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Login to server smtp.virginmedia.com with username [redacted] failed

rollyjogerjones
Joining in

I can't send any emails. I can still receive them but I continue to be unable to send. I'm given an option to retry, enter a new password or cancel. I've tried to set a new password and also tried to enter my already existing password many times. This is an issue I've had on/off for over a year and I've never been able to find a fix. Sometimes it just resolves itself but my email has been in this state for months now and it's disrupting everything. I also get this message when I enter a new password:
Sending of the message failed.
Unable to authenticate to Outgoing server (SMTP) smtp.virginmedia.com. Please check the password and verify the 'Authentication method' in 'Account Settings | Outgoing server (SMTP)'.

Any help is hugely appreciated.

6 REPLIES 6

Tenebreaux
On our wavelength

Are you using an email client like Outlook or Thunderbird?

Yes, I'm using Thunderbird as my client. I did also just connect my email to Outlook hoping it would help but that's not showing me any of the emails in my inbox. 

用心棒
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Alternatively open a Command Shell or Terminal window and enter the following where username:password is replaced with your email address and password, i.e. richard.branson@virginmedia.com:Y54kpX5g:

curl -v smtps://smtp.virginmedia.com -u username:password 2>&1 | (where findstr && (findstr  "235 VM") || (grep "235\\|VM")) 

Post the redacted results here.


I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more
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I don't know how comfortable I am sharing that on the internet. I don't know what I'm doing with any of this and have no clue what any of this means. I can redact my email but the rest for all I know could be sharing stuff I shouldn't. Also you mentioned this is alternatively? What was the first option? 

用心棒
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

It was an alternative to @Tenebreaux earlier post.

The redacted output comment was put there to cover changes in the SMTP output that may occur overtime. That appears to have now happened with Authentication successful output now including additional text that should be redacted, for example:

< 235 2.7.0 SMTP350 Authentication successful for user richard.branson@virginmedia.com ;id=9xhPnIUyEDRzo;sid=9xhPnIUyEDRzo;mta=csmtp6.tb.ukmail.iss.as9143.net;d=20220119;t=003350[CET];ipsrc=127.0.0.1;

 should be redacted to:

< 235 2.7.0 SMTP350 Authentication successful for [Redacted…]

If an issue has occurred the only text really needed from the output is the VM error code, for example for:

< 535 5.7.8 Authentication Credentials Invalid (VM300)

posting just VM300 is sufficient.