Q. What is the correct format for my Adams email address?

 A. Your email address (in most cases) is the same as your Internet login. If your Internet login was johndoe, your email address would be This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it -- all lower-case and without extra punctuation or spaces. Any extra space or an extra . in an email address results in an error.

Q. Why is it important to make sure that my email settings are correct? How can I test them?

A. First, to make sure that your email reaches the intended destination. If you misspell your "hosting" server, that is you list This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it instead of This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it -- your mail may be refused by the mail server on the other end that will try to verify that the sending server (adams.net) is legitimate. Since adams.net is not a real server, the mail is refused. But the refusal message can't be returned to you because This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it does not exist. So the "postmaster" at adams.net gets your "bounced" mail.

You can test your settings by sending a test email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the words "Test from YOUR NAME and PHONE NUMBER" in the subject line. Replace YOUR NAME with your real name and last 4 digits of your phone number and type a few words in the message area. Then SEND the message. Wait about 60 seconds and then check for new mail. If you receive an automated reply, then all is well. If you do not receive an automated reply after checking for new mail after another 5 minutes, you may have improper reply settings that need to be corrected.  By placing your name and last 4 digits your phone number in the subject line, the failed message will wind up in the Postmaster's mailbox and we'll know who to contact about the problem.

Q. I keep getting objectionable or offensive mail? What can I do?

A.  All holders of 'adams.net' addresses are automatically set up with our EBlocker spam and virus protection service. This service will stop 95% or more of unwanted mail from reaching your Inbox.  Messages that are potentially unwanted are 'quarantined' before reaching you in a special Message Center.

To access your EBlocker account to view your Message Center and change EBlocker settings go to: http://eblocker.adams.net - you will need to supply your email address and password to log in.

NOTE :  All Adams mail accounts have EBlocker enabled for virus and spam filtering. Virus and spam filtering cannot be turned off.

You can send objectional emails to to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so they can be reviewed and used to help improve the service. More information can be found in the upper-left corner of your main Message Center page after logging in.

You can also you can send a copy of the full email headers of abusive or threatening mail by using our submission form. Note that this should be used only for submission of threatening or abusive mail, as directed by an Adams technician, not for reporting common spam.

The information contained in these headers can help us determine the source of the mail.

Q. Why do I get email addressed to someone else?
A. To try to bypass spam-filtering or other methods of control, spammers will frequently put a few addresses (or just one) in the "TO:" field in the email and will then place all the other recipients in the "Blind-Carbon Copy" field (BCC:) where the recipient's addresses are not visible. This explains why user " This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " can receive a mail apparently sent to " This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ".

Q. Who is " This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "?
A. The MAILER-DAEMON is part of the Adams mail server software. When it encounters an email with a bad address that can't be delivered or is refused by the mail server on the other end, it tries to deal with the problem. If it cannot resolve the issue (due to a severe error or after a certain time limit), it sends a message, which generally contains the undeliverable mail (including any attachments), back to you with an explanation why there was a problem.

Q. I got a failure notice mail from the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
What does that mean?
A. It means that there was a problem in delivering the mail you sent. The most common causes are these:

• You sent an email to an incorrect (misspelled or improperly formatted) email address.
• You sent an email to an account that is closed.
• You sent an email to a person whose mailbox is full and cannot receive any more mail.
• You sent an email to someone with an attachment that is too large to be accepted.
• Your return address is improperly formatted and the other server can't verify your identity.
• You list a recipient several times and the other server thinks you're trying to "mail bomb" their user.
• You have been "blocked" by the recipients' mail server from sending mail to that mail server

Q. I got a message saying that I have reached my mailbox quota? What now?
A. As a courtesy to you, you will receive a message when your mailbox has reached 90% of the 1000 MB (1 GB) limit or total 5000 messages (you may have more if you have contracted for it). This value (900 MB) is listed in your usage when you select 'Internet Usage' on our website.

When your mailbox reaches it's limit, several things happen:

• You cannot receive new mail.
• People sending you mail receive an "undeliverable" message and the mail is returned to them.
• Your email program may "freeze" because it can't figure how to handle the situation.

Properly managing your "leave mail on server" settings can help with this. Checking your email on a regular basis is another way. Choosing to get off some of the "mailing lists" that are offered by many news and shopping web sites can greatly help manage your mail volume and prevent a full mailbox.

A. First, if you know the person, ask them to stop sending attachments without asking you first. Let them know that you appreciate their consideration, but attachments makes checking your mail take longer than you'd like and you are afraid that you'll miss important messages.  If you still have problems, send a note to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Q. What does the "leave on server" option mean? Why is it so important?
A. Your email program can, after it retrieves your mail, leave a copy on our server or tell it to delete the messages you've received. having it set incorrectly can cause many problems. Because this setting is so important, we've created a special page of instructions.

Q. Why does it take so long to download my mail?
A. Your mail download time is influenced by many factors:

• One, your connection speed matters. The slower the connection speed, the longer it takes. If you are downloading files from a web site or listening to "streaming" audio or video while trying to receive mail, your mail download times will be longer.
• Two, you receive a lot of large mails -- either with attachments or just long or highly formatted messages. Signing up for "HTML format" mail from mailing lists may give you pretty emails to look at -- but they take 3 to 4 times longer to download than ones that are just plain text.
• Three, you have a lot of old messages still on the server. Your email program has to sequentially check all the messages still on the server to get to the newest, unread ones. If you have 100 old messages still on the server it will take longer to get to the 2 new ones at then end than if there were only the 2 new messages on the server to start with.

Q. Does Adams offer a 'Webmail' server?
A. Yes. The Adams WebMail server can be accessed here: http://webmail.adams.net

Like many other webmail services you can create custom folders, addresse book entries and so on.  But please note that only the Inbox of Adams WebMail is visible using a POP3 mail client.

Q. What is a "POP3" server?
A. That stands for "Post Office Protocol 3" . It is the dominant standard for email programs for storing and handling received mail.

The POP3 server for 'adams.net' addresses is:  pop3.adams.net

Q. What is an "SMTP" server?
A. That stands for "Simple Mail Transport Protocol". Virtually every mail system uses
this for sending mail to other systems.

The basic SMTP server for 'adams.net' addresses is:  smtp.adams.net

Q. What is "Port 25 Blocking"?
A. Virtually all clients within our network will be using the Adams mail server(s) to send their outgoing mail.  Port 25 is used to send mail between mail servers and is also used by viruses to send mail to others.  Adams blocks port 25 traffic from dialup accounts from leaving our network except through our mail servers (where viruses can be tracked and/or removed).

Q. What is an "IMAP" server?
A. That stands for  " Internet Message Access Protocol ". Using IMAP allows you to manage folders on the mail server similar to a webmail program, yet you can use an standalone mail client.  Outlook Express, Outlook, Netscape/Mozilla and Thunderbird are among the mail programs that allow you to use IMAP.

The IMAP server for 'adams.net' addresses is:  imap.adams.net

If you use Adams WebMail please note that folders created in WebMail or IMAP other than the Inbox can be be viewed between the two methods; these folders cannot be viewed in a typical POP3 client.

Q. Can I check my Adams email from more than one computer?
A. Yes. Even connected through another provider you can check your mail -- you just need to make sure that you use pop3.adams.net as the POP3 server setting. You can also use Adams WebMail or IMAP.

Q. Can I have more than one mail account?
A. Yes. Contact our Service Department at 1-877-696-4611 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. and they can get you set up with additional email accounts.

Q. How do I check mail if I have more than one mail account?
A. There are several email programs that let you manage multiple email accounts within them. Outlook Express is one of them. To help separate their mail some users have found that it is easier to use one program, such as Outlook Express, for one email account and use another program, such as Netscape, to handle a second account.  Of course, you can always use the Adams WebMail -- see our home page, www.adams.net, to access it.

Q. What is a "virtual email account"?
A. That is a mail account for a "hosted domain" where Adams provides the web hosting and mail services for a business that prefers not to have or maintain its' own mail or web server. The user has an email address of This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it that is actually an email account of This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . By listing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it in the email settings people who receive and reply to email will see the "@mysite.com" email address and not an Adams address.