My Hotmail Account

If you can successfully receive e‑mail messages, but can't send messages, then Windows Mail is having problems connecting to the outgoing e‑mail server that's used to send messages. These are likely possibilities:

• If you've never been able to send e‑mail successfully using Windows Mail, your e‑mail account is probably not set up properly. First, follow the steps to verify your e‑mail account information in the "I can't receive e‑mail" section of this help topic. If you verify that your e‑mail account information is entered properly, you might need to change your authentication settings so that when sending mail, you sign in using your e‑mail user name and password. Check with your e‑mail provider to see if it requires authentication for sending e‑mail.

  To use authentication when sending e‑mail

  1. Open Windows Mail by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, and then clicking Windows Mail.

  2. Click the Tools menu, and then click Accounts.

  3. Under Mail, click your e‑mail account, and then click Properties.

  4. Click the Servers tab, and then, under Outgoing Mail Server, select the My server requires authentication check box.

  5. If the account information that you use to send e‑mail is not the same information that you use to receive messages, click Settings, click Log on using, and then enter the user name and password that you use to send e‑mail.

• Many Internet service providers (ISPs) require you to be directly connected to their network to use their outgoing e‑mail servers. If you're using a mobile PC and connect to the Internet using a different ISP (such as when using a wireless connection in a hotel), you might be able to receive, but not send, e‑mail. Some ISPs will allow you to send e‑mail when connected to a different provider if you use authentication when sending. Follow the previous steps to use authentication when sending e‑mail. If your ISP doesn't allow this, you'll need to find out the name of the outgoing mail server for the ISP you're currently using, and then change the settings in Windows Mail to use it.

  To change the outgoing mail server settings

  1. Open Windows Mail by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, and then clicking Windows Mail.

  2. Click the Tools menu, and then click Accounts.

  3. Under Mail, click your e‑mail account, and then click Properties.

  4. Click the Servers tab, and then enter the new mail server in the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) box.

  5. If the new outgoing mail server requires authentication, under Outgoing Mail Server, select the My server requires authentication check box.

  6. Click Settings, click Log on using, and then enter the user name and password for the outgoing mail server.