What are the Hamilton CommunityNet mail servers?

For receiving email (incoming): pop.hwcn.org
For sending email (outgoing): smtp.hwcn.org

Why do I get disconnected after I send or receive e-mail?

In Outlook Express, click on Tools and then Options. Under the Connection tab, make sure that there is not a check mark in the option Hang up after sending and receiving. If there is, remove it and click on OK.

Why does it keep asking me for my password?

If, when you try to connect, you keep having a box pop up asking for your User ID and Password, that means that one of them is wrong. Make sure your Caps Lock is not on and try re-entering the information again. If you keep receiving the box and you know your User ID is correct, then your password is wrong. Remember that the password is case sensitive. If you don't remember your password, call the HWCN help line to have it reset.

Why are people complaining that they can't read my email?

In Outlook Express, click on Tools and then Options. Under the Send tab, near the bottom, make sure that your Mail Sending Format is set to Plain Text, not HTML. (If you send with HTML format, the other person's email may not be able to accept it if it is not set up to do so.)

Why does my email program give me a 'time out' message when I retrieve email?

Chances are someone is trying to send you a very large email, probably with an attachment. In Outlook Express, click on Tools and then Accounts. With your HWCN email account selected, click on Properties. Under the Advanced tab, change the Server Timeouts slider to Long (5 minutes). Click on OK and then Close.

Alternatively, close your email program and log on to Web Email to retrieve, read, save the attachment if desired, and then delete the email (The attachment must not be bigger than the limit set in Web Email). This should remove the offending email from the HWCN server so that when you open your regular email program it will not retrieve it.

Why do I keep getting the same emails over and over again?
Why is my disk quota full?

You may be inadvertently leaving your email messages on our server. In Outlook Express click on Tools and then Accounts. Selecting your HWCN account, click on Properties. Under the Advanced tab, make sure that there isn't a check mark beside Leave a copy of messages on server. Click on OK and then Close.

If your disk quota is full then you will likely have more email on the server than you'll want to download with Outlook Express. The easiest way to delete this mail is to log on with Web Email.

People reply to my email, but I don't receive them/they return to the sender

Make sure that you have the correct email address in your settings. In Outlook Express, click on Tools and then Accounts. Click on your HWCN email account to highlight it and then click on Properties. Under the General tab make sure you have your correct email address entered in the Email Address: field. It is not necessary to enter the email address again in the Reply Address: field, unless you wish to have your email sent to somewhere other than the address specified in the Email Address: field. Click on OK and then Close.