I've had three different ISP's over the last 10 years or so. I am still able to use the email accounts I set up with the first two even though I switched from the first provider about 10 years ago and the second, about two years ago. I can only receive email from the oldest one but I can send and receive mail with the second. Is there any particular reason why these accounts are still live after I have moved to a new ISP?
Incompetence.
ITYM incempitonce.. ;-)
to use the email accounts I set up with the first
second, about two years ago. I can only receive
there any particular reason why these accounts are
Name names, they might interest us.
How are you sending mail on the "oldest" account? If you are using the SMTP server corresponding to that account it isn't surprising you can't send. Try using the SMTP server of your current ISP, you might well find that it works.
I have a couple of Freeserve email addresses that are over 10 years old and still work even though I haven't used the Freeserve/Wanadoo/Orange accounts for many years, although being PAYG dial-up accounts I suppose I am technically still a customer.
Well, the first is t***ali and the second is s*y. (Not sure if I should be revealing these!)
I tried using my current SMTP server for the oldest email account and - it works - I can still send emails!
I still can't figure out why the accounts are still live?
to use the email accounts I set up with the first
second, about two years ago. I can only receive
there any particular reason why these accounts are
I confess I was with Tiscali before I moved to BE!
They were pretty quick in cutting off my email, not a problem, I didn't use it for anything. The free webspace was usefull and I was a tiny bit sad to see it go, see if yours is still accesable (if you ever activated it).
They did allow me to continue logging in to my account for a while after I migrated, which was usful as I needed to print off the last couple of invoices to claim back on expenses.
When you migrate from one ISP to another, its seems to be fairly common for ISPs to downgrade subscription accounts to PAYG accounts, and leave them in place.
I've still got working Freeserve accounts, but they haven't been my ISP for quite a few years. I can receive emails from the Freeserve/Wanaddoo/Orange POP server whilst being physically connected to my current ISP's server, and can send emails from my Freeserve address by using my current ISP's SMTP server.
I do get the occasional email from Freeserve(Orange) saying that the account will be zapped if I don't dial in - or re-activate it via their web interface, so I do the latter when required.
You can send from any email address you like using most ISPs SMTP servers. Try using snipped-for-privacy@whitehouse.gov and it will probably work. Its why there is so much spam, the mail protocol is poor and ISPs don't enforce logging in to send mail.
Its what happens to the reply that matters to you.
So long as you don't expect or come to rely on this - because one day these email accounts will just go away. If you do need persistent email accounts, the only reliable way to assure them is to buy your own domain/hosting and have have all your email addresses (note: plural, there's no reason to just have one) routed back to your home machine.
Or use the freebies, Gmail, Hotmail for example. And I've been using a free redirect since the early 90's which has allowed me to retain the same email address despite changing ISPs several times.
Yes, indeed - it *could* happen. In fact, a few years ago, it *did* happen - when Orange zapped thousands of allegedly unused PAYG accounts without warning. There was such a public outcry that they had to reinstate them!
I don't use my Freeserve account for anything important, but it's useful because you can generate an unlimited number of 'throw-away' email addresses. Every time I buy something from an on-line supplier who insists on having an email address and password, I generate a unique one for that supplier - e.g. bloggs_ltd@{my_account}.fslife.co.uk
I can then see who sells addresses to spammers!
Yes ;-) a lot of us use spamgourmet for our disposable email addresses afor exactly the same purpose.
.
Except the selling bit doesn't always work. I got spam for the address I used for Which? magazine, and they were terribly apologetic and said their database had been hacked in to, and the addresses stolen.
Corus Hotels and Swinton Insurance are both convinced that the address wasn't leaked by them... and since they are really _really_ out in the wild I can do little about it.
The Registrar was informed.
Andy
Ditto.
I simply black-hole mail for compromised addresses - there are about ten on my list.
In message , Mike Barnes writes
I tried this for a a bit a while back, but in the end I decided it was more faff than was worth it.
I have one address I normally use for online shopping, I've been using it for at least 8 years by the looks of it. It's still a rare occurrence to get spam to that account.
Be carefull!
Some users have mail systems which compare the sender's e-mail address with the IP address it is sent from.
If the sender's address is snipped-for-privacy@xyz.com and the IP address is registered to abc.co.uk, the mail will be rejected. (Simple precaution against spammers.)
It may well work for a lot of your mail but be cautious if your mail is important!
But only to raise the spam score a little. Rejection based on that would be on very dodgy ground. Think of people using their ISPs smarthost to send mail but From: their registered domain, the look up of which would point to the system that accepts mail for them. Their
*might* be a "designated sender" but generally speaking most don't have that set.+1. At least Which owned up to this, rather than just deny it.
Swinton[1] are bastards and I had to complain to the ICO too to stop them keep phoning and writing to me. At least they never had any of my email addresses.
[1] They cocked up my m/c insurance and I had to take them to the Insurance Ombudsman. They /still/ had the cheek to keep cold calling me :-(
Well, here are a couple of rejections based on mails sent via my ntlworl.com account using a tiscali.co.uk address. One was to a company and the other to my local council:
------------------------------------------------------------ This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason:
Your message was not delivered because the return address was refused.
The return address was ""
Please reply to if you feel this message to be in error.
Reporting-MTA: dns; mtaout01-winn.ispmail.private.ntl.com Arrival-Date: ddd, dd mmm 2010 11:21:10 +0000 Received-From-MTA: dns; aamtaout01-winn.ispmail.ntl.com (81.103.221.35)
Final-Recipient: RFC822; Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 Remote-MTA: dns; mail01.somewhere.gov.uk (80.5.88.104) Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 SPF check failed. Sender not authorized
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason:
Each of the following recipients was rejected by a remote mail server. The reasons given by the server are included to help you determine why each recipient was rejected.
Recipient: Reason: "Mail from tiscali.co.uk is denied from host
81.103.221.47 SPF"Please reply to if you feel this message to be in error.
Reporting-MTA: dns; mtaout01-winn.ispmail.private.ntl.com Arrival-Date: ddd, dd mmm 2010 12:29:00 +0000 Received-From-MTA: dns; aamtaout01-winn.ispmail.ntl.com (81.103.221.35)
Final-Recipient: RFC822; Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 Remote-MTA: dns; easymx2.easily.co.uk (62.128.158.225) Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 "Mail from tiscali.co.uk is denied from host
81.103.221.47 SPF"---------------------------------------------------------------------
I can probably find more if I haven't deleted them.
In all cases the repeat mail with 'matching' addresses has been accepted.
However, the majority of mails sent with mis-matched addresses are received ok.
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