The other day I got a robomessage (an automated email) from my ISP, Comcast.net, saying that my computer was being used for spam, and thus they were blocking me -- I would be unable to send email.
This accusation is impossible; I use ZoneAlarm Professional (and even pay for it), which blocks mass outbound emailings; and I've run three separate virus-checking programs, which have found nothing. Of course, the Comcast email had no instructions about how to argue the point, other than links to FAQs of smug instructions to use your firewall and run virus programs.
Not a big problem, I thought, I'll just use Gmail as my Reply ISP, which I did - for two weeks, and then that stopped working too.
I went to Comcast.net and drilled down until I found the "chat with a tech" link -- no way was I going to go by telephone and be driven crazy by the phone tree!
The tech said all I need to do was change my Outgoing Server (SMTP) port from the default 25 to 587. Lo & behold, that worked.
He said all Comcast had done when they decided I was a zombie computer was block my port 25.
Of course, it didn't work immediately. I was using Thunderbird, which he promptly told me Comcast doesn't "support." But after I sneered at him (in text), he suggested I delete my existing identities and re-enter them. That worked. (I hate the ease with which companies simply say "we don't support that," like it gets them off the hook. Only Outlook and Outlook Express, he said - ironic, since OE is notoriously insecure!)
I also changed the ports on Outlook, in case I get stuck using that benighted, slow-as-a-pig program.
So I'm back on track.
Sigh. Some days I hate computers.
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2 comments:
Microsoft blocked me as a spammer when I forwarded fraud emails to their piracy@micro$oft.com email link.
I suspect sending more than one did the trick.
It's Comcast you should be hating, not computers.
Question: why haven't you punished them by dropping service?
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