Server status [18/05/12 03:10]
Email problems
My email isn't working
Diagnosing your email problems
95% of all problems reported to are either down to a setting on your computer (or a problem with your internet connection) or because your account has expired due to none or late payment. Please use this step by step guide to identify your problem
Step 1 - Can you get onto the internet?
If you are reading this page online (rather than a print-out) then your computer is most likely connected to the internet.
However, to double-check open up an internet browser and try visiting www.bbc.co.uk. If you cannot view this site then your computer may not be currently connected to the internet or may be set to work offline.
If using Outlook or Outlook Express, click “File” from the menu bar and make sure that “Work Offline” is not ticked.
If you are not connected to the internet you will not be able to send and receive email, so please contact your service provider (such as BT, Sky etc) or your company's IT support for help.
Is your Internet down but you need to get hold of your emails? If you have an Internet enabled mobile phone you can access your email through our Webmail service. Click here for more instructions.
Step 2 – Check your email settings
If you have just set up a new email account and it isn’t working, please go back and check all your settings using our set up guide here.
A simple typo in an address or a checkbox ticked when it shouldn’t be will stop your email from working.
If your email has been working fine up until this moment and you have not changed any settings on your computer then your settings should work fine. However, if you temporarily lost your connection and your email software asks you for a password when trying to connect – double check that you have entered the correct password.
Step 3 - Webmail
The next step is to check that your inbox is live and working by connecting to it through our Webmail service. Logging into our server direct through a web browser means you are circumventing your email software on your machine. Open up an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox etc) and go to webmail.thedesignmechanics.com (note no www. needed).
Enter the following information:
Name: Your username as we have supplied to you, for example “johnsmith-john”
Password: Your password as we have supplied to you. Please note that passwords are case sensitive so make sure you do not have your Caps Lock turned on when entering it.
If you do not have your username and password please contact us.
If you can log into Webmail
If you can log into Webmail through an Internet browser then the problem is either a setting on your computer or a problem with your Internet connection.
Some commercial internet providers (such as BT) need you to register your domain name with them to allow you to send email through your own email address (instead of having to use a BT email address for example), so you may wish to check with your particular service provider if this is the case.
The specific request you need to make to your service provider is: “adding my domain name to your mail relay facility for SMTP authentication".
You may also want to check that someone hasn’t sent you a large attachment (over 10mb) that is clogging up your inbox.
Alternatively you may wish to ask an IT specialist to check your settings and see if there is any further reason why you cannot collect your email. We recommend POW IT who will be able to log into your machine remotely to check your settings, they will also give you a 10% discount if you mention The Design Mechanics.
If you cannot log into Webmail
If you cannot log into Webmail through a browser but can access other web pages then please contact us to check the following:
Your username and password is correct.
Your account is still active and hasn’t been suspended for any reasons.
Step 4 – Self correcting problems
If your email has been working fine previously, you are sure that no-one has changed your settings and you can access your mailbox through webmail – this may simply be a temporary problem. Sometimes, and for no obvious reason, your computer simply stops collecting email. If you wait 20 minutes and try again, or simply restart your computer quite often the problem will fix itself.
For more questions about email, see our frequently asked questions page here.
Step 5 - Seek further support
If the problem still persists after you have completed all the steps above it is most likely that the problem is being caused by an internal problem within your IT setup. In this instance we would suggest you seek further support through our partner IT supplier POW IT:
0845 177 0779 Please note, POW IT will charge for any work undertaken so please follow our guidelines above to help solve or identify your problem first. However, you will receive a 10% discount if you mention The Design Mechanics. www.powit.co.uk
