We couldn t connect to the outgoing SMTP server

Half the time I try to send emails I have written (Outlook 2007) I get the following error message:

Task ' - Sending' reported error (0x80042109) : 'Outlook cannot connect to your outgoing (SMTP) e-mail server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'

I don't see this as anything other than an Outlook problem (rather than a server problem) because if I close Outlook and start it up again (and I sometimes need to open the message in the Outbox and click 'Send' again), the message is then always sent. I have always had this problem, both in the UK and now here in Thailand where I work.

I have searched for an answer on Google using the error code, but no luck so far in resolving the issue.

It can't only be me who is getting this error? Is it a known 'bug', or is there some logical explanation?

Many thanks,

Martin

Thank you for the reply, but that is how I have the accounts set up. If I test each email account from Tools/Account Settings (there are three), both incoming and outgoing (sending a test email) work just fine. That doesn't prevent Outlook from not being able to send me emails at least 25% of the time until I close it down and restart it. Incoming messages are always received..

Martin

Quote:

Originally Posted by martinlest

Half the time I try to send emails I have written (Outlook 2007) I get the following error message:

Task ' - Sending' reported error (0x80042109) : 'Outlook cannot connect to your outgoing (SMTP) e-mail server. If you continue to receive this message, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'

I don't see this as anything other than an Outlook problem (rather than a server problem) because if I close Outlook and start it up again (and I sometimes need to open the message in the Outbox and click 'Send' again), the message is then always sent. I have always had this problem, both in the UK and now here in Thailand where I work.

I have searched for an answer on Google using the error code, but no luck so far in resolving the issue.

It can't only be me who is getting this error? Is it a known 'bug', or is there some logical explanation?

Many thanks,

Martin

Hi Martin ,

I've noticed that Microsoft has changed the default SMTP port in Outlook 2007 from 25 to 587.

So, if your ISP's SMTP server does not allow port 587, you won't be able to send e-mails until you change the SMTP port to 25.

The ports are already set to 25.

Thanks,

M

Thanks for the link... going there now.

Martin

This is proving hard to troubleshoot! I just tried to send two email messages, both from the same email account. One went OK, but for the other I got the smtp error message and it is still in my outbox. If the settings were wrong, why would one email go, the other not?

In addition, I get the same error from the 3 email accounts I have in Outlook, two are web-based email addresses (Yahoo), the other a British Telecom (BT) address. I get errors from all. If I open the unsent email and click 'send' again, it often then goes. If not, closing and re-opening Outlook usually solves the problem .. until next time. Could that really be a server error rather than a problem with Outlook?

M. :-)

2022 - For all those that just started having problems. Outlook changed their POP and SMTP servers (without really notifying users). Go to Account Settings > E-mail > highlight your account (msn/outlook/live/hotmail) > Change tab > Change Account popup > change the following settings to . . .

Incoming mail server: pop-mail.outlook.com
Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp-mail.outlook.com

If you're still receiving incoming email, then you may not have to change incoming setting for now, yet, will most likely have to in future, so might as well do it now.

Unfortunately it took me 4 days and 12 different tries (ports, authentications, security, firewall, anti-virus changes) to finally find that they had just changed their servers.

Just a word to say thank you so much! It's taken me a lot of grief to get to this point as well, but now I've changed the servers, all is well!