The PC Expert Blog

Laptop Batteries

Michael Martin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:34:00 GMT

PC world had a recent very good article about laptop batteries that changes many of the things we have come to believe about batteries.\

http://www.pcworld.com/article/191574/long_live_your_laptop_battery.html

To "resynchronize" the Numlock status when Windows seems to keep turning it off:

Michael Martin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:40:00 GMT

To "resynchronize" the Numlock status when Windows seems to keep turning it off:

Make sure bios is setting numlock on
log off
make sure num lock is ON
restart without logging back on
after logon, make sure num lock is on, If not, turn it on then restart again.

Reset your default browser back to internet explorer

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:26:00 GMT

It's easy to reset your your browser back to be internet explorer by default. Click Here to read the article

Speed up your web access with opendns, a high speed DNS server that's free!

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:19:00 GMT

www.opendns.org

DNS Servers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

'm using nslookup on Windows. Why does each response point to your server at resolver1.opendns.com, with address 208.67.222.222, instead of to the domain in question?

nslookup, on Windows computers, appends the default local domain name of the Windows machine to the query. You can work around this by appending a trailing period to the domain(s) you request.

Example:
Instead of nslookup www.craigslist.org
you should use nslookup www.craigslist.org.

Note the trailing period after the .org — critical.

How to restore your DELL PC to a factory state

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:17:00 GMT

First back up all data on your computer as this procedure completely wipes out your system. Turn off the computer and unplug any printers/peripherals (except the mouse, monitor and keyboard).

   1. Power the computer on.
   2. When the Dell screen appears press and hold the <Ctrl> key on the keyboard, press the <F11> key, then release them both at the same time.
      The Dell PC Restore by Symantec window appears.

Follow the onscreen instructions.

Caution: This will probably delete data.

2Wire Homeportal incorrectly identifies 2nd router

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:16:00 GMT

Turn checking for 2nd router off:

type in Homeportal/mdc in browser
Find the setting under firewall for checking for 2nd router and uncheck

also may have to uncheck excessive session if problems arise.

SBC/ATT re-registration information

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:13:00 GMT

Use PPPoE with username: sbcyahooreg@sbcglobal.net
Use PPPoE with password: sbcreg
Go to page: help.sbcglobal.net/register

Slipstream 5100 modem does pppoe and can be configured with:
192.168.0.1 You need the modem access code (on bottom) to configure.

PC Anywhere firewall ports

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:11:00 GMT

Port PCanywhere
PCanywhere uses a range of ports.
When connecting, PCanywhere first sends a UDP packet to ping whether the system is alive. If the user doesn't know the IP address, PCanywhere will ping the entire local address range with these packets looking for servers. These scans are frequently seen by home users from their neighbors.

These UDP pings are sent to both ports 22 and 5632 (in hex, 0x0016 and 0x1600 respectively). The intended port was 5632, but a programming bug swapped the bytes in order versions.

PCanywhere will not work through a firewall because the UDP packet must go through in both directions.

22 (UDP)
Used in older versions, though newer version still use it for backwards compatibility.
5632 (UDP)
Used to "ping" the host in order to check its status (whether the target host is running PCanywhere, and if the service is currently busy).
5631 (TCP)
Remote control runs over this port
65301 (TCP)

Opt Out of Port 25 (SMTP) Port Blocking on SBC

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:08:00 GMT

By default SBC blocks many people from using port 25 (SMTP relay) You can request unblocking by visiting this site:

http://helpme.att.net/article.php?item=4640

Error message: Not enough server storage (Net Share access denied)

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:07:00 GMT

Not enough server storage
Not enough server storage is available to process this command.

Not enough memory to complete transaction. Close some applications and retry.

These error messages can indicate the IRPStackSize bug on the other machine (the server that has the share). On that computer open the event log and check for event ID 2011. If this is present, it is a strong indication for this particular bug.

To repair it, you have to reset the IRPStackSize parameter back to its default value of 15 on the server where the share is.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\SYSTEM
\CurrentControlSet
    \Services
     \lanmanserver
      \parameters

Check for the presence of a value named IRPStackSize. If it doesn't exist, create it as type DWORD. With base set to decimal, enter the value 15.

Reboot the computer.

One frequent culprit is Norton AntiVirus, which tends to change this parameter.

Check also this Microsoft Knowledge Base article. It does not mention Windows XP, but applies to XP as well.

Antivirus Software May Cause Event ID 2011 (Q177078)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/177078

How to map a drive letter to any local folder

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:03:00 GMT

from a command prompt:

Subst X: path

List of Logged in Users

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:01:00 GMT

from a command prompt type:
Net sessions

How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:59:00 GMT

Full article is at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318378

Manually delete temporary files

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:57:00 GMT

Deleting Temp Files

These files will be left in your \Documents and Settings\your username\Local Settings\Temp folder.

Other files are in c:\windows\temp

Use extreme caution in deleting these files.

You can use Windows Explorer to find and delete these files. To be on the safe site, don't delete files with today's date, these files could still be in use (most probably you'll get an error telling you that a file can't be deleted because it's in use).

Deleting other files
Other files you could delete are files with these extensions:

.tmp
.dmp - Dump file. When Windows (or an application) experiences a crash, a memory dump is performed. If you don't use these files (for trouble shooting), delete them, you can save quite a bit of space!
.bak - Backup file; when a new (data) file is created, some programs will rename the old version with a .bak extension. Be careful when removing these files.
.cnt - Help-related file; ever notice those tables of contents when you launch certain Help files? If you don't need a table to help you navigate through a Help file, delete these. They will not come back.
.fts - Help-related file; when you perform a search with a Help file, this is created to make all future searches be performed quicker. E.G., not worth having around unless you use Help files on a daily basis. They are re-created if you do a search in a Help file, so these should be regularly scanned for and deleted.
.gid - Help-related file; when you run a Help file, it creates a GID to make future accesses to that particular help file a tad quicker. They're a complete waste of space. You'll have to delete these on a regular basis, as they are recreated with every Help file execution.
.old - Old file; see .bak.
.~mp - Temporary file; see .tmp.
.$$$ - Old file; see .bak (usually, not always)
.000 - Old file; see .bak

Disk Cleanup Tool Stops Responding While Compressing Old Files

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:55:00 GMT

Disk Cleanup Tool Stops Responding While Compressing Old Files
This article applies to…
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS
When you try to compress old files, the Disk Cleanup tool may stop responding (hang) and you receive the following message:

Disk Cleanup is calculating how much space you will be able to free on (C.
This may take a few minutes to complete.
Scanning: Compress old files
WORKAROUND
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To work around this problem, follow these steps:
Click Start, and then click Run.
Type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
Locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

On the File menu, click Export, and then click Desktop, type VolumeCaches in the File name box, and then click Save.

Note This step creates a backup of the VolumeCaches registry key. If you experience any problems after you complete the steps that are listed in this procedure, you can use this backup to restore the VolumeCaches key to its original state. To restore the key, double-click the VolumeCaches.reg file on your desktop, and then click Yes.
Expand the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Volume Caches

Delete the Compress old files registry key.
Quit Registry Editor.

NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt.

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:54:00 GMT

Issue:

NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt.

Related errors:

Below is a listing of the full error message that may be related to this error.

Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt:

C:\Winnt\System32\Ntoskrnl.exe

Cause:

       1. Keyboard issue
       2. Miscellaneous corruption
       3. Corrupt boot.ini file.
       4. Missing boot.ini file.
       5. Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file.
       6. Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB
       7. Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows.

Solution:

Keyboard issue

This issue has also been known to be caused by a short in the ground wire in the keyboard cable. Make sure this is not the cause of your error by replacing the keyboard with a different keyboard or simply just disconnecting the keyboard from the computer.

Miscellaneous corruption

Before trying any of the below recommendations it's recommend that you attempt to load the last known good configuration. Additional information about doing this can be found on document CH000626.

Corrupt boot.ini file

This issue is often caused when the boot.ini is missing or improperly configured. This issue often arises after a user has recently added or removed an operating system on the computer or added or removed hard disk drives in the computer.

Make sure the line pointing to the operating system and it's drive and partition is properly configured in the [boot loader] and [operating systems] section. Additional information about boot.ini can be found on document CH000492.

Missing boot.ini file

Microsoft Windows XP users:

If the boot.ini is severely corrupted or missing a user running Microsoft Windows XP can rebuild the boot.ini to resolve this issue. Additional information about rebuilding the boot.ini can be found on document CH000648.

Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 users:

To restore the original boot.ini file in Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 you will need an ERD and follow the below steps. If you do not have an ERD you will be unable to follow these steps.

       1. Boot the computer with your Windows NT three setup diskettes or the Windows 2000 setup disc.
       2. In the setup menu, type R to start the repair.
       3. When prompted for the ERD diskette insert the diskette and inspect the startup environment.

Missing or corrupt ntoskrnl.exe file

If the ntoskrnl.exe file is corrupt or missing this can also generate the error. To restore this file follow the below steps.

       1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
       2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
       3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
       4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
       5. Type expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ c:\windows\system32
       6. You will then be prompted if you wish to overwrite the file type Y and press enter to overwrite the file.
       7. Type exit to reboot the computer.

Windows NT installed on a partition bigger then 7.8GB

If you are running Microsoft windows NT 4.0 on a partition larger than 7.8GB this issue can occur if the boot files are located outside this limitation. When this error occurs your computer will have the error message as shown below.

    OS Loader v4.01
    Disk I/O error status=00000001
    Windows NT could not start because the below file is missing or corrupt: winnt\system32\Ntoskrnl.exe
    Please reinstall a copy of the above file.

If your system partition is larger than 7.8GB you will need to delete the partition and recreate the partition to 7.8GB or less. Additional information about this issue can be found on Microsoft KB Q224526.

Corrupted hard disk drive or severely corrupted Windows

Attempt to check the hard disk drive for any errors by running the chkdsk error. To do this follow the below steps.

       1. Insert the Microsoft Windows XP CD. Note: If you have a recovery CD or a restore CD and not a Microsoft Windows XP CD it is likely the below steps will not resolve your issue.
       2. Reboot the computer, as the computer is starting you should see a message to press any key to boot from the CD. When you see this message press any key.
       3. In the Microsoft Windows XP setup menu press the R key to enter the recovery console.
       4. Select the operating system you wish to fix, and then enter the administrator password.
       5. Once at the recovery console type chkdsk /r
       6. Once completed type exit and see if issue is resolved.

If after trying all of the above steps you are still encountering the same issue it's likely that Windows is severely corrupted and it is recommended you attempt to reinstall Windows. Additional information about erasing the computer and starting over can be found on document CH000186.

Finally, if during the Windows installation you encounter errors it's likely that your hard disk drive is bad.

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from Starting

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:53:00 GMT

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry that Prevents Windows XP from Starting
The information in this article applies to:
" Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
" Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q307545
SUMMARY
This article describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not start because of corruption in the registry. This procedure does not guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you should be able to recover data when you use this procedure.

You can repair a corrupted registry in Windows XP. Corrupted registry files can cause a variety of different error messages. Please refer to the Knowledge Base for articles regarding error messages related to registry issues.

This article assumes that normal recovery methods have failed and access to the system is not available except by using Recovery Console. If an Automatic System Recovery (ASR) backup exists, it is the preferred method for recovery; it is recommended that you use the ASR backup before you try the procedure described in this article.

NOTE: Make sure to replace all 5 of the registry hives. If you only replace a single hive or two, this can cause potential issues, since software and hardware may have settings in multiple locations in the registry.
MORE INFORMATION
When you try to start or restart your Windows XP-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate
The procedure described in this article uses Recovery Console, System Restore, and lists all the required steps in specific order to ensure that the process completes fully. After you complete this procedure, the system should return to a state very close to the system before the problem occurred. If you have ever run NTBackup and completed a system state backup, you do not have to follow the procedures in parts two and three; you can skip to part four.
Part One
In part one, you boot to the Recovery Console, create a temporary folder, back up the existing registry files to a new location, delete the registry files at their existing location, and then copy the registry files from the repair folder to the System32\Config folder. When you are finished with this procedure, a registry is created that you can use to boot back into Windows XP. This registry was created and saved during the initial setup of Windows XP, so any changes and settings that took place after Setup completes are lost.

To complete part one, follow these steps:
1. Boot to the Recovery Console.
2. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
md tmp
copy c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\tmp\system.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\software c:\windows\tmp\software.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\sam c:\windows\tmp\sam.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\security c:\windows\tmp\security.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\config\default c:\windows\tmp\default.bak

delete c:\windows\system32\config\system
delete c:\windows\system32\config\software
delete c:\windows\system32\config\sam
delete c:\windows\system32\config\security
delete c:\windows\system32\config\default

copy c:\windows\repair\system c:\windows\system32\config\system
copy c:\windows\repair\software c:\windows\system32\config\software
copy c:\windows\repair\sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam
copy c:\windows\repair\security c:\windows\system32\config\security
copy c:\windows\repair\default c:\windows\system32\config\default

3. Type exit to quit Recovery Console. Your computer will restart.
NOTE: This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example). To create this file, run the following command when you boot into Recovery Console:
batch regcopy1.txt

The Batch command in Recovery Console allows for all the commands in a text file to be sequentially processed. When you use the batch command, you do not have to manually type as many commands.
Part Two
To complete the procedure described in this section, you must be logged on as an administrator, or an administrative user (a user who has an account in the Administrators group). If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, you can log on as an administrative user. If you log on as an administrator, you must first start Windows XP Home Edition in Safe mode. To start the Windows XP Home Edition computer in Safe mode, follow these steps.

NOTE: Print these instructions before you continue. You cannot view these instructions after you restart the computer in Safe Mode. If you use the NTFS file system, also print the instructions from Knowledge Base article Q309531, which is referenced in Step 7.
1. Click Start, click Shut Down (or click Turn Off Computer), click Restart, and then click OK (or click Restart).
2. Press the F8 key.

On a computer that is configured to start to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when you see the Startup menu.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the appropriate Safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
4. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, use the arrow keys to select the installation that you want to access, and then press ENTER.
In part two, you copy the registry files from their backed up location by using System Restore. This folder is not available in Recovery Console and is normally not visible during normal usage. Before you start this procedure, you must change several settings to make the folder visible:
1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Under Hidden files and folders, click to select Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box.
5. Click Yes when the dialog box is displayed that confirms that you want to display these files.
6. Double-click the drive where you installed Windows XP to get a list of the folders. If is important to click the correct drive.
7. Open the System Volume Information folder. This folder appears dimmed folder because it is set as a super-hidden folder.

NOTE: This folder contains one or more _restore {GUID} folders such as "_restore{87BD3667-3246-476B-923F-F86E30B3E7F8}".

NOTE: You may receive the following error message:
C:\System Volume Information is not accessible. Access is denied.
If you get this message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to gain access to this folder and continue with the procedure:
309531 How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder

8. Open a folder that was not created at the current time. You may have to click Details on the View menu to see when these folders were created. There may be one or more folders starting with "RPx under this folder. These are restore points.
9. Open one of these folders to locate a Snapshot subfolder folder; the following path is an example of a folder path to the Snapshot folder:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{D86480E3-73EF-47BC-A0EB-A81BE6EE3ED8}\RP1\Snapshot

10. From the Snapshot folder, copy the following files to the C:\Windows\Tmp folder:
o _REGISTRY_USER_.DEFAULT
o _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SECURITY
o _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
o _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SYSTEM
o _REGISTRY_MACHINE_SAM
These files are the backed up registry files from System Restore. Because you used the registry file created by Setup, this registry does not know that these restore points exist and are available. A new folder is created with a new GUID under System Volume Information and a restore point is created that includes a copy of the registry files that were copied during part one. This is why it is important not to use the most current folder, especially if the time stamp on the folder is the same as the current time.

The current system configuration is not aware of the previous restore points. You need a previous copy of the registry from a previous restore point to make the previous restore points available again.

The registry files that were copied to the Tmp folder in the C:\Windows folder are moved to ensure the files are available under Recovery Console. You need to use these files to replace the registry files currently in the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder. Recovery Console has limited folder access and cannot copy files from the System Volume folder by default.

NOTE: The procedure described in this section assumes that you are running your computer with the FAT32 file system.
Part Three
In part three, you delete the existing registry files, and then copy the System Restore Registry files to the C:\Windows\System32\Config folder:
1. Boot to Recovery Console.
2. At the Recovery Console command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after you type each line:
del c:\windows\system32\config\sam

del c:\windows\system32\config\security

del c:\windows\system32\config\software

del c:\windows\system32\config\default

del c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_software c:\windows\system32\config\software

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_system c:\windows\system32\config\system

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_sam c:\windows\system32\config\sam

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_machine_security c:\windows\system32\config\security

copy c:\windows\tmp\_registry_user_.default c:\windows\system32\config\default

NOTE: Some of the preceding command lines may be wrapped for readability.
NOTE: This procedure assumes that Windows XP is installed to the C:\Windows folder. Make sure to change C:\Windows to the appropriate windows_folder if it is a different location.

If you have access to another computer, to save time, you can copy the text in step two, and then create a text file called "Regcopy1.txt" (for example).
Part Four
1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, and then click System Tools.
3. Click System Restore, and then click Restore to a previous Restore Point.
REFERENCES
For additional information about using Recovery Console, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
307654 HOW TO: Access the Recovery Console During Startup

216417 How to Install the Windows XP Recovery Console

240831 How to Copy Files from Recovery Console to Removable Media

314058 Description of the Windows XP Recovery Console

For additional information about System Restore, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
306084 HOW TO: Restore Windows XP to a Previous State

261716 System Restore Removes Files During a Restore Procedure

Hide users on Windows XP startup screen

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:49:00 GMT

Hide Users on the Welcome Screen
When you add an account for certain users with Windows XP, their user names will appear on the Welcome Screen. Sometimes a user needs to be added to a Windows XP machine, because he needs access (via the network) to resources on the machine, but he will not be physically logging in on the computer. You can remove his name from the Welcome Screen, while still maintaining the user account.

Start the Registry Editor
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon \ SpecialAccounts \ UserList \
Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New > DWORD Value
Name the new value exactly as the Username
Leave the Value data as 0
If you want to enable this user again on the Welcome Screen, either double-click the Username value, and change the Value data to 0, or delete the Username
Close the registry editor

Completely remove network stack

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:48:00 GMT

To completely remove network stack

" Run a repair on Internet Explorer
" Remove all protocols from Network properties
" Remove Networking Devices from Network Properties (not from device Manager)
" Use Add/Remove Windows compenents from Control panel to remove all under communications.
" Regedit - remove keys from Hkey_local_machine\system\currentcontrolset\services\ :
" Winsock
" Winsock2
" Any other Winsocks here
" VXD\Winsock
" VXD\Winsock2
" Any other VXD\Winsocks here
" RemoteAccess\Authentication\SMM_Files
" VXD\DHCP *
" Reset the computer and add all networking back.

How to set up AOL Open Mail (IMAP)

Michael Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:45:00 GMT

How do you use AOL's IMAP/SMTP servers?

The AOL IMAP and SMTP server addresses are:

imap.aol.com (port 143)
smtp.aol.com (port 587)
Log in to the IMAP server using the appropriate AOL screen name (with any spaces removed -- "John Doe" becomes "JohnDoe" or "johndoe" -- this is what we call "normalizing" a Screen Name) and that Screen Name's AOL (not AIM) Password.

The SMTP server requires authentication in order to send mail through it. Just as with the IMAP server, log in using the normalized AOL Screen Name and its AOL Password. You do not need to use the AOL SMTP server, but your message will not appear in your AOL Sent Mail and may be blocked by filters that do not believe AOL members should be sending email without using the AOL SMTP server.

Access to these servers is available whether you are dialed into AOL or another provider, regardless of whether the AOL software is signed on. AOL members using hourly rate plans will not be charged for accessing these servers -- provided they're not dialed into AOL while doing it. Access to the servers will be listed as "<NetMail>" in the Detailed Bill.

These servers will not work for a program that does not support IMAP and Authenticated SMTP. AOL does not have a POP3 server.

AOL provides detailed documentation and examples at Keyword: Open Mail Access, at Postmaster.Info, and in the AOL Help article "Can I read and send AOL e-mail using other e-mail applications?."

AOL's own step-by-step instructions of AOL account setup in various popular email programs include:

Microsoft Outlook Express 6 (AOL Help/AOL Postmaster)
Microsoft Outlook 2000 (AOL Help/AOL Postmaster)
Microsoft Outlook 2002/2003 (AOL Help/AOL Postmaster)
Microsoft Entourage (AOL Help/AOL Postmaster)
Qualcomm Eudora (AOL Help/AOL Postmaster)
Incredimail (AOL Help)
Third-party instructions for AOL account setup include:

Mozilla Thunderbird (Mozilla Thunderbird Help)
Microsoft Entourage 2004 (The Entourage Help Page)
Apple's Mail.app

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AOL's IMAP Folder Structure

The AOL IMAP folder structure includes the following folders:

INBOX
Saved
Sent Items
Spam
VOICEMAIL
The "INBOX" folder contains all of your "incoming" mail, including mail AOL classifies as "New Mail" and "Old Mail." Although messages typically remain in an IMAP inbox indefinitely, these messages are still bound by AOL's standard policy of deleting unread mail older than approximately 27 days (see "How long does mail stay available in my mailbox?") -- so move them to the Saved folder (see below) or a local folder in your email client if you want to keep them for longer. If your IMAP email client is configured to display deleted messages, it will also show messages that AOL classifies as "Recently Deleted." These linger for roughly 24 hours before being permanently deleted. You may also be able to configure your email client to purge deleted items sooner (such as when quitting or when leaving a folder).

The "Saved" folder corresponds to AOL's "Saved on AOL" folder, and is a place to save messages on the AOL email server so that they are accessible from any location (including AOL Mail). This does not correspond with the AOL Personal Filing Cabinet. You are free to move messages in and out of this directory using your IMAP email client, and to create subfolders. Messages in this folder are saved indefiniately, subject to a 20 MB space limitation. (See "How do I save e-mail permanently?" for more information about the Saved on AOL folder.)

The "Sent Items" folder contains all of the mail you've sent through AOL. Some IMAP email clients ask you whether to store sent mail locally (on your computer) or on the IMAP server, but AOL doesn't give you that choice (or need it). AOL will automatically place a sent message in the Sent Items directory, and you will get an error of your IMAP email client tries to do it -- so it's best to configure your IMAP email client to store sent messages in the local Sent folder (if at all).

The "Spam" folder corresponds with AOL's "Spam Folder," which is where you'll find messages AOL has diverted due to its junk email filtering (see Mail Controls for more information), and messages that you have reported as being Spam. They are automatically deleted after approximately 48 hours unless purged sooner.

The "VOICEMAIL" folder is for users of AOL Voicemail premium service.

Note: The Spam and Saved folders may not exist on a particular Screen Name until they are "created." These folders are created using recent AOL for Windows versions (6.0 or later?) and possibly AOL Mail on the web.

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Notes, Issues, and Peculiarities

The SMTP server is currently available both on ports 25 (the default) and 587, which can be configured in most email programs. AOL recommends using port 587, so it's possible that port 25 will stop working some day. Some network providers block port 25 to prevent email abuse. It's also likely that AOL doesn't want to use port 25 because AOL members dialed into AOL and trying to use Open Mail Access will run afoul of AOL's SMTP proxy.
The IMAP server supports SSL, which will encrypt your session to prevent casual eavesdropping. Most current email programs have a checkbox or menu option in the account setup that enables SSL. However, you need to change the server name to imap.cs.com (port 993 -- the standard). Even though imap.aol.com and imap.cs.com are different names for the same server, the SSL "certificate" is written for imap.cs.com and will only work with that name. The SMTP server does not appear to support SSL.
Note that this feature does not appear to be supported by AOL, and may not continue to work.
The AOL mail system does not support S/MIME security. Digitally-signed messages will appear to the recipient to have been tampered with.
Messages cannot be moved or copied into the INBOX or Sent Items folders, except for moving messages from the Spam folder into the INBOX.
Additional IMAP folders cannot be created, except as a subfolder to the Saved folder.
IMAP access to the AOL mail system does not allow for special AOL-only features, such as AOL Return Receipts and checking a message's Status. For these features, you'll need to use AOL Mail via the web or AOL Communicator.
It is not uncommon to end up with a particular message in more than one IMAP folder (see above). A message marked as "Spam," for example, will end up both in the INBOX (marked as Deleted) and the "Spam" folder. This is because IMAP servers don't have a way to move messages between folders -- instead they copy and delete.
AOL's SMTP server does not permit use of a "From" email address other than the appropriate AOL Screen Name's. An attempt to use any other From address will cause the Send attempt to fail with an authentication error. Note that because of this, one should not use smtp.aol.com with a third-party email account. Better to use some other SMTP server (or the AOL SMTP proxy...whichever is working that day). For more information, see Non-AOL Email Accounts.
You cannot use an IMAP email client if your AOL Screen Name is protected with AOL PassCode (because there is no provision in the IMAP specification for presenting a SecurID challenge). AOL-developed programs, such as AOL Communicator, will work.
When the SMTP server first went online, there was an issue causing it not to work with OS X's Mail.app. This problem was subsequently fixed. (Details)
Now that you've switched to a new email program, what are you going to do about your AOL Address Book? See my Tip: Exporting the AOL Address Book.