POP3 Error

Hi
Is anyone else recieving this error.

Task '********@talktalk.net - Receiving' reported error (0x8004210A) :
'The operation timed out waiting for a response from the receiving
(POP) server. If you continue to receive this message,
contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'

Was working last night, logged in to web mail ok.

Just what it says: the POP3 server is busy or, more likely, down. Should come up soon as they all do.

Talktalk has had increasingly severe server issues since March with the PoP email servers practically useless this week.

Their technical workaround solution is to switch from PoP3 to IMAP. Once you change your email client settings there is no difference between PoP3 and IMAP except the latter works.

Just found out that the web mail interface does not work with IE10 on Windows 7.

Suspect same on Windows 8

TalkTalk hindrance desk staff told my customer to do a system restore to an earlier date and screwed up their Laptop. I do like getting business from TT, even though personally I would not touch them with a barge pole.

All that was required was to click on the IE compatibility mode icon See MS Instructions here.

In reply to a post by Roy124:

there is no difference between PoP3 and IMAP except the latter works.

<panto> Oh yes there is. </panto>
POP3 and IMAP handle email in quite different ways.

Quite. However the reported error is 'failed to connect' and the underlying issue was a failure of Talktalk's Pop3 servers such that they had insufficient capacity to allow regular connections.

If I left my computer up overnight it would often collect the emails but come morning when I tried to download the full emails it would fail to connect.

Yes, you are right, but the issue was essentially a server issue at Talktalk that they have been addressing on and off in April and May with a definite worsening this week.

My point Phil is that the user can collect their emails using their email client using IMAP whereas it had become tedious waiting for a brief connection to the PoP3 server.

From the user POV there is no difference at the interface.

For the technical tyro would you care to explain the differences?

Have you tried compatabilty mode?
I found it solved the problems I was having in Windows 8.

In reply to a post by Mike_Williams:

Just found out that the web mail interface does not work with IE10 on Windows 7.

POP3 isn't webmail! 2 entirely diff interfaces; former is thro' a mail client on PC, latter is thro' ordinary web browser.

In reply to a post by Chris:

Have you tried compatabilty mode?
I found it solved the problems I was having in Windows 8.

Compatability mode is designed for applications, not browser issues, hence would not solve the issue observed here.