I've changed the VPN connection option from automatic to OpenVPN (TCP) and it seems to be working now on that with the original settings in The Bat! Outlook and Mailwasher Pro are also working again now as well. Also, I have a theory that the VPN connection may be responsible for my logging in problem on this forum, so I have set aside one of my browsers to by-pass the VPN, so I can use it for situations like this. So far so good, but I'll try logging in again tomorrow to see if it's still accepting my password.
I've had enough of IT problems for today, so I'm going to have a glass of my favourite red wine and watch a music video to clear my head of all this stuff. Thanks everyone for all your help and suggestions - it really is appreciated.
