Can someone help demystify for me, what's happening with the following set-up. Have "helped" <grin> a friend with the following :- A little bit of background :-...he's using an oldish HP/Compaq Laptop with XP SP3+ and recently subscribed to an "Orange home broadband plus 'phone" package,and all is working fine. The problem concerns the hideous "machine-generated" email address that he was allocated/accepted, when he signed with Orange, which of course he can't change unless he cancels and restarts his Orange ISP broadband+phone contract. I explained some of the options that I was aware of, (regarding free email), and yesterday we set up a Windows Live (hotmail?) free email address/account which yielded an email address which he's much happier with, ...and because it's taken a VERY, VERY long time for him to grasp a few basics in OE6 / email, (across the past 6+ years !!!), and rather than introduce him to, (and horrify him with), Windows Live/Hotmail web-page based interface, I popped his Hotmail account details into a new account in OE6 | Accounts :- re:- http://email.about.com/od/outlookexpressfreemail/qt/Access_a_Windows_Live_Hotmail_Account_with_Outlook_Express.htm ...and then discovered that we couldn't send an email with "smtp.live.com" set in "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server:." on the usual port 25....so I changed that to his ISP's SMTP server name, (which is not SSL, so had to switch that off as well), and he can now send emails using OE6, using his new Hotmail account. So I'm left wondering exactly what is happening here ! His new OE6 Hotmail/Live email "account \ properties" incoming Server Name is pop3.live.com on port 995, with SSL switched on,....and in the same OE6 account, outgoing email Server Name is his ISP's SMTP server name i.e. smtp.??????????.co.uk on port 25 , (SSL off), ...so I'm left wondering how and why he is allowed to send an email with his Hotmail "Live" email address, (and Live password in that OE6 account of course), across his ISP's smtp email server ? I understand that many ISP's block port 25 for outgoing email of many flavours. ...just a little insight gratefully accepted, TIA regards, Richard

I don;t see a date on that article - but the server port is not 25.Incoming server name: pop3.live.com - port 995Outgoing server: smtp.live.com - port 587You need to authenticate to send and need to use SSL.Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]Outlook Tips http://www.outlook-tips.net/Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center http://www.slipstick.comSubscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook weekly newsletter or Outlook Daily Tips