E-Mail Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions (and the answers) about SpeedGate mail accounts:

Information/How-To

Where can I find an e-mail program?

Most email programs available today are either free, or come in two versions: a simplified or ad-supported free version and an enhanced or non-advertising version that you can purchase.

For a good mix of features and security, we recommend Eudora. Outlook Express is included with Windows, but its scripting features make it highly susceptible to email-borne viruses unless you configure it very carefully and keep up with security updates.

We've listed some of the more popular email programs (both popular in general and popular among our staff) here:

Older versions of Netscape (7.2 and earlier) also handle email, but versions 8 and higher are web-only.

If none of these is quite what you want, you can look for other software on sites like Download.com, Tucows, or (if you're into open source software) Freshmeat.net.

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How do I configure my Mail reader?
  • If you are using Eudora, instructions for configuring it can be found here.
  • Your email address is your login ID followed by @speed.net. For example, if your login ID was "bob", your email address would be bob@speed.net.
  • Your POP server is either mail.speed.net (DSL) or dialup-pop.speed.net (dial-up).
  • Your POP account is your login ID.
  • On older versions of Eudora, your POP account is your login ID followed by the POP server (examples: bob@mail.speed.net, bob@dialup-pop.speed.net). It looks like an email address, but it isn't.
  • Your SMTP server address is either mail.speed.net (DSL) or dialup-smtp.speed.net*.
  • Be sure to enable authentication on outgoing mail if you use mail.speed.net.
  • We recommend turning on secure connections for both sending and receiving. We support both STARTTLS (also called TLS) and SSL.
  • If you are still having problems with mail, let us know, and we will be glad to help!

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Do you block spam and viruses?

Yes! Our server blocks many known viruses, as well as certain techniques e-mail viruses use to trick programs into running them without your permission. We also will "defang" certain types of attachments that are risky to open, to ensure that a new virus does not slip through.

We also scan mail for spam-like traits, labeling messages that are likely to be spam and rejecting messages that are definitely spam.

Note: Our virus scanning is intended to supplement, not replace antivirus software on your own computer. We recommend that you continue to use antivirus software.

For more information on virus and spam filtering, see Why does my mail have this "X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang" note? and our Spam FAQ.

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Why does my mail have this "X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang" note?

MIMEDefang is a server plug-in that allows flexible scanning of messages as they arrive. In our setup, it has three main jobs: First it scans for and removes viruses. Next, it calls the spam scanner. Finally, it takes any attached programs, such as .exe, .bat, and .vbs files, and renames them so they can't be run automatically or accidentally, just in case a new virus slips through. If you get an attachment that has been "defanged," and you were expecting it, you can recover it by using the "Save as..." feature on your mail program and giving it the original filename.

Note: SpeedGate suggests that you continue to run virus checking software on your own computers.

See also: MIMEDefang Website.

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What's this "spam score" thing?

SpeedGate uses a program called SpamAssassin to scan mail for common spam traits. Each of several hundred tests will raise or lower the message's total score, and when it reaches 5 or higher, SpamAssassin will tag the message as spam by adding the label "[spam score x.x]" to the subject. Additional tests will determine whether a message will be rejected outright or passed along with the label.

For more information, see our Spam FAQ.

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How do I see the "full headers" of a message?

When reporting e-mail abuse or spam false-positives, you may be asked to include the full headers of a message. These contain routing, diagnostic, and other information which can be useful for tracking down technical problems or determining just where a message really came from. In addition, the full headers include a spam report on messages which our system has identified as probable spam.

Eudora
Click on the Blah Blah Blah button on the toolbar. (See also Eudora is displaying too many headers!)
Outlook Express
In the File menu, select Properties, then click on the Details tab.
Outlook
In the View menu, select Options and look in the section marked Internet Headers.
Netscape, Mozilla or Thunderbird
In the View menu, find the Headers submenu and select All. You can also see the headers through View->Message Source
Pegasus Mail
Click on the Raw view tab in the message window.
SpeedGate Webmail
Click on All Headers in the upper right corner of the message.
Gmail
Click on More options in the message header, then Show original.

You can find directions for other programs listed at WHOA, the SpamCop FAQ, or your program's documentation.

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How do I read the same email account on two computers?

Usually, all your mail is transferred off of our servers and onto your computer. Anything you download is no longer available if you go check the same account on another computer. Most email programs have a setting that will leave mail on the server so that you can retrieve it from another computer. You do have to be careful setting this up, because if neither computer clears out the old messages, you could end up with with several months' worth of email clogging your mailbox on the server. (Although we now have quotas to guard against this.)

If you want to keep all your email on one system and just be able to read it on the other -- for example, reading your work email at home -- the solution is easy. In this case, you don't make any changes to your work computer. You only need to configure your home computer to leave the messages on the server. When you check your email from work, it clears out the mailbox on server. When you check it from home, leaves the messages for your work computer to pick up.

If you need to keep messages on both computers, most email programs give you the option to delete the saved messages from the server after a few days. It's best to set this on both computers. 5 to 10 days is a good amount of time to make sure you get everything onto both computers and still avoid filling up your mailbox on the server.

On the "extra" computer:

Outlook Express: From the Tools menu, select Accounts. Click on the Mail tab, highlight your SpeedGate account, then click on Properties. Click on the Advanced tab. At the bottom, in the Delivery section, check Leave a copy of messages on the server. Also check Remove from server after __ day(s) and enter a suitable number. Click on OK until you return to the main window.

Eudora for Windows: From the Tools menu, select Options. Click on the Incoming Mail icon, then check Leave mail on server. Check Delete from server after __ day(s) and enter a suitable number. (If you use personalities, these options are on the Incoming Mail tab of the Account Settings for the personality.)

Eudora for Macintosh: From the Special menu, select Settings. Click on the Checking Mail icon, then look under Mail Management. Check Leave mail on server for __ days and enter a suitable number. (If you use personalities, these options are in the Personality Extras section of the settings for the personality as found by Window/Personalities.)

Netscape Communicator 4: From the Edit menu, select Preferences. Expand the Mail & Newsgroups tree, then select Mail Servers. Find mail.speed.net or dialup-pop.speed.net in the list of Incoming Mail Servers, highlight it, and click on Edit. Click on the POP tab, then check Leave messages on server. (See note below)

Netscape 6-7 or Mozilla: Open Mail/News, then go to the Edit menu and select Mail/News Account Settings. Find your SpeedGate mail account in the list and select Server Settings. Check Leave messages on server. (See note below)

Netscape (all versions): Note that you should only use this option if the other computer will not be leaving messages on the server. Netscape Mail does not provide a way to remove messages after several days, and you could end up with months of mail cluttering up your inbox unless the other computer cleans out your mailbox each time.

For other mail programs, or for more information, please see the manual or help file for your mail program.

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I'm going to be on the road/at a different office/on vacation.
How do I check my email remotely?

You can check your email from any computer connected to the Internet. Just configure an email program with the same incoming settings you have on your regular computer. There are, however, some special considerations:

  1. Sending Mail. To reduce spam, SpeedGate only processes outgoing email coming from computers on its own network. If the remote computer is on a SpeedGate dial-up account, be sure to set the outgoing (SMTP) server for dialup-smtp.speed.net. If the remote computer is connected through another ISP, use the outgoing server they provide. (See also: "I can receive email, but I can't send it.")
  2. Saving Mail. If you will need access to these messages when you return, you will need to configure the remote computer to leave the messages on the server. See "How do I read the same email account on two computers?" for more information.

If you don't have a computer you can configure - for instance, if you are relying on Internet cafés or kiosks - continue on to the next question.

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Can I read my email through the web?

Yes, just log onto mail.speed.net using your email address and password.

The first time you log in you will be presented with the preferences page. Don't worry - most of the defaults should suit you just fine. Two things you may want to look at are the "From" line containing your name and email address and your signature. If you do not want your email to use any of the options listed, click on the "Edit Forms" toolbar button at the top of the page. Edit an existing name/email pair, or create a new one, then go back to the preferences and select the one you want to use.

Webmail is now protected by SSL encryption, making it safer to use on unsecured networks such as wireless hotspots. See also email security.

For further information, refer to the WebMail Help Index.

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Can someone else read my mail? Can someone steal my password?

The short answer: yes. Because email passes through many systems on its way to its destination, and because it is usually transmitted "in the clear," it is possible for an eavesdropper in the right place to intercept a message. This is especially true with unsecured or public networks, such as wireless hotspots.

Your login and password are also transmitted to SpeedGate when checking (and sometimes when sending) mail. These could also be intercepted by someone on your network or by someone with access to the network between your gateway and our servers.

We can protect your login/password if you set your email program to use a secure connection when sending and receiving mail. This also protects your messages on the first (or last) leg of their journey, preventing eavesdroppers on your network from intercepting them. To do this, enable STARTTLS or SSL in your mail client for both sending and receiving mail.

Outlook or Outlook Express:
  1. From the Tools menu, select Accounts or Services.
  2. Highlight your SpeedGate account and click on Properties.
  3. Click on the Advanced tab.
  4. In the Server Port Numbers section, check the boxes for This server reuires a secure connection (SSL) for both outgoing (SMTP) and incoming (POP3). The port number for POP3 may change from 110 to 995 (this is normal)
Eudora:
  1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
  2. Click on the Checking Mail icon.
  3. Under Secure Sockets when Receiving, select Required, STARTTLS.
  4. Click on the Sending Mail icon.
  5. Again, under Secure Sockets when Receiving, select Required, STARTTLS.
Thunderbird, Netscape 7, or Mozilla:
  1. Go to the Tools menu and select Account Settings.
  2. Find your SpeedGate account in the list in the sidebar and select Server Settings.
  3. Under Security Settings, choose TLS.
  4. Back to the sidebar, look to the end of the list and select Outgoing Server (SMTP).
  5. Select your SpeedGate account and click on Edit.
  6. Under Security and Authentication, where it says Use secure connection, choose TLS and click OK.
  7. Enter your username in the box. You will be asked for your password the first time you send mail.

Note: This only protects the connection between your computer and our servers. It protects your login and password, and it protects the messages as they are transferred along that connection. Because email travels through many other systems on the way to its destination, it can still be intercepted further down the line. If you need to keep your messages private, you should look into software such as PGP to encrypt the actual messages.

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Problems

I can receive email, but I can't send it.

This means your mail program is configured to use an outgoing mail server on a different network than the one you are connected to. You need to configure your email program to use the correct outgoing (SMTP) mail server:

  • If you are using a dial-up connection to SpeedGate, make sure your outgoing mail server is dialup-smtp.speed.net.
  • If you are on a SpeedGate DSL connection, make sure it is set for mail.speed.net - even if your email is hosted through another ISP.
  • If you have email with SpeedGate, but your Internet connection is through another company, you have two choices: (1) Use the SMTP server provided by that company. (2) Use mail.speed.net and enable SMTP Authentication. #2 may not be possible if your network provider restricts outgoing mail to their own servers.

Note that these restrictions only apply to the outgoing mail server. If you have an email account on SpeedGate's servers, you can retrieve it from any Internet-connected computer using the POP server mail.speed.net.

You may also want to look at the answer to I can send email sometimes, but sometimes I get a "relaying denied" error.

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I can send email sometimes, but sometimes I get a "relaying denied" error.

To guard against spam, most mail servers on the Internet today are restricted so that only valid users (in our case, our customers) can send mail. This prevents spammers from hijacking a server and using it to flood the Internet with junk mail. There are two ways we enable you to send mail while still blocking spammers:

The first is SMTP Authentication. Your mail program will log in when sending mail as well as when receiving it. In your outgoing mail settings, enable the option that says "My server requires authentication" or "Use name or password." The username and password are the same as for incoming mail.

Outlook or Outlook Express:
  1. From the Tools menu, select Accounts or Services.
  2. Highlight your SpeedGate account and click on Properties.
  3. Click on the Servers tab.
  4. At the bottom, in the Outgoing Mail Server section, check My Server Requires Authentication.
  5. Click on Settings and choose use same settings as my incoming mail server.
Eudora:
  1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
  2. Click on the Sending Mail icon
  3. Check Allow Authentication.
Thunderbird, Netscape 7, or Mozilla:
  1. Go to the Tools menu and select Account Settings.
  2. At the end of the list, select Outgoing Server (SMTP).
  3. Select your SpeedGate account and click on Edit.
  4. Under Security and Authentication, check Use name and password.
  5. Enter your username in the box. You will be asked for your password the first time you send mail.

We currently also allow authentication using POP-before-SMTP (check your mail before you send it), but we plan on phasing it out. We recommend that you enable SMTP Authentication in your email program.

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I keep getting a timeout when trying to get my mail. Why?

This happens when your mailbox is VERY large and our POP server is trying to make a backup of your mailbox (for safety). Sometimes it takes longer than your mail program is willing to wait.

For Outlook or Outlook Express, try increasing the Server Timeouts setting in the Advanced section of your their mail settings.

For Eudora, add the following line to your Eudora.ini file, after the "[Miscellaneous]" section:

Network Timeout="3000"

If you are still having problems getting your mail, let us know, and we will be glad to help!

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I get an error like "POP lock is set, another session is active." Why?

This can happen if you terminated a connection during a transfer. A POP server is still running trying to service your (aborted) connection. Usually it will time out after about 10 or 15 minutes. If waiting 15 minutes doesn't solve the problem, contact tech support to have them cancel the process.

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I keep getting "452 Error: too many recipients" when I try to send email to a long list of people.

The email server for dial-up accounts places a limit of 50 recipients per outgoing message. If you need to send a message to more than 50 people at once, break the list into shorter lists of up to 50 people each. If you regularly send email to the same list of more than 50 people, you may want to look into some sort of mailing list service.

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How do I make Eudora hide all these extra headers?

Most email programs show a few useful headers (like Subject, Date, From, and CC) normally, and show the rest only when asked. Eudora does things the other way: it hides those headers that it knows only have technical details and shows the rest. Unfortunately, this means that it shows and prints things like the X-NAV-Timeouts added by Norton Antivirus, mailing list information, the X-Spam-Status, and full spam reports - and prints them too.

There is a way to tell Eudora to hide this extra information. Unfortunately, you have to list every single header you want to hide.

  1. Close Eudora.
  2. From the Start menu, go to Search and select For Files and Folders.... Look for eudora.ini. (It will usually be in the folder where you store your email or where Eudora is installed.)
  3. Open eudora.ini in Notepad.
  4. The first section should be labeled [Settings]. Paste the following at the end of that section, making sure it all goes on one line with no spaces:
    TabooHeaders=X-UID,Received,Status,X-UIDL,Message,In-Reply,X-Priority,
Mime-Version,Content-,X-Persona,Resent-Message,References,Return,X400,
X-400,Mail-System,Errors-To,X-List,Delivery,Disposition,X-Juno,
Precedence,X-Attachments,X-MSMail,X-MimeOLE,X-Loop,X-No-Archive,X-Ack,
X-Nav,X-Sender,X-Mailer,Delivered-To,X-Mailer,Sender,X-BeenThere,
X-Mailman-Version,Content-,List-,X-Scanned-By,X-Spam,X-Not-Spam,
DomainKey-,User-Agent,X-Accept-Language,X-Habeas,X-Cron,
X-MIME-Autoconverted,XTDNE
  5. Save eudora.ini and close Notepad.
  6. Start Eudora again.

You can still see the full headers by pressing the "blah blah blah" button on the toolbar.

Each entry matches the beginning of a header, so in this case anything starting with "List-" will be hidden. If you want to display, for instance, List-Unsubscribe but not List-Archive, you can put List-Archive in instead. Note that you must close Eudora before making any changes to this line. Also, Eudora 5.2 appears to ignore the last item listed, so XTDNE should always be at the end.

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What do I do about a "Mailbox Quota Exceeded" warning?

If you see one of these, you haven't checked your mail in a long time! We used to limit incoming mail to 10 megabytes at a time, but we stopped in summer 2005. At this point, don't worry about it -- it's no longer an issue.

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