.

Based on complaints we've heard, this scheme can cause problems that are very difficult to troubleshoot. We recommend against using these kinds of programs if possible.

If the way the software changes the server names makes you unable to send or receive email, you should contact the manufacturer of the software to ask them if it can work in a different mode that doesn't change your mail settings, or ask them for another workaround to solve the problem.