Right! this is a bloody noob question, my Outlook Express on my XP machine! how to I get it to pull e-mails from my account over at Mail.com?

I've tried to set it to use http:\, not pop3, filled in all of what I think I need to but it just wont retrieve them for me

Can it be done this way, or must I get it to connect to a pop3 mail server only?

Googled for "mail.com outlook express". First result:
http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/tips/mail-settings.html

"# Mail.com Mail Settings

The Mail.com email service allows you to use POP3 and SMTP servers for accessing your Mail.com mailbox.

Mail.com Mail Incoming Mail Server (POP3) - pop1.mail.com (port 110)

Outgoing Mail Server - use your local ISP SMTP mail server"

Try that.

My advice

To hell with OE, use the web client for webmail accounts or Thunderbird.

Quote from Christofire :

Googled for "mail.com outlook express". First result:
http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/tips/mail-settings.html

"# Mail.com Mail Settings

The Mail.com email service allows you to use POP3 and SMTP servers for accessing your Mail.com mailbox.

Mail.com Mail Incoming Mail Server (POP3) - pop1.mail.com (port 110)

Outgoing Mail Server - use your local ISP SMTP mail server"

Try that.

what is my local Isp SMTP mail server? localhost: port???

That will be normally your ISPs outbound mail server, on port 25. Could be called anything: mail.isp.tld, relay.isp.tld, smtp.isp.tld, etc.

Look in your ISPs help pages, they usually show important servers or how to set up a mail client.

Quote from CSU1 :

what is my local Isp SMTP mail server? localhost: port???

your SMTP server is whoever you have your brodband with.
Eircom is: mail2.eircom.net
Let me know who your ISP is and i'll find out your SMTP server address.
I think the default port is 25 for emails.... but i'm not sure, where the hell did you find that setting, you should never have to change that!

My answer is, to Hell with windows!!!! Get linux!

Quote from nikimere :

your SMTP server is whoever you have your brodband with.
Eircom is: mail2.eircom.net
Let me know who your ISP is and i'll find out your SMTP server address.
I think the default port is 25 for emails.... but i'm not sure, where the hell did you find that setting, you should never have to change that!

@bigfatcat:
Should the outgoing mail server not be the same as incoming?and should all these protocalls not be http: in the first place???(I a noob I think http: somethin todo with internets addresses or sompthin)(and pop3 is somethin that all mail servers use)

How I see it is OE should get new mail from [email protected] if I give it my password details in accounts manager,

@nikimere: My isp is ntl, I'm a bit confused here.Ok I know my current .mail account is a freebie one,and using OE to retrieve my mail won't please the mail.com advert guy's, but I just want to get my head around this one.
Why should my mail need to go through my ISP's mail server?
(pop3)
Why can't OE grab new mail through http:+passwords and send mail back (outgoing server)the same way?

So, my question:

What is the outgoing mail server? Is it 'my' machine(localhost), or is it mail.com's mail server, if so what should be entered into the 'outgoing mail server field?

The outgoing mail server is your ISPs mailserver.
The incoming is Mail.com, as posted above...(POP3) - pop1.mail.com (port 110)

You need the ISPs mailserver in the outgoing to be able to send without using the mail.com website.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055048056 may or may not help.

Outbound mail is normally sent directly in SMTP (mail protocol) on TCP port 25. Http is a different protocol (hypertext) on port 80 for browsing. Your OE client will try to send its mail to your ISP's own mail server, usually accepting SMTP from it's own IP ranges.

According to http://www.ntlworld.ie/Services/ your outbound mail server should be smtp.ntlworld.ie with no http or anything in front of it. Your inbound mail server will be pop.ntlworld.ie if your using your ISP mailbox. You can also configure other inbound addresses, mail.com says that it uses pop1.mail.com for pop3 pickup.