topic Re: Metronet Email Woes in Email

Metronet Email Woes

jamroom — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 17:01:48 GMT

Hi - like others, I have had a Metronet email address for many years and don't really want to lose it, but I'm struggling at the moment, particularly trying to send emails from my mail client, Thunderbird.

What works: webmail - can send / receive without issue

Mail Washer - an app that reads the emails from the server so I can choose to delete before downloading to Thunderbird. I can see emails and delete them.

Thunderbird - after messing about with server settings, can usally manage to download emails

What doesn't work: - sending emails from Thunderbird - also having bother downloading them at times.

Saw the post about the various settings in the post "How to change your outgoing server on a mail client". Tried them and got emails downloaded. Tried today to send one and it won't work, also had to mess about with server settings to get a few downloaded. Did the following:

Metronet

smtp.
metronet.co.uk

[full email address]

[mailbox]@
metronet.co.uk

I keep getting
Login to server smtp.metronet.co.uk with username [my user name] failed. It won't accept the password that I use to log on to webmail.

What's going on here? Sure I'm doing something wrong, but what?

I appreciate any and all help.

Re: Metronet Email Woes

dvorak — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:52:02 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been released from the Spam Filter.

Re: Metronet Email Woes

Townman — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 12:53:40 GMT

Try these commands in turn in a POWERSHELL window - replace userID with your email address, type your password when prompted (it is NOT echoed back to the screen) followed by enter.

curl.exe -v smtp://smtp.metronet.co.uk:587 -u userID curl.exe -v imap://imap.metronet.co.uk -u userID curl.exe -v pop3://mail.metronet.co.uk -u userID

Report the END results - DO NOT share the long strings of characters (that's your user name and password).

Re: Metronet Email Woes

jamroom — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:57:13 GMT

Thanks - results below

PS C:\Users\jamroom> curl.exe -v smtp://smtp.metronet.co.uk:587 -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk
Enter host password for user '[deleted]@metronet.co.uk':
* Host smtp.metronet.co.uk:587 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:587...
* Connected to smtp.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 587
< 220 mail.enmail.co ESMTP ready
> EHLO jamroom-PC
< 250-mail.enmail.co
< 250 AUTH PLAIN LOGIN
> AUTH PLAIN
< 334
>[deleted]
< 535 5.7.0 Invalid login or password
* closing connection #0
curl: (67) Login denied

curl.exe -v imap://imap.metronet.co.uk -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk
Enter host password for user '[deleted]@metronet.co.uk':
* Host imap.metronet.co.uk:143 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:143...
* Connected to imap.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 143
< * OK IMAP4 ready
> A001 CAPABILITY
< * CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS AUTH=PLAIN
< A001 OK completed
> A002 AUTHENTICATE PLAIN
< +
> [deleted]
< A002 OK LOGIN Ok.
> A003 LIST "" *
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Junk"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Junk"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
< * LIST (\Unmarked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
* LIST (\Unmarked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
< A003 OK LIST completed
* Connection #0 to host imap.metronet.co.uk left intact

curl.exe -v pop3://mail.metronet.co.uk -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk
Enter host password for user '[deleted]@metronet.co.uk':
* Host mail.metronet.co.uk:110 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:110...
* Connected to mail.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 110
< +OK POP3 ready <195428254.1744984238@mail.enmail.co>
> CAPA
< +OK Capability list follows
< TOP
< USER
< UIDL
< SASL PLAIN LOGIN
< .
> AUTH PLAIN
< +
>[deleted]
< +OK logged in.
> LIST
< +OK POP3 clients that break here, they violate STD53.

* Connection #0 to host mail.metronet.co.uk left intact

Re: Metronet Email Woes

Townman — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 16:36:13 GMT

What special characters are there in your password?

Re: Metronet Email Woes

jamroom — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 09:50:20 GMT

Three - %*$

Keeping in mind this all worked fine until Monday 7th.

Re: Metronet Email Woes

Townman — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 14:15:34 GMT

@jamroom

Thank you - this is useful feedback, which will help improve the 'in production' documentation.

In other testing with Free-Online, I have found that these commands do not work at all for POP3 or SMTP with a "&" in the password.

There are various suggestions that curl does not over like "$" in the password and suggests it be quoted out. The alternative form of the diagnostic might be helpful, which includes the password within the command line...

... -u emailaddress ... Replaced by ... -u 'emailaddress:password' ...

Re: Metronet Email Woes

jamroom — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 14:48:06 GMT

I ran it again with the PW following the user name, as you suggested. Results below. With regard to the offending $, I have no idea who to contact regding changing my password. Would you be able to suggest who I might need to contact:? There's nothing on the webmail page and I haven't found anything recent. Thanks again for the support.

curl.exe -v smtp://smtp.metronet.co.uk:587 -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk:[pw deleted]
* Host smtp.metronet.co.uk:587 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:587...
* Connected to smtp.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 587
< 220 mail.enmail.co ESMTP ready
> EHLO jamroom-PC
< 250-mail.enmail.co
< 250 AUTH PLAIN LOGIN
> AUTH PLAIN
< 334
> [deleted]
< 535 5.7.0 Invalid login or password
* closing connection #0
curl: (67) Login denied

curl.exe -v imap://imap.metronet.co.uk -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk:[pw deleted]
* Host imap.metronet.co.uk:143 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:143...
* Connected to imap.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 143
< * OK IMAP4 ready
> A001 CAPABILITY
< * CAPABILITY IMAP4 IMAP4rev1 UIDPLUS AUTH=PLAIN
< A001 OK completed
> A002 AUTHENTICATE PLAIN
< +
> [deleted]
< A002 OK LOGIN Ok.
> A003 LIST "" *
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Spam"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Junk"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Junk"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Drafts"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Trash"
< * LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." "INBOX.Sent"
< * LIST (\Marked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
* LIST (\Marked \HasChildren) "." "INBOX"
< A003 OK LIST completed
* Connection #0 to host imap.metronet.co.uk left intact
PS C:\Users\jamroom>

curl.exe -v pop3://mail.metronet.co.uk -u [deleted]@metronet.co.uk:[pw deleted]
* Host mail.metronet.co.uk:110 was resolved.
* IPv6: (none)
* IPv4: 91.204.208.192
* Trying 91.204.208.192:110...
* Connected to mail.metronet.co.uk (91.204.208.192) port 110
< +OK POP3 ready <273003887.1745073849@mail.enmail.co>
> CAPA
< +OK Capability list follows
< TOP
< USER
< UIDL
< SASL PLAIN LOGIN
< .
> AUTH PLAIN
< +
> [deleted]
< +OK logged in.
> LIST
< +OK POP3 clients that break here, they violate STD53.
1 28110
2 26813
* Connection #0 to host mail.metronet.co.uk left intact
PS C:\Users\jamroom>

Re: Metronet Email Woes

Townman — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 15:08:35 GMT

@jamroom

Thank you for the retest, it is most timely and the results are helpful. SMTP failure - would I be correct to conclude that you are not connected to the Plusnet network?

I have literally just finished testing one of the other brands with "&" in the password and POP3 and SMTP diagnostics utterly refuse to connect. I'll explore that elsewhere.

To be sure, are you using the same server names in your email client as used in these commands?

Re: Metronet Email Woes

jamroom — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 16:13:08 GMT

@Townman

Correct. I am not on Plusnet.

I tried all three server names to no avail. user name is my full email address. I have tried ports 110 (default), 25, and 587.

When I selected the imap service on port 110, I was able to download my mail, but any attempt to send the draft email I have results in a request to enter the password for my account

Re: Metronet Email Woes

Townman — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 17:23:53 GMT

I have escalated this.