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Server settings for smartphone

Budapesti
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Server settings for smartphone

I need some advice on adding my email service to a new Microsoft Lumia phone.

I'm a long-time Madasafish user. My package gives web space, domain name and related email accounts. I use Thunderbird email client on my laptop and - to date - have not needed to change Madasafish server settings to PlusNet.

I am uncertain what server settings to enter to use either Windows Mail or Outlook as a client on the Lumia phone.

Original Madasafish setup gave me a Madasafish domain name - username@madasafish.com - plus a personal domain name, i.e., username@mydomain.co.uk, with a different password for each. I only personally use mydomain.co.uk, but I receive monthly billing notification addressed to username@madasafish.com.

Right now, I can also access my domain email at Plusnet website by entering username@mydomain.co.uk and password at the Member Centre/Webmail link. However, Plusnet doesn't recognise this email address at any other log-in point at its website.

So, can anyone advise on server settings to be used with Windows Mail or Outlook on the smartphone? Is my core mail ID username@mydomain.co.uk, or username@madasafish.com (requiring an additional account for username@mydomain.co.uk), or is it something ending with plus.net (especially for SMTP settings)?

A run through of a typical phone setup would be very helpful.

25 REPLIES 25
spraxyt
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Are you using IMAP currently on your laptop so that messages remain on the server?

Assuming you are, the email settings (usernames, passwords and server settings) you are using with Thunderbird on your laptop should also work with either email client on your Lumia phone. Just be careful with the SSL/TLS setting, it needs to be off.

When using your phone over a mobile network you will need to use authentication with the outbound server. Choosing to use the same username and password as for incomming emails should be OK.

David
Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Thanks for the reply.

In fact, I have always used POP mail, that's how my Thunderbird is set up. However, I understand that IMAP makes more sense for the permanent option of downloading mails to either the laptop or the phone (because they remain on the PN server?).

Not quite sure how I change Thunderbird from POP to IMAP, since there is no option given on Thunderbird Account Server Settings. However, I guess I shall figure that out.

If that goes well, I can then follow your advice by repeating IMAP settings for the phone. Thanks.

spraxyt
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Changing an account set up in email clients from POP to IMAP collection is usually not possible. That is certainly the case in Thunderbird. Making the change requires a new account to be set up using IMAP settings. Collecting new mail is then turned off in the POP account, and the IMAP account would would take over displaying new messages.

Old messages would still be stored in the POP account folders. If desired these could be copied back to the server using the Thunderbird message copy tools.

However on checking the email support pages it seems Madasafish apply a 100MB quota on contents. I suspect this would be insufficient for effective use of IMAP. A better approach might be to retain POP on your laptop with copies of the message left on the server for (say) 14 days so they could be viewed using IMAP on your smartphone and elsewhere for that time.

In Thunderbird email setting can be viewed by clicking Tools->Account Settings. Then click Server Settings for the relevant account on the left. The will open a window like that below (I've obscured private information)

TBird_StopCollection.png

If you wanted to move to IMAP collection, unticking the three check boxes marked in red will stop this POP account collecting new messages automatically. Note that this will not prevent the Get Messages button manually downloading messages. Best to avoid clicking that. Grin

If you want to retain POP on your laptop leave the red highlighted check boxes ticked and set the blue highlighted fields as required.

David
Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Thank you David for the detailed further information.

In fact, I've followed previous suggestions and opted to change to IMAP on Thunderbird. This involved copying all stored messages on Tbird to Local folders and using remove account for the POP3 as it was the same email address as the new IMAP. I'm now receiving messages, as before, on Tbird and on a new setup on my new Lumia mobile with no new messages missing.

However... Tbird's downloading taskbar has daily been showing attempts to download several messages but without progress. E.g., currently showing "Downloading 12 of 15 in Inbox" with green progress bar stuck.

I'm not sure of the source of this issue. It might be to do with the change from POP to IMAP. It might be to do with Tbird still transferring many stored mails from the old POP folders to Local folders (though this doesn't qualify as downloading). Or else it's connected to previous problems I was having with slow and stuck downloads to Tbird for two weeks before (separately) deciding to arrange the present Tbird / mobile synchronisation. It's possible my use of Avast clean-up removed something from Tbird - a new program installation might be needed.

If you're interested, Server Settings on Tbird for the IMAP account are now ticked for new messages at startup, for new messages every 10 minutes, and for immediate server notifications when new messages arrive (this third box differs from your screencap). There are no separate options given for leaving messages on the server on the IMAP settings.

Obviously, the Tbird issue of apparent continuous attempted downloads of unidentified mails needs resolving - though I'm a little wary of reinstalling.

 

Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Sorry to return unresolved but chaos now reigns over my email. Presumably I've used some wrong settings.

Thunderbird toolbar since yesterday has been flagging 125% Inbox capacity. Meanwhile, Tbird toolbar has also constantly shown it's trying to download old messages (which don't arrive). Tbird Activity manager is describing this as "Bringing folder Inbox up to date". Activity manager also shows a bunch of server connection timeouts - timed at every four minutes.

With overcapacity of 125%, and Tbird occupied in failing to 'bring folder Inbox up to date', I am receiving no usual new emails at Tbird and no new expected emails are arriving at Plus.net server Inbox either.

As mentioned before, when switching from POP to IMAP I transferred 1000+ previously downloaded mails to Local folders on Tbird. Yesterday, I went further by moving these again to Archive. But overcapacity of 125% remains flagged at Tbird and no mails are arriving at Plus.net, Tbird, or mobile phone.

How do I resolve the overcapacity? Should I just return back to POP mail? Any urgent advice welcome.

bobpullen
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

The easiest way to do it would be to log into Webmail as that's a true reflection of what you have stored on the server. You would need to delete messages to bring things back within the 100MB limit @spraxyt mentioned in a previous post.

Longer term, another suggestion of @spraxyt's might be your best approach, because 100MB isn't a lot.

@spraxyt wrote:
However on checking the email support pages it seems Madasafish apply a 100MB quota on contents. I suspect this would be insufficient for effective use of IMAP. A better approach might be to retain POP on your laptop with copies of the message left on the server for (say) 14 days so they could be viewed using IMAP on your smartphone and elsewhere for that time.

 


@Budapesti wrote:

As mentioned before, when switching from POP to IMAP I transferred 1000+ previously downloaded mails to Local folders on Tbird.


There's a chance that when you did that, that you inadvertently copied a load of email back to the server.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

I think you're right - I should change back to POP mail.

Re: inadvertently sending mail back to server - I have not been able to see any more than about 30 recent mails showing at Inbox on Plusnet server. So don't know how to remove mails that it seems to think are there.

Action: I have now deleted all mails showing at Plusnet Inbox and Drafts and Sent. Sent had all my recent sents plus a small handful from several years ago - total about 18.

I have also deleted all messages from all folders under the new Thunderbird IMAP account. But after closing and reopening Tbird the alert toolbar message - now 121% - still shows. However, Activity manager is now inactive: not trying to download past emails anymore.

I have tried sending myself emails from Tbird (that used to work with POP mail) but nothing arrives at Plusnet Inbox.

The situation seems to be stuck. Can you envisage problems if I now just change server settings at Tbird back to POP mail?

spraxyt
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Did you compact the folders after deleting emails? The space remains "taken up" until that is done.

Edit: Have you also emptied the Deleted Items/Trash folder?

David
Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Good news! Further to last message, email delivery is now miraculously working again. A backlog of 10 new messages is at Plusnet Inbox and also successfully received at Thunderbird Inbox and on mobile phone. The overload notification on Tbird has gone.

HOWEVER... Plusnet Inbox is showing recent mails but not in consecutive date order; and the last email received at Tbird and on my mobile does not appear at Plusnet server Inbox (!). FYI, I have tried different server settings at Tbird, these are presently ticked for check at startup and every 10 mins - which may be wrong for IMAP.

Additionally, Tbird seems to be hanging on delivery to Inbox again (a problem I'd had for a couple of weeks before beginning this POP to IMAP change process)... and Activity manager is continuing to try "Bringing Inbox up to date" without progress and there are timeouts shown every four minutes.

It may be there are problems with Thunderbird (not for this forum). Meanwhile, I think I should try changing Tbird back to POP server... unless you have further advice.

Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Missed your last message. Yes, I tried compacting all IMAP folders after deleting from all folders. But not clear if this worked as Tbird remains busy with its 'phantom' download process.

spraxyt
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

Have you used Webmail to check the content of the mailbox as Bob suggested? That should give you a true view of what's really.there and facilitate any necessary tidying up. I'd be inclined to shut down TBird (and email on your smarphone) whilst you do this.

David
Budapesti
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Re: Server settings for smartphone

I have been constantly checking Plusnet webmail. All I've ever seen is a limited number of mails in all folders - e.g., max 35 in Inbox. Curiosities seen were seriously out of date mails in Junk or Sent folders (like a handful with dates from several years back). I have now compacted all folders at Plusnet webmail (same done previously at Tbird).

My problem is I can't see the messages (presumably old ones) which Tbird is unsuccessfully trying to download to "bring Inbox up to date" as Activity manager describes it. (I do have all old messages archived on Tbird, so receiving them again is not required.)

Presently, the Tbird toolbar shows download active - progress bar is halfway green - and notification "Downloading 2 of 2 in Inbox". But there's no measurable progress in actual downloading. These download messages keep changing with different numbers - but they don't seem to correspond to any new messages for download at the Plusnet webserver. The activity at Tbird - "bringing folder Inbox up to date" - is the one I need to stop.

bobpullen
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Re: Server settings for smartphone


@Budapesti wrote:

I have been constantly checking Plusnet webmail. All I've ever seen is a limited number of mails in all folders - e.g., max 35 in Inbox. Curiosities seen were seriously out of date mails in Junk or Sent folders (like a handful with dates from several years back).


Be mindful that the Webmail message lists are paginated, so you may need to click through the pages to see older messages:

pagination.JPG

Regarding the order of the messages, try clicking the column headers e.g. 'Date' which should re-order the messages based on the column you're clicking on.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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Budapesti
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Registered: ‎16-08-2016

Re: Server settings for smartphone

I later realised I needed to click date to reorder messages. Regarding additional message pages - there are none. To clear out everything at Plusnet webserver I selected all and deleted for each folder, including Deleted Items. (All past messages are safely stored at Tbird.) I am able to check at Personal View>Folders the size of each folder. The largest now on the server is Inbox with just today's messages at 1.9 MB.

Back at Tbird, I am now receiving all new messages but, though toolbar (currently) says No messages to download, the progress bar is stuck at 3 cms of green and blinking. If I click on Tools>Activity manager it still shows "Bringing folder Inbox up to date", a partial green progress bar, and notification "Downloading 12 of 7 in Inbox". Yes, that's 12 of 7 ! Below that is a string of reported timeouts through the past hour. Even if I could live with this, I believe this background activity impedes prompt downloading of new messages.

I want to try returning server to POP mail on Tbird settings. It served well enough for many years. Do you think changing server settings now risks confusing the Plusnet / Tbird relationship even more, or could it be an instant solution?