View Full Version : Lost emails
There seem to be an awful lot of emails going missing just now and in some cases, e.g. between members of an organisation, it's causing problems. There seems to be no logic to it - not one particular ISP either in the case of sender or receiver. All using addresses from address book so not incorrect. Some messages get through, some don't. Some you get the MailerDaemon bouncing them back but others you think have gone through until you find later they haven't.
This sounds like a hopeless question but would be interested to know if others are having similar problems. I have just discovered I missed an important message from one person whose emails I thought I always received, so feel I can't rely on anything.
There seem to be an awful lot of emails going missing just now and in some cases, e.g. between members of an organisation, it's causing problems. There seems to be no logic to it - not one particular ISP either in the case of sender or receiver. All using addresses from address book so not incorrect. Some messages get through, some don't. Some you get the MailerDaemon bouncing them back but others you think have gone through until you find later they haven't.
This sounds like a hopeless question but would be interested to know if others are having similar problems. I have just discovered I missed an important message from one person whose emails I thought I always received, so feel I can't rely on anything.
Why error did the MailerDaemon give for bouncing the mail back?
There was a thread just a week or so ago from oldchemist with the same problems so you may want to check that too, although I don't think there was a definitive solution.
There is a particularly nasty virus kicking about just now that is creating a lot of spam attached to legitimate messages. Have you up to date AV? If it has affected you or the others then the ISP or even your own spam filters could be killing the mail. Just a quick thought off the top of my head!
My NOD32 is working away as usual but will do a full check just to see. I do have a spamfilter but check the spam folder regularly and anyway these lost emails are from regular correspondents. Yes, I did check the other thread before posting. I suspect one person who seems to be receiving very little is losing them to her spamfilter and I've spoken to her about it. Many people don't seem to know about blacklists and whitelists or even check their spam folders. It's the irregularity of it all that is so annoying, for instance I frequently get emails from a friend at her work but for two days they didn't come through and I missed something important. Then they were OK again.
Latest message I got (I've removed email address) was
Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
<email address>
205.188.159.57 failed after I sent the message.
Remote host said: 554-: (HVU:B1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554hvub1.html (http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554hvub1.html)
554 TRANSACTION FAILED
--- Below this line is a copy of the message.
then all the usual stuff with masses of code. This was to someone I've both sent to and received from in the last few days. Admittedly it's AOL :roll: .
The others though, as I said before, are a mixture of ISPs.
All so annoying.
Latest message I got (I've removed email address) was
Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
<email address>
205.188.159.57 failed after I sent the message.
Remote host said: 554-: (HVU:B1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554hvub1.html (http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/554hvub1.html)
554 TRANSACTION FAILED
--- Below this line is a copy of the message.
then all the usual stuff with masses of code. This was to someone I've both sent to and received from in the last few days. Admittedly it's AOL :roll: .
The others though, as I said before, are a mixture of ISPs.
All so annoying.
Hi badger,
The URL in the email sent by AOL indicates that one of the URL's in your message (I suspect it actually means email addresses) has attracted significant complaints from AOL users that they are effectively stopping your mail.
I'm a little confused as to whether they are actually stopping Yahoo.com members from sending mail (which I doubt, although it is AOL and they've done similar ridiculous things in the past), just your email address or other email addresses in your mail itself.
This is only one person though and you did say it's happening randomly between you all and you are all on different ISP's.
If we take the lady who you suspect is actually allowing her spam filter to eat the email out of the picture is it still different ISP's and different email domains?
My first test would be to send another message to the person who made the above AOL response appear but only send a few lines of text and don't CC or BCC anybody else in and see if that get's through.
I'd also ask everybody who can to request delivery receipts when they send an email (if they are using Web based mail such as Yahoo etc. then this can't be done). This will let them know when their mail has been delivered to the recipients mail server (not their mailbox, just received by the server).
Let me know the results of that.
Hi Paul
The message I sent to an AOL user was just a few lines of text - no copies to anyone, no links, no nothing. I've just sent it again as a new message so not forwarding the old one. The only thing all my outgoing emails have are the automatic message re. spamfighter which all users of the free version get. Can't see why this should cause a problem when a message sent to the same person a few days ago got through, as do others to AOL. It's the intermittency of it all that gets me - some get through, some don't. Makes no sense. I use OE and have checked the Request Read Receipts box in Tools. I have Outlook (and used it in the past) so assume there you check a Tracking Option - just so I can tell others. Is that what you're suggesting?
Hi Paul
The message I sent to an AOL user was just a few lines of text - no copies to anyone, no links, no nothing. I've just sent it again as a new message so not forwarding the old one. The only thing all my outgoing emails have are the automatic message re. spamfighter which all users of the free version get. Can't see why this should cause a problem when a message sent to the same person a few days ago got through, as do others to AOL. It's the intermittency of it all that gets me - some get through, some don't. Makes no sense. I use OE and have checked the Request Read Receipts box in Tools. I have Outlook (and used it in the past) so assume there you check a Tracking Option - just so I can tell others. Is that what you're suggesting?
Hi Badger,
It could be the spamfighter that's doing it - as you say it is very doubtful (especially as some messages get through and others don't) however we're getting fewer and fewer avenues to try!
I've just noticed that the option I'm looking for (delivery receipt) is not available in Outlook Express. The Request a Read Receipt send a message to you when the recipient displays your messages on the screen. As some of your messages are not getting that far, that receipt won't get sent to you. What I was looking to get was a Delivery Receipt which will always get to you (and if they don't then it's an indication of a different problem) as they indicate that the recipients mail server (in this case AOL) has received the message. This will allow us to see where the message delivery and receipt are failing.
In Outlook 2003 I think the option for a Delivery Receipt is under Options on the toolbar (I use Outlook 2007 so I can't remember where the 2003 options were). It will however be called Request A Delivery Receipt.
Yes - had a feeling that wasn't quite what you wanted in OE. Latest message to AOL has come spinning back so think I'll give up on that for a few days. Fortunately not too urgent. I could email you the whole MailerDaemon message if it would tell you anything (can't put it on here), but don't want to waste more of your time.
Think we may have solved the problem with our group ones that are getting lost. I was getting them bounced back regularly from two people and someone else, who had the same problem, has started emailing these two individually and they are getting through. I had already asked one to check her spam filter and knew the other was having computer problems so thought it was coincidence but now think not. Have written to both individually asking them to check their spam filters and folders, add to white list etc. Doesn't explain all the odd ones going missing in all directions but it's a start.
Thanks Paul.
Yes - had a feeling that wasn't quite what you wanted in OE. Latest message to AOL has come spinning back so think I'll give up on that for a few days. Fortunately not too urgent. I could email you the whole MailerDaemon message if it would tell you anything (can't put it on here), but don't want to waste more of your time.
Think we may have solved the problem with our group ones that are getting lost. I was getting them bounced back regularly from two people and someone else, who had the same problem, has started emailing these two individually and they are getting through. I had already asked one to check her spam filter and knew the other was having computer problems so thought it was coincidence but now think not. Have written to both individually asking them to check their spam filters and folders, add to white list etc. Doesn't explain all the odd ones going missing in all directions but it's a start.
Thanks Paul.
Hi Badger,
I'm glad you're getting somewhere with the emails. It's a small start, but it's giving us both an idea of where things may be going wrong.
PM me the bounceback message. It may tell me more or it may not. Never know until I see it.
You're certainly not wasting my time - if you were, I wouldn't have responded! I've been doing this now for 16 years but I'm learning something new almost every day. I enjoy a challenge :)
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