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FAQ: E-mail and Internet Setup

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General Questions

E-mail Listings

Q: How do I e-mail Listings?

A: If you use PC Access for Windows 4.30 you can use PCAPLUS.EXE to e-mail listings. For information on setting up and using PCAPLUS.EXE see the following topics in the PC Access for Windows Reference Guide:

If you use PC Access for Windows 4.20 , 4.10 , or 4.00 on a Maestro or Compass MLS system, follow the instructions in the URLs below to e-mail listings:
Related Information

E-mail Compatibility

PC Access 4.20 Compatibility

Q: Can I use the E-mail Message window in PC Access 4.20?

A: No. The E-mail Message window is available in version 4.30. Contact your local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) or VISTAinfo for upgrade pricing and availability.

Related Information

Web-Based E-Mail Services

Q: Can I e-mail listings to recipients who use Juno or other web based e-mail services?

A: No. However, some Internet Service Providers (ISP) or Internet based e-mail services may be able to receive e-mail attachments. These Internet Service Providers (ISP) or Internet based e-mail services may have limitations on the size of the attachment. Have the recipient check with his or her (ISP) or Internet based e-mail service to find out if he or she can receive attachments.

Related Information

Error 11001 When Sending E-mail

Q: When I send MLS listings using the E-mail Message window, an "11001 - Host Not Found" error occurs.

A: This error message means you do not have access to the SMTP mail server. You may have entered an incorrect SMTP mail server in the E-mail Setup window, or PCAPLUS.EXE cannot access your SMTP mail server. Contact your ISP or Online Service to verify your SMTP mail server and ask if you can access their SMTP server outside of their domain. You may use PING to check whether your SMTP server is directly reachable via the Internet.

Related Information

Error 11002 When Sending E-mail

Q: When I send MLS listings using the E-mail Message window, an "11002 -Non-Authoritative Host not found sending e-mail" error occurs.

A: This occurs when a third party e-mail program (in this case, PCAPLUS.EXE) cannot access your SMTP mail server. This error occurs when you attempt to send an e-mail message from the E-mail Message window using a proprietary Online Service's SMTP mail server. Ask your Online Service provider if third-party programs can access their SMTP server.

Related Information

Error 11004 When Sending E-mail

Q: When I send MLS listings using the E-mail Message window, an "11004 - Valid name, no data record of requested type" error occurs.

A: This error message occurs when a third party e-mail program (in this case, PCAPLUS.EXE), attempts use a proprietary SMTP mail server to send e-mail. MSN and AOL are two examples of Online Services that do not allow third party e-mail programs to access their SMTP mail server.

Related Information

Error 503 When Sending E-mail

Q: When I send MLS listings using the E-mail Message window, an "Error 503 Sender already specified sending e-mail" occurs.

A: The SMTP mail server you entered in the My Internet Mail Server field in the E-mail Setup window may require SMTP authentication login. Many third party e-mail programs (in this case, PCAPLUS.EXE), do not support SMTP authentication logins.

To correct this problem, see: SMTP Mail Server Errors.

Related Information

MSN Mail Servers

Q: Why can't I use the PC Access E-mail Accessory with MSN?

A: Microsoft's MSN Internet service changed their outgoing mail servers (SMTP) to use Secure Password Authentication (SPA).

Many e-mail programs do not support SPA on their SMTP mail servers. Only Microsoft Outlook 2000 (MFM is unsure about earlier versions), Outlook Express 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 support SPA on their SMTP mail servers. In addition, Microsoft also prohibits MSN users from using any third-party e-mail programs, such as PCAPLUS.EXE.

The PC Access E-mail Accessory does not support SMTP SPA. This means you will not be able to use the E-mail Accessory with MSN. If you would like to use the PC Access E-mail Accessory, you will need to find a third-party e-mail service or use an ISP that provides POP3 and SMTP e-mail services.

For more information about MSN security, visit this URL on the Internet:

Related Information

E-mail Setup

Mail Server Name

Q: What mail server name I should use in the E-mail Setup window?

A: For the information you'll need to use in the E-mail Setup window, see: How To Find Your Mail Server Name in Common E-Mail Programs. You can also reference this topic in the PC Access for Windows Reference Guide: E-mail Setup window.

Grayed-Out E-Mail and Internet Setup

Q: I am using PC Access 4.30. Why are the E-mail and Internet setup options grayed out?

A: The PCAPLUS.EXE program that enables these options does not run in Windows 3.1x. PCAPLUS.EXE is a 32-bit program that requires Windows 95, 98 or NT.

Related Information

E-mail Message Construction

Illegible Message Formatting

Q: I sent an MLS listing via the E-mail Message window and the recipient says the listing text has run together and is unreadable.

A: An MLS listing usually contains column formatting that only appears correctly in a fixed-width font. There are two ways to insure that the recipient sees the listing with the proper formatting:

  • Tell your recipient to set his or her e-mail program to display the message in a fixed-width font, like Courier. This will correct the spacing in the listing text.
  • Select Send Listings in HTML Format in the E-mail Message window.

Related Information

Messages without Listings

Q: Can I send an e-mail message without a listing?

A: Yes. To compose and send a plain text e-mail message, click the E-mail button on the PC Access Main Menu. The E-mail Message window lets you send messages, but it cannot receive messages. To read your incoming e-mail messages from your ISP, you must use a general-purpose e-mail program such as Netscape Communicator.

Related Information

Deleting E-Mail Addresses

Q: How do I delete e-mail addresses in the drop-down list on the E-mail Message window?

A: PCAPLUS.EXE stores up to 30 e-mail addresses in the MAIL.HST file. PCAPLUS.EXE writes MAIL.HST in your Home Directory. You can use Windows Notepad or any other text editor to edit the MAIL.HST file. You can also delete the MAIL.HST file.

Follow the instructions below to remove e-mail addresses from your MAIL.HST file.

  1. Click Start | Programs | Accessories | Notepad.
  2. In Notepad click File | Open....
  3. Next to Look in: select your PC Access executable directory from the drop-down list. This is usually C:\PCAWIN.
  4. In the list of files and folders, double-click your Home Directory. The name of your Home Directory could be part of your name or your Agent ID.
    • Note: If your Home Directory is not obvious in the list of files and folders, you can look it up in PC Access:
      1. On the PC Access for Windows Main Menu window, click the Setup Menu button.
      2. On the Setup Menu window, click Advanced.
      3. On the Advanced Setup Menu window, click Agents.
      4. On the Agent Setup window, highlight your name in the List of Agents and click Edit.
      5. On the Edit Agent window, look in the Home Directory field. Close all the setup windows by clicking Cancel or Close.
  5. Next to Files of Type: select All Files from the drop-down list.
  6. Select your MAIL.HST file and click Open.
  7. Delete the e-mail address(es) you no longer want. (Be sure to delete the entire line containing an address you no longer want.)
  8. Click File | Save.
  9. Click File | Exit to close Notepad.

Related Information

Removing an Invalid E-Mail Address

Q: Can I remove an invalid E-mail address on outgoing messages?

A: Yes. If you enter an invalid E-Mail address in the E-Mail To: field on the E-mail Message window, you can use Windows Notepad or any other text editor to edit the invalid entry in the MAIL.OUT file. The MAIL.OUT file is in your Home Directory. The MAIL.OUT file stores one or more E-Mail messages from the time you click the Send button on the E-mail Message window until PCAPLUS.EXE sends the message(s). If the MAIL.OUT file contains an e-mail message with an invalid E-Mail address, PCAPLUS.EXE cannot send messages that appear after that message in the MAIL.OUT file.

Follow the instructions below to remove e-mail invalid addresses from your MAIL.OUT file.

  1. Click Start | Programs | Accessories | Notepad.
  2. In Notepad click File | Open....
  3. Next to Look in: select your PC Access executable directory from the drop-down list. This is usually C:\PCAWIN.
  4. In the list of files and folders, double-click your Home Directory. The name of your Home Directory could be part of your name or your Agent ID.
    • Note: If your Home Directory is not obvious in the list of files and folders, you can look it up in PC Access:
      1. On the PC Access for Windows Main Menu window, click the Setup Menu button.
      2. On the Setup Menu window, click Advanced.
      3. On the Advanced Setup Menu window, click Agents.
      4. On the Agent Setup window, highlight your name in the List of Agents and click Edit.
      5. On the Edit Agent window, look in the Home Directory field. Close all the setup windows by clicking Cancel or Close.
  5. Next to Files of Type: select All Files from the drop-down list.
  6. Select your MAIL.OUT file and click Open.
  7. Delete the invalid e-mail address.
  8. Click File | Save.
  9. Click File | Exit to close Notepad.

Related Information

Sending Multiple Listings

Q: Can I e-mail more than one listing at a time with the E-mail Message window?

A: No. Due to MLS system limitations, you can only send one listing at a time. However, there are several reasons why it may be benefical to send one listing per e-mail message.

  1. If you send several listings in a single message, you increase the chance of having the recipient's e-mail server bounce the message because it's too large (mostly due to the photos).
  2. If you send a number of listings in one message, your clients cannot easily discard the listings they are not interested in. From the client's perspective, it may be better to receive each listing as a separate message. This makes it easier to discard unwanted listings and keep track of the listings they may be interested in.
  3. If any of your clients have a dial-up modem connection and you send a large number of listings in one message, your clients have to wait for all of the listings to download before they can start to view any of them. If you send the messages individually, they can view the listings one by one as they download while the remaining listings continue to download in the background.

Related Information

Sending to Multiple Addresses

Q: Can I send a listing to more than one e-mail address?

A: Yes. You can enter more than one e-mail address In the E-mail To: field on the E-mail Message window. Separate the e-mail addresses with a comma. For example,

    jsmith@mfm.com,sjones@earthlink.com
    or
    "Jan Smith" <jsmith@mfm.com>,"Sidney Jones" <sjones@earthlink.com>

Related Information

E-mail Connectivity

Sending E-Mail While On-line with MLS

Q: How does PCAPLUS.EXE send e-mail when I am on-line with my MLS via a dial-up connection and my computer is not currently connected to the Internet?

A: When you have disconnected from your MLS, PCAPLUS.EXE will use your Dial Up Networking connection to dial your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Related Information

Re-Dialing a Busy ISP

Q: I connected to the MLS and selected several listings to e-mail. PCAPLUS.EXE dialed my Internet Service Provider (ISP) and received a busy signal. Can I make PCAPLUS.EXE re-dial my ISP and e-mail the listings?

A: Yes. Dial back into your MLS using PC Access. At your MLS' Main Menu, logout. This will initiate PCAPLUS.EXE to connect to your ISP and e-mail your listing.

Related Information

Dialing an ISP after an MLS Session

Q: I have selected a listing to e-mail. When I disconnect from my MLS, PCAPLUS.EXE does not dial my Internet Service Provider (ISP) to send the e-mail message.

A: Follow the steps below to provide PCAPLUS.EXE with the name of your ISP .

  1. On the PC Access 4.30 Main Menu window, click Setup | Advanced | Internet.
  2. In the Internet Setup window select Use Dial-Up Networking to Access the Internet.
  3. Select the name of your ISP (from the drop-down list) next to Dial-Up Connection.

Related Information

Accidental MLS Disconnects

Q: How do I stop getting disconnected from my MLS when I select a listing to e-mail?

A: Click Setup | Advanced | Internet. In the Internet Setup window, uncheck Hang up Immediately from Internet on MLS logoff.

Related Information

Internet

Empty Dial-Up Connection

Q: On the Internet Setup window, the Dial-up Connection drop-down list is empty. How can I select my Internet Service Provider (ISP) if the drop-down list is empty?

A: The drop-down list is empty because you do not have a Dial-Up Networking connectoid configured in Windows. Contact your ISP for assistance in setting up a Dial-Up Networking connectoid .

Related Information

Connect to MLS via the Internet

Q: Can I connect to my MLS using my Internet Connection?

A: Contact your local MLS office to determine if your MLS system is accessible via the Internet. If so, your MLS office will provide you with an IP address and PC Access setup information. When you have the IP address of your MLS, follow the instructions below to connect to your MLS via the Internet:

  1. From the PC Access Main Menu, click Setup Menu Advanced | MLS Setup.
  2. In the MLS Setup window, select the TCP-Telnet option in the Connection dialog box.
  3. Click the TCP/IP tab. In the Host Name or IP Address field, enter the IP address of your MLS system.
  4. Click OK to close the MLS Setup window.
  5. Click Call MLS to connect your MLS via the Internet.
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