WLM will not download emails - 10/09/2025

[#1]

As others have reported with using other clients my Windows Live Mail client stopped being able to login to receive emails from Plusnet this morning.

I can login into WebMail, I can see an email sent from my WLM client in WebMail since the problem started.

It worked earlier this morning but the laptop got rebooted after Windows Updates (2 of them: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/september-9-2025-kb5065957-cumulative-update-for-net-frame... and https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/september-9-2025-kb5065429-os-builds-19044-6332-and-19045-...).

I had changed nothing within WLM but have since changed Incoming mail (POP3) from 110 to 995 and tried other options to no avail.

I initially found out about Greenby when searching for help but have been told that is not the reason, not being done to me yet. 

The only other thing I found was someone in Australia with a similar problem, nothing to do with PN as far as I know, that posted "my ISP has removed the older versions of the transport security layer from their mail server".

I tend to think it is more related to the Windows Updates, probably the first one listed but that's just a guess.

[#2]

Windows Live Mail, and also Windows Mail,  reached end of life some time ago as did support for the product by MS.

If this happened after your windows update then that could very well be the reason WLM has ceased to work.

Have you tried setting up your email accounts in a different client such as Thunderbird or the New Outlook?

[#3]

As stated above, I'd be tempted to try Thunderbird and see if you see a similar issue. 

[#4]

Thank you both for the replies.

I am tempted to remove one or both updates to see if it goes back to working just for verification purposes.

If it was just me I could move over to Thunderbird, I've set it up for someone else a couple of years ago when they migrated from Vista and accepted that their email client would change as part of the update. I also remotely support several elderly people that struggle with what they have now, whilst some time would be needed to also move them over, the biggest problem would be that it would be new and different and difficult for them to adjust to the changes. They have got used to WLM and aged with it.

[#5]

Same issue using WLM on Win10 machine - ok on Monday 8th, not working yesterday and today. No Windows updates have been applied in that timeframe and I haven't changed any settings on my side.

Error reported when trying to connect in WLM is:

Unable to send or receive messages for the Plusnet account. An incorrect password was entered. The next time you send or receive messages, you'll be asked to enter your username and password for this account.

Server Response: -ERR Login failed.
Server: 'mail.plus.net'

I have tried the Powershell commands that I found here:

https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Diagnosing-email-server-connectivity-issues-the-guide/td-p/20079...

Not successful. For example, the pop3 attempt failed, ending with:

< -ERR Login failed.
* closing connection #0
curl: (67) Login denied

Tried setting up Thunderbird but (maybe no surprise given the above) also got a password error.

Like the original post, I can log in to my Plusnet account and see the emails in WebMail, all using the same password that is set in WLM and used for the Powershell tests.

In summary, I haven't changed anything and something that has worked for years is no longer working. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

[#6]

@TJP I've been a user of WLM for a very long time, even on Windows 11. However in the end I've had to give up on it.

The main reason for giving up was to do with authentication, modern mail servers require authentication methods that WLM (now VERY old and not updated in ages) just does not have.

I haven't used PlusNet email in a very long time and due to a service change about 18 months ago don't even have an account, so can't point at anything specific. I now use Thunderbird (among other email clients) as an alternative and have had no problems.

Have you tried logging in via the webmail interface? Edit. Ooops, I see you have. Very strange indeed. Do you have another client you can try, e.g. Outlook, or a smartphone?

[#7]

I don't have much time free at the moment, probably won't even try Thunderbird till Sunday at the earliest.

Having said that I see Thunderbird users are reporting the same problem here: https://community.plus.net/t5/Email/Thunderbird-not-Connecting-to-PN-Server/td-p/2019847 as well as @CMT in this thread.

So maybe it is more something done at the Plusnet end.

The only other thing that happened is that the computer was rebooted after the Updates were installed, it might have been that that cleared something and picked up new conditions upon restarting. I only reboot when Updates force me to, if I catch them and pause them it can be 1 to 2 months between reboots.

[#8 · Accepted solution]

Resolved, WLM now collecting mails again.

The WLM prompt that had started asking for a password was pre-filling the "Email username" with myAccountName@plusdsl.net. Having revisited other threads and re-tried the Powershell method with just myAccountName (which worked), I changed the WLM prompt to just myAccountName and it sprang in to life.

In WLM this setting is on the Servers tab of the email account Properties (at Incoming Mail Server > Email username).

I believe all other settings are the same as when it was last working on Monday. And I believe I was previously logging in with myAccountName@plusdsl.net.

Don't fully understand it, but maybe something changed on the Plusnet side regarding the login username requirement??? Remain certain I didn't change anything between it working on Monday and not on Tuesday, but all seems good once again.

[#9]

Thank you @CMT - yes, I changed mine to just username from being my email address suffix and it sprang into life

[#10]

Good news @TJP, glad it is sorted.

The initial attempt I made to set up Thunderbird, as noted in my first post, had failed. That is now also working with same "fix" of just using the username for the login.