Email guide for Windows XP

Mac OS X users should check the OS X help file

Before you begin

It's essential that you have the following information to hand:

Your user name. (By default hosted domains have info@MyHostedDomain.com sales@MyHostedDomain.com and billing@MyHostedDomain.com accounts.) NB: Everything before the @ should be lower case.
Your e-mail address. For example jsmith@MyHostedDomain.com. NB: This is usually the same as your "user name".
Your assigned e-mail account password.

If you don't know all of this information, then speak to someone in your organization who will be able to advise you. Failing that, speak to us.

Remember - you will be substituting your domain name and e-mail address details for those used in the examples below.

The great news is that all Covisp.net website hosting customers have access to their own password-protected web page (Email Admin) where they can create, manage, and delete e-mail addresses. Also, all email addresses are available as POP3 or IMAP accounts, although we recommend IMAP for most users. So if you are the proud owner of a domain name hosted with Covisp, you can create a new email account on the server whenever you like.

Choose Your Method

METHOD 1 - For more experienced users

If you know your e-mail address (account name) and password, and you know that this account has definitely been set up on the server, then here's all the additional information you need to configure your e-mail software correctly:

Your incoming (POP3/IMAP) mail server is: mail.covisp.net.
Your outgoing (SMTP) mail server is exactly the same as your incoming server.
Your "Outgoing Mail Server" does not require authentication; as long as you have successfully logged in to check your mail the server is smart enough to know who you are. However, you should use a secure IMAP connection for checking your mail, and these directions assume this setting.
If you have trouble sending mail, check the Troubleshooting E-mail Problems section.

METHOD 2 - Step-by-step with screen shots

Start up your Outlook Express software. Outlook is very similar, so these instructions should work.
From the menu options at the top of Outlook Express, select "Tools". You should find this between "View" and "Messages" on the menubar.
Select "Accounts" from the drop-down list.
To add a new mail account, click on the "Add" button, and then "Mail" from the list that appears.

Follow the on-screen "Internet Connection Wizard" instructions, replacing your details where appropriate.

Enter your email address on the next screen and continue to the "E-mail Server Names" screen, where you will enter the server names. Remember, both servers are the same and you will select IMAP from the pop-up menu.

Click "Next".
Enter your complete email address in the "Account name:" field.
Enter your assigned password in the "Password" field.

Now, either double-click on the account name (mail.covisp.net), or make sure the account name is highlighted and click on the "Properties" button.

Make sure that the entire email address is in the account name and that "Remember password" is checked. Make sure the last two check boxes are not checked.
Now, go to the "Advanced" tab.

The second checkbox must be checked to check mail. (If you have to change the outgoing port, per the Troubleshooting E-mail Problems, this is where you will change it.)
After you've clicked on "Apply" and/or "OK"—congratulations (again)! You really are done now.

You may see the following screen when you first check mail. Not to worry! Our security certificate is self-signed. This is normal as the mail server currently has a "self-signed" certificate. Click "Yes".
To find out how to add the SSL certificate to your machine so you don't have to see this dialog again, read the Installing the covisp.net SSL Certificate for Windows article.

If after all this work you still can't send/receive email successfully, speak to your System Administrator (referring them to this page). Still no joy? We're here to help.

Troubleshooting E-mail Problems

Due to the massive amounts of abuse from spammers, an increasing number of ISPs are disabling the ability to send mail through someone else's SMTP server. If you receive an error message when attempting to use your "Outgoing SMTP" server, it probably means your ISP has denied access to "third-party relaying". To solve this problem, find your email account properties (Tools -> Accounts -> Properties), and select the 'Advanced' tab.

Change the 'Outgoing Mail (SMTP)' server setting's port from 25 to 587. In nearly all cases this will allow you to send mail via the covisp.net mailserver.