Windows Mobile 6.1 SMTP issues
18/09/08 10:37:37 am by Matt - 718 words
Categories: News |
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Do you have a Windows Mobile 6.1 powered device and use either POP3 or IMAP4 with SMTP? Have you encountered problems sending email or seen the error message below?
If the answer to either of the questions above is yes then read on as what you are seeing is actually a bug that affects all WM 6.1 powered handsets!
Background
I first discovered this problem a few months ago while using my HTC TyTN II. I have access to two Exchange servers but, as you'll probably know, you can only set up one Exchange activesync partnership per device. So for the other account I have to use IMAP4 and send over SMTP.
I've been using the setup for about 18 months and it works perfectly well for me, well until HTC released the WM 6.1 update for the TyTN II it did.
I installed the 6.1 update on the TyTN II and set up my Exchange and IMAP4 accounts. Was able to receive email with both accounts, no problem. All was well until I tried to send an email from my IMAP4 account (through SMTP). Upon trying to send mail I simply got presented with the error message above. I checked the account settings, they were all correct, but still unable to send mail.
I then restored the original WM 6.0 ROM to the TyTN II and the problem went away! This lead me to think that there was a problem with HTC's implementation of the 6.1 ROM. However later test revealed this to not be the case.
I set up my IMAP4 email on my new HTC Touch Diamond and was able to send one email, but subsequent emails then failed with the same error message. Deleting and recreating the account allowed me to send one or two more emails before it then failed again. One sending failed the account never works again!
So I contacted one of our friends at Microsoft to try and work through the problem.
Having worked with the guys at Microsoft for the past 6 weeks or so (including the top Outlook Mobile chap in the US) and having sent them my TyTN II to test we have discovered the following bug affecting ALL Windows Mobile 6.1 devices.
You can see more in the email excerpt from Microsoft below:
We are done with it and just checked in a bug fix last week to address what turned out to be a severe product bug that will affect all WM 6.1.x devices until they receive a fix or upgrade to WM 6.1.4. Your help both made us aware of the issue before it bubbled up through the forums and your device actually did help us debug the issue.
We are driving the issue with our response team and pushing to make a fix more broadly available independent of a device update.
More details on this bug:
Symptoms:
At some point sending e-mail stops working for a given e-mail account.
This will happen if the there is *any* failure to connect to the SMTP server – ever. After that point the user cannot send mail with that account again.
Recovery:
The user must delete their e-mail account and recreate it each time this happens.
There is no way to prevent this from reoccurring.
So as you can see, the problem is pretty severe and affects all devices with WM 6.1. The work around, if you can call it that, is to delete the affected account and recreate it.
I also suspect that this bug is related to the problem that many people report with GMail on their mobile and the reason why you must delete and recreate an email account if any of the account credentials change.
Microsoft are working on the problem at the moment and are hoping to make an independent update available. Let's hope that it will be available in that format rather than part of a full ROM update as I suspect that it will take time to filter through the manufacturers and the operator supply channels.
If you are affected by this issue then do drop me a line and I'll endeavour to keep you updated with the progress of the fix.
EDIT: Please see this post for a potential fix to the problem!
Posted by: Matt
162 comments
I'm not 100% sure that this problem affects the 6.1WM only... My 6.0 rom version of htc herald caused the same problem. I'm using gmail imap, but I have own smtp also and the result was the same, so this is why I think the problem was not in the gmail or in our system at the same time...
Thanks very much for your post as I've been waiting a few weeks for someone to report this. I had EXACTLY the same problem on my HTC Touch Diamond using IMAP on Yahoo Mail. I had to use the same work around and touch wood it's still working a month or so on. There were so many possible things that could have gone wrong (HTC, WM6.1, Yahoo, etc..) that I wasn't sure where to start. Good to know now. Like you, I hope they fix this without a full ROM upgrade.
Would sure like to be kept in the loop though.
Thanks
Thanks for your post, I have been suffering a similar problem with my hotmail account since upgrading from my trusty TyTN II to a Touch Diamond. I have a problem record open with Micorsoft and have tried all manner of workarounds. I must have spent days trying to get my email working!!!
Please let me know if you hear of a fix.
Cheers,
Lee
Thanks for your post, I have been suffering a similar problem with my hotmail account since upgrading from my trusty TyTN II to a Touch Diamond. I have a problem record open with Micorsoft and have tried all manner of workarounds. I must have spent days trying to get my email working!!!
Please let me know if you hear of a fix.
Cheers,
Lee
How can a 'regular' user report bugs to Microsoft?
I have an annoying problem with notifications - whenever I switch timezones from GMT to GMT+10 my notifications stop working. It happens in both WM Standard & Professional and is a pain in the backside seeing as I work a lot in Australia. I'm sure if I put my mind to it I could come up with a reproducible test case but who do I send it to...
thank you in advance...
Thanks~!
Many thanks.
Thanks.
https://forums.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/showpost.aspx?postid=3747022&siteid=65&sb=0&d=1&at=7&ft=11&tf=0&pageid=2
Latest update is that MS are hoping to provide a CAB that will patch the issue!
I'll let you know when I find out more.
Matt
I've experienced the same thing on several different email accounts since applying the WM6.1 upgrade for the TYTN II from Orange. I'd be really grateful if you'd let me know when you hear that the fix is available please. In the meantime, is there a downgrade available back to version 6.0?
Thanks again,
Andy
Please keep me informed as and when this promised patch comes out.
Thanks alot,
Greg
Anyway, please keep me up to date as well - its really annoying! Any timescale for the fix?
Thanks
Thank you!
jim
I have a sprint Mogul (ppc-6800) also with email issues, however my problem is I cannot receive. I am using my university's imap account which worked fine in WM6.0. As soon as I switched to WM6.1 I no longer reliably receive emails. (I haven't tried to send). Sometimes would get a few emails, but usually not. When I switched back to 6.0, I could receive emails again. Is this related to the Microsoft WM6.1 bug?
thanks in advance
Thanks,
Eduardo
HTC Touch
WM6 Professional
CE OS 5.2.1620 (Build 18125.0.4.2)
Can you provide me with any input on these (or, tell the MS folks to contact me) so that I can quickly come up with a solution / hack?
(Before any of you ask if you haven't read my articles on [fixing] other Messaging bugs: yes, I do know how Messaging works on the DB level.)
YAY!!!!!!! Will you make sure to host it somewhere and give us all the link?
if you have any news - please let me know!
thank you!!
Thanks
Thanks
Murali
Thanks
Jason.
This is my answer to this
http://forums.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/showpost.aspx?postid=3937911&siteid=65&mode=1&sb=0&d=1&at=7&ft=11&tf=0&pageid=3
I have seen this happen when I send a message from am area when I am roaming and I am out of reach with my ATT net work.
A quick fix is to use (if you have) the Network Wizard. This will look automatically at all your network settings and update them, It will restart your phone and all work again.
This you probably have to do again once you're back in your area.
And of course it can also just happen. I still use the same fix. (deleting the mail account and creating a new one did not work for me)
Johan
http://forums.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/showpost.aspx?postid=3933452&siteid=65
At the time of purchase, the rep did mutter something about 'software problems'. They withdrew the HTC from sale shortly afterwards. I got one of the very last from Orange.
Worse, the truly excellent tech support chap at AuthSMTP owns a Tytn II as well (WM6.0 presumably) and had no problem with sending mail on his, though he recommends enabling SSL in Pocket Outlook.
I have jumped through hoops and tried every possible combination of settings in Outlook - there aren't many - and it has never been possible to send an email through Orange. I cannot imagine any broadband provider telling its users that you can't send mail through their service. (Tiscali did once state that SMTP was a 'free extra' - their way of dismissing customer email problems).
Tomorrow I throw the problem back at Orange.
Does seem to be that some email servers are more prone to giving errors and therefore make the problem worse.
Matt
Thanx a lot.
I will be very happy to get an update on this issue.
I'm an SMTP pro and some of the Outlook Mobile folks may even remember me based on my previous bugfixes. However, I don't want to waste time on reinventing the wheel.
Having said that, I've just about had enough of WM as an OS, so if/when this fix becomes available it'll only be a stop-gap for me until I move to an Android device early next year. :)
Used Matt's suggestion with Network Wizard all working now.
If using PPC phone follow this link to get Network Wizard
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=320870
Don't know if it works with smartphones but works fine with my touch diamond
Still credit to Matt and all as this blog has helped me solve the problem until MS provide a fix
Thanks!
I have this exact issue, however, with Windows Mobile 6.0 running on my HTC TYTN II.
There seems to be no solution as you suggested.
- Messaging Menu (list of mail accounts)
- Menu --> Settings
- Send/Receive Schedule
- Download Messages --> [change from current option to another]
(I went from getting all to getting last 30 days)
- Done
Sending mail worked after changing just this one setting. I then changed it back to "get all" and sending mail continued working. Will see how it goes and see if I can repeat the fix WHEN the error happens again - keeping fingers crossed. And hoping the CAB is released soon! Whether by MSFT or by Matt. :-)
If this doesn't work for you, who knows - maybe just a one-time "lucky fix" on my device.
scott
Unfortunately Seattle Scott's solution did not work for me (HTC touch, WM 6.1).
Regards
Gordon
I continue to drive this issue hard internally and it has received executive level attention. I am asking for a date for a CAB. You can inform user's that they will not need to flash a ROM update to WM 6.1.4 but they will receive a CAB-installable update that fixes the problem. The big question remains, "When?"
In the mean time, here is a bit more about the cause: This was a horribly unfortunate side-effect of adding a feature to 6.1 designed to help ensure users can send mail on Operator networks that do IP filtering and block sending e-mail via an SMTP server that is not on their network. We introduced an OEM/Operator registry key override in 6.1 that specifies a backup SMTP server. Business logic was added that attempts to use the backup SMTP server address when the user-specified SMTP server address fails. If the backup server address succeeds, it becomes the new default. The bug occurs when the OEM-specified registry key is empty and when sending via the user-specified SMTP address fails for any reason at any time. Once the device gets in this state, SMTP fails without recovery for the account. (Although, Matt, you said you were able to send again by flipping SSL/Outgoing authentication settings. We didn’t see that.) This explains why users hit the bug only sporadically, and why recreating the account solves the problem (if only temporarily – until the next SMTP failure).
It is incredibly unfortunate that this was not caught in testing, nor during the extended Beta period for 6.1, nor in our TAP program, nor by internal “dogfood” usage of 6.1, nor during Mobile Operator trials. It took us weeks to identify reproducible steps even when we received your device and focused on it in August! This is an especially bitter pill given that the feature we added to help ensure sending success (for a known blocking issue on some mobile operator networks) is the very feature that introduced sending failure. Of course, the Outlook Mobile Team is dismayed, disappointed, and determined to make it right, and so we are driving the issue very hard internally.
By the way, the registry key noted above is an OEM-protected key. So while end users cannot add or edit the key, it is possible that the Mobile Operators could OTA-provision the key with an SMTP server address that works on their network and this may well solve the problem. I am asking the team that added this feature for us to investigate if this will work as an additional mitigation. Regardless, we will develop a communication plan to Mobile Operators that they can distribute through their support organizations so that when user’s call with this problem they get an appropriate response. It pains me greatly to hear the testimony of users that are trying in vain to get their problem solved and I will do everything possible to drive a rapid response on this issue.
Matt, thank you again for finding it, making us aware of it, sending us your device, and for posting about it.
Hopefully, I’ll send you an update again tomorrow when I get a response from the sustained engineering team on a timeline.
Erm, 'unfortunate'? Better words spring to my mind. Like 'shoddy', 'careless', 'unprofessional', etc. I could go on, but I have some fish in a barrel which need shooting, and I fancy a harder challenge. ;)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=320870
It worked for me.
When setting up the email account try to use your mobile operators smtp server for outgoing mail, eg vodafone uk use send.vodafone.net even if thats not the email provider you use. The same thing happens on my desktop PC, my broadband is with NTL however I use various other email providers but unless I set the outgoing server to ntl it won't send messages.
to the CAB update; will try the network update wozard shortly.
More importantly, my Touch Diamond had another, very incovenient issue. I couldn't sync deletions with the server, ie when I deleted email on the phone it stayed on the server - this was HORRIBLE as it meant I couldn't clear spam until I got back to the office. All the relevant settings were tried believe me. Does anyone have any similar issues/suggestions?
Finally, when the CAB update arrives, how do we get it/install it? Is there somewhere we should be checking?
Thanks again
After spending hours on the internet trying to find a fix for this problem I have seen complaints going as far back as MAY! I can't believe people have even tolerated this problem for this long! I have owned my HTC Touch Pro for 4 days and I am finding this unacceptable. Why does Microsoft not see the urgency in fixing this? I am so disgusted that this can even happen in the first place.
According to the post above "It is incredibly unfortunate that this was not caught in testing, nor during the extended Beta period for 6.1, nor in our TAP program, nor by internal “dogfood” usage of 6.1, nor during Mobile Operator trials." Are they trying to tell me that they didn't even bother to send an email from gmail or yahoo? The 2 biggest webmail providers on the planet? This is perhaps the simplest email operation possible! This is UNACCEPTABLE!
Microsoft should be ashamed. Not because a mistake like this can occur, but for not rectifying it as soon as possible and for treating their customers like they don't matter, or that they can wait for weeks and weeks at a time for a fix. I'm not a person who is going to threaten to use Apple or Blackberry products instead, but I feel so let down by Microsoft because of all this that it is understandable that people would take this course of action.
Come on Microsoft. Please prove me wrong. Show us that you can fix this in the next 48 hours and make us all happy customers! ARGHHHHHH!
I also found this problem and was struggling with it for weeks by now.
I'm longing for the fix/cab too...
Anyway I would appreciate an email when the cab's released.
Thanks
Perhaps I missed it somewhere...?!!
Why do we all have to suffer on in silence? Once again Microsoft shows a complete disdain for their customers; promising the earth and then failing to deliver.
Why are we left so impotent to do anything about issues such as this one? I can only assume that MS consistently hide themselves from their users because they fear that they would be inundated with complaints... but leading a software development team myself I know that if you don't get told of issues then you can't very well expect to fix them.
At the end of the day, none of us as software users likes the delays involved in getting things investigated, fixed, tested and released, however if we are given regular feedback in the form of progress reports at least we know that something is being done and have an ETA for a fix. Around these parts, we call feedback "setting our customer's expectations"...
Thank you so much for your effort! I was getting nuts from having this problem. But now I am able to send email (using my gmail account) from my HTC Touch Diamond .
Cheers,
Henk
/Krister
Nylo
-HTC 8925
-WM6.1
-No data plan
I want to upgrade my TyTn II to WM 6.1. How can I revert back to WM 6.0 if I want to (you have mentioned that you did indeed go back to WM 6.0 at one stage)? Also do you know if the ROM upgrade works on Vista?
Thanks in advance,
Ronney
ButtonBoy from XDA-Developers has made some registry changes he feels have fixed this smtp time out error - view the thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2776411#post2776411
Below is the single post (#83) with registry change instructions - Anyone familiar with this stuff care to comment?
Cheers -
[One fix
Not sure about all the ROM variants out there, but I am using the official AT&T 6.1 image, and this worked for me. Perhaps somebody smarter could make a cab of this...
1. Add the reg key “Operator” to \\HKLM\System\Inbox\Settings
2. Add the reg key "OutgoingServer" below Operator key.
3. Add the reg val (reg_str) "OutgoingServer" below Operator key- “ButtonBoy rules”
4. Soft reset
After doing this, all the emails left my SMTP Outbox arriving at their destination inboxes.]
They are confusing at best and I don't really know how to do what is being described. For example what does 'below' mean? Does it literally mean make a new key below the Operator, or does it mean inside the Operator folder? And I have no idea how to carry out step number 3.
Can someone PLEASE post complete step-by-step instructions explaining what to do??
COME ON PEOPLE WE'RE ALMOST THERE!
He was hoping someone would make a .cab of this to make it easy to implement.
Please don't mess with the registry if you are not familiar with this.
M
Have a look here: http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/index.php/2008/10/15/windows-mobile-smtp-fix
I downloaded your cab file fix, copied it over to a folder on my phone, and then selected it to install. It came back to me and said that the Installation of TnMfix.cab was unsuccessful. The installation file is not intended for this device.
Carrier: AT&T (unlocked phone)
Phone: Moto Q Global
WM: 6.1 (Phone originaly had 6.0 but downloaded 6.1 upgrade from AT&T)
Any clues and or suggestions?
This is great folks are making progress on this.
Thanks to everyone who is able to help the rest of us with this issue.
I did get some feedback from an email recipient - he said he got 3 copies each of single-send emails I sent him, so there appears to be a bug in confirming the send - even though the email reaches the smtp server it is not confirmed to have done so and remains in the outbox to be sent again (and again). Hopefully this is not a widespread bug and just some screwup with my phone.
I tried it by hand (I have the knowledge how to deal with registry changes), and I tried all the three CAB's but nothing worked for me.
That is, with GMAIL, because that's what I'm using.
FYI, I'm running the official Dutch T-Mobile WM6.1 ROM.
Any suggestions?
Tried the cab file and it worked for a bit and then stopped working again. I have Windows 6.0. I guess this problem is more complex than a small registry fix.
This problem is specific to WM 6.1 so the CAB file wont solve any other issues with other versions of WM. If you are having problems sending mail with WM 6.0 then it must be something slightly different to the issue mentioned above.
I think most agree that the CAB solves the issues in 6.1
Does your phone send mail ever?
Matt
I have recently come across this problem with not being able to send emails from my HTC Touch handset.. again, through my gmail account.
I was able to send mails perfectly until about a week ago, and nothing that i have tried seems to work. I have deleted the account and re-created it about 6 times and still, no joy. Receiving is fine, but sending pulls up the same error message as above.
Would welcome any update news as to when MS will release this fix for WM 6.1.
Mac
Below is an email response from MS when I sent the link to this page.
Subject: Windows Mobile 6.1 fix - 2008100200929 {QueryID: 150b0afc-bc5e-4252-bfcd-765eb12d5b17 }
From: Microsoft Response Management. msemlprd@microsoft.com
"Hello,
This is a status update from the Corp. Response Management (CRMT) team regarding Service Request 2008100200929.
This issue has been escalated to the Windows Mobile Product Management Team however they are still looking into the matter. We will notify you as soon as we have an update.
If you have any other questions about the status of this issue or have additional information I should be aware of, please "reply all" to this email.
Thank you,
BT
Escalation Specialist
North America Customer Service Response Management Team
Microsoft Corporation"
Just to respond to your comment above, my phone used to send out all typed of emails with no problems. This includes txt emails and emails with attachments.
It all worked fine until my phone lost connection with the STMP server and then at the point, I could no longer send attachments in my emails but can still send txt emails with no problems.
My friend who has the exact same phone as me and is with the same phone provider i.e. 3 Australia, has the exact same problem as I and we both have Windows Mobile 6.0.
When I spoke to the HTC representative, he confirmed that it was also an issue with Windows Mobile 6.0.
The delete-and-recreate trick wasn't even working for me this week but now I can send pointless emails from anywhere. Thanks!!
thanks
Go here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9d71b2e-d2dd-44f2-86e5-1e53aad7fb7a&displaylang=en&tm
BTW, I am not a computer specialist - I am a part of the 99% of the population who use computers as I would any other appliance - I plug it in and I expect it to work without having to look under the hood every couple of minutes. It looks like every other type of engineers but computer engineers understand that simple principle and can make products that do not require constant tweaking.
Did anyone succesfully install the fix???
A smartphone which can't send emails is so unbelievably DUMB. Are you listening Microsoft???????????????
Is this the same problem?
Thanks,
Jeff
This problem and the patch are very specific. If you are unable to download email then you are looking at a different problem completely.
Matt
I'm running WM 6.0 on the Moto 9Qc (Verizon, in the US)....naturally the 6.1 cab didn't do the trick. Does anyone know if/when a fix for 6.0 is expected?!?!
from yahoo.com but not able to send the messages?
But thanks anyway!!!
It has worked on these two machines for 3 weeks, hope this blog submit does not prove me wrong and they keep working.
ARGGGG!!!!!!! Anyone have ANY info on how to make this work?!
Sprint discontinued their email service on 12.31.08. Sprint suggested at least to Palm Treo users) that they upgrade their handsets to the Treo 800w to send/receive email via an alternate server. The Treo 800w runs Windows Mobile 6.1. Windows Mobile 6.1 is flawed in that in can not properly use SMTP or IMAP via SSP to SEND email.
Neither Palm, nor Microsoft, nor Sprint has a fix for this, or at least a fix that can be easily found.
Is that about right?
Anyone have this issue?
Thanks!
This is important as I'm on the road a lot.
Anyone seen this, or have a fix?
I tried the MS patch and Matts patch but they both didn't work for me - i have 02 XDA Serra (HTC Touch Pro). Anyway i was reading around the web and it mentioned about smtp for ISP mail server not working. and try an alternative. so rather than putting my NTL smtp i put O2 and bingo it worked.
So rather than putting your usual outlook smtp for sending mail put your mobile phone companies smpt
Chris
So I bought this SGH-i900 with Windows Mobile 6.1 but it seems to have the the problem too. I just installed this patch (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d9d71b2e-d2dd-44f2-86e5-1e53aad7fb7a&displaylang=en&tm). Didn't do anything... Why the **** did I waste all my money just to have the same problem on different OS?!
Is there any way to fix this or do you know any other way/application for syncing e-mail at least every 5min?
I'd like to tell anyone that this problem also happens with WM 5.0. I'm getting it with an HTC P3600 and the problem is that I cannot find any fix for that, but worse of all is that Microsoft seems to ignore that (don't tell me that patch for 6.1 is all they can do). Anyway, if there is any genius over there, please get a sign!!
Matt
What we have found is that if they are Sending a message and before it finishes they take a call. Make or answer. That's what breaks the account. They can continue to receive email's but nothing allows them to send messages except deleteing the account and re-creating it.
THis is not an acceptable situation for me to role these phones out to all my users.
I will check on the links above but I wish there was more.. Hey this really works posts.
I'm using a Xperia X1 with WM 6.1 and I'm facing the same shit. I've been trying all sorts of fixes( including the microsoft official fix)but nothing works. I'm using smartermail domain for my office mail and previously i used a Nokia E-90 without any issues regarding sending mails. Just like everyone I am receiving mails but cannot send mails. It gives me an error mail from a so called system administrator- error 550 no such user there.....duh. Can someone tell me what to do to fix this???? Please. I depend a lot on my mails. If this doesn't work in a hurry I just might have to dump this device which I don't intend to do in just a month after buying it. Please help............
I have tried an iPhone and the settings work fine on there so definately a windows/htc problem. Tracking down a fix has be nigh on impossible so thanks for the posting.
Normal pop3 an Exchange Sync works fine, but POP3 with authentification only for icomming mails. Outgoing mails stays in the Outbox with an error message.








