Puzzling Outlook Email problem

I recently sold my house and cancelled my comcast internet account, I can get my email with the comcast web portal, but when I attempt to get my email with the outlook 2003 client (11.5608.560

, I receive the following error:

Outlook Send/Receive Progress

! Task 'mail.comcast.net' - Receiving' reported error (0x800408FC):'The Server name you entered can not be found on the network (It might be down temporarily), Please verify that you are online and that the Server name is correct.'

When I first received this error, I just assumed since I no longer paid for comcast, I couldn't use outlook to get my mail, but I noticed a strange thing the other day, if I use a VPN to download files, Outlook works perfectly fine to get my mail. Anyone venture a guess why this is?

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Comments

Kore

Hmmm...if VPN works but normal internet does not, could be ports being blocked or AV interfering with mail. Seen avast do crazy some not so obvious issues with outlook.

Phalanx

DNS or routing issue would be my guess. Can you ping it? Have you tried another DNS server, like Google's 8.8.8.8?

scaredoftests

Well, Comcast.net for one. LOL. Sometimes, I just close outlook and try again.

mbarrett

scaredoftests wrote: »

Well, Comcast.net for one.

This would be my guess.
Something is blocking your data path. If you aren't a paying customer then you might not be intended to reach your mailbox anymore - grab any stuff off of there you want to keep, because they might remove it any day.

TechGromit

Phalanx wrote: »

DNS or routing issue would be my guess. Can you ping it? Have you tried another DNS server, like Google's 8.8.8.8?

Pinging it offer me a clue that the problem was. The server replied with an IPv6 address, checking my own address shows I also have an IPv6 address. Looks like my version of Microsoft Outlook 2003 doesn't support IPv6, disabling IPv6 on the network card, forced it to use a IPv4 address only. I'm able to send and receive mail fine now. Guess I'll have to upgrade my mail client that supports IPv6 in the near future. It's interesting the server will respond to IPv6 and IPv4 pings, but I guess it defaults to IPv6 and only uses 4 if forced to. I'm guessing the VPN tunnel only supports IPv4, that's why Outlook worked when it's enabled, but I haven't verified that yet.