Cannot send email... (0x800CCC0F) Connection to server interrupted - Comcast customer

This problem has been reported many times by folks who were once Comcast customers but no longer are.

THIS IS NOT ME - I AM A COMCAST CUSTOMER using Outlook 2019 with POP3 under Windows 10, all current on updates.

I use the Mozillia VPN, Windows firewall and Malwarebytes.

I have been a long-time user of this configuration without this problem until recently.

I shut down Outlook every evening and relaunch it in the morning.

Last night I successfully sent an email at 12:15 AM but this morning when launched Outlook it was blocked.

It can only be cured by rebooting.

More generally it happens after a period of time and can be cured by a reboot.

I did retry closing Outlook and restarting it in the safe mode - Outlook could not launch and reported this error:

"The connection to the outgoing (SMTP) server was dropped. Please check the outgoing (SMTP) server settings and try again."

From reading the dialogs of the non-Comcast customers it sounds like there is some sort of authentication discrepancy between Comcast and my OS - any ideas what it is and how to fix it?

Responses

Again

Expert

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31K Messages

10 months ago

@tom94022

Have you tried shutting off your VPN?

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XfinityKei

Official Employee

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1.1K Messages

9 months ago

@tom94022 Thanks for reporting an issue with outlook. Have you checked and confirmed your settings are all correct? https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/configure-outlook-express-xfinity-internet?view=app I have a link that has our current settings for email. Take a quick peek and ensure all the settings are correct including the SMTP.

Are you able to log into the Xfinity email account without an issues?

5

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tom94022

New Poster

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9 Messages

Thanks for the response. I'm pretty sure my settings are all correct, the last time I checked I did extend the timeout.

It happened to me again this morning, at about 10:00 AM PT, with 5 emails stuck in the outbox. The problem may turn out to be my Mozilla VPN, I am running version 2.13.0 (2.202301272131) on my desktop along with Outlook. I turned the VPN off and had Outlook re-send all messages - they all went! Did not have to exit Outlook!

On my laptop I don't have a VPN or Outlook and connect using xFinity email - never had the problem. Of course, I don't have a VPN there either.

Looks to me like something related between Comcast and the VPN. I'm going to put the VPN on my laptop and see what happens :-)

Problem may be resolved but will keep posting here until it is clearly the VPN.

No big deal to turn it off to send but I shouldn't have to

Tom

9 months ago

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XfinityKei

Official Employee

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1.1K Messages

@tom94022 Thanks for the update. I am glad to know you have found a workaround. I use a VPN as well for work and I understand how important it's to send and receive emails. Was it the VPN when you tried with your laptop?

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
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9 months ago

0

tom94022

New Poster

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9 Messages

FWIW, the lockup appears to be somewhat permanent for an Outlook session on my desktop. That is, I tried to send another email, it failed to send so I turned off the VPN and had Outlook send it again - it went.

Haven't yet tried exiting Outlook, turning off the VPN, and the restarting Outlook to see if I can further isolate the lockup.

Not have I yet tried sending anything on my laptop with the VPN installed to see if it is something related to Outlook

Will keep you informed.

Tom

9 months ago

XfinityAlex

Official Employee

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881 Messages

@tom94022 We may need some additional information. However, I should caution you that while you use a VPN for legitimate purposes, that's not the case for all users of VPNs. This can sometimes lead to a VPN exit node being marked as dangerous (VPN providers do not tend to share their exit nodes, as they may be unfairly targeted). If you have the IP that is associated with your VPN usage, we can try to look to see if it's been used in a bad way in the recent past.

9 months ago

XfinityKei

Official Employee

•

1.1K Messages

@tom94022 Can you check your VPN settings to see if there are any updates? Can you close out both Outlook and your VPN and restart them both?

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer. tick

9 months ago

0

tom94022

New Poster

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9 Messages

9 months ago

I had two emails stuck, so I exited Outlook, turned the VPN OFF and then ON, restarted Outlook and the two emails were sent.

Pretty clear this a Comcast issue with my Mozilla VPN.

It was not current, so I updated to Mozilla VPN 2.20 which purportedly has minor bug fixes, UI adjustments and other performance improvements.

Not sure if this update fixes my problem so I will leave it open but the work around seems to be exit Outlook, turn the VPN off and on and restart Outlook, a bit of a pain but I don't send too many emails so I can live with it for a while. :-)

Tom

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tom94022

New Poster

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9 Messages

9 months ago

Upgraded to lastest version of Mozilla VPN, same problem - emails stuck in Outlook, turned VPN off and Outlook sent emails.

Pretty clear the problem is Comcast rejecting the IP address assigned by Mozilla.

I did install Mozilla on my laptop where I use Infinity to manage my emails; rarely send from there so it is a bit early to see if some intereaction between Outlook and Mozilla is part of the problem.

Not sure exactly what to do at this point other than watch for stuck mails on my laptop; a Comcast solution would be welcome.

1

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XfinityDaveL

Official Employee

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190 Messages

@tom94022 Hi! I sent you a private forum DM a moment ago. Can you read and reply when convenient?

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer. tick

9 months ago

0

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tom94022

Cannot send email... (0x800CCC0F) Connection to server interrupted - Comcast customer

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