It can be very frustrating for end users when they repeatedly try to send or receive email only get the same error over and over again. And if it’s an error message related to problems with a connection then users will have a tendency to continue trying that connection until they reach their frustration limit and wind up in front of their administrator’s desk.

This can happen if you’re running Outlook and trying to send and receive email to a server such as Exchange Server using the Post Office Protocol (POP3) or the Internet Message Access protocol (IMAP) then the following error message may be produced:

“Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this include server problems, network problems, or a long period of inactivity. Account: ‘account name’, Server:’server’, Protocol: POP3, Port 110, Secure (SSL); No, Error Number: 0×800CCC0F”

There are various reasons for this error message to happen some of which include: server problems, network problems or long periods of inactivity. Anti-virus or firewall software application can also cause this error message to occur due to interference. If you suspect it is your anti-virus, firewall or maybe a proxy server that is causing the problems then a review of your configuration settings will be necessary.

An administrator can step through the troubleshooting process by temporarily turning off their antivirus application and then checking to see if email can be sent. If you’re able to do so then you know that the problem lies with the antivirus configuration, settings, version or an incompatibility. Likewise you can turn off your firewall software and check again if email can be sent. If not then the same potential trouble spots will need to be reviewed. Continue reading Troubleshooting Error Code 0×800CCC0F