Outlook Problem

[Rocket2]

Hi all - been a while since I posted but have a problem with my Hotmail / Outlook account where some emails to friends get returned with various messages, a couple being "sys64ltd.plus.com gave this error; Remote server returned invalid or missing PTR (reverse DNS) record for sending domain -> 550 Reverse DNS lookup failed for 40.92.55.37"

and

"Your message wasn't delivered. Despite repeated attempts to deliver your message, a connection to the remote server couldn't be made.Contact the recipient by some other means (by phone, for example) and ask them to tell their email admin that it appears that your email system is unable to connecto their email system. Give them the error details shown below. It's likely that the recipient's email admin is the only one who can fix this problem. For more information and tips to fix this issue see this article: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=389361."

Can anyone help me? As none of my friends can solve it & the MS help page is hopeless on this. I am not up to speed with computers so please keep replies as simple as possible but thanks for any help in advance. Will changing my email address help?

[atakacs]

At least the first one, assuming your are using MS servers to send, is entirely on them not having set a reverse DNS entry on that server. Bit surprising but nothing you can do about it.

[cattletruck]

Many e-mail systems are now tightening up their security and can become very picky about who they communicate with. There are an enormous number of options/features that can be employed by the system all dependant on the levels of paranoia one wants to adopt.

In this instance, the e-mail system didn't like how the target e-mail server was set up in public DNS. Normally there are two records for each server - the A record (name to IP address) and the PTR record (IP Address to name). Most e-mail systems that I use or set up will not send to, or receive from, any other e-mail system where those two records are not set up correctly. In your case it looks like the PTR record is missing from public DNS for the target recipient's e-mail server, and Microsoft must have changed their paranoia levels recently and have decided they are now unhappy with this.

[Rocket2]

So assuming there's nothing I can do about this (I assume you can't call MS?) would setting up a new email address solve the problem, having to import all my friends email addresses is a bit daunting tho unless there's a shortcut.

Thanks for your help guys.
R2

[teej013]

Might not be related, but there was a big internet outage reported this morning, mainly hitting Australian & US sites.

Try Googling "Internet Outage".

Teej...

[Rocket2]

Sorry Teej, I never said that this started a couple of weeks ago, just been too darned busy to try getting to grips with it. The thing not all email addresses get blocked.

[Beamr]

The issue is with your email service provider, so you need to contact your admin/helpdesk to sort it out. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it on your own as a client. Nor can the recipients service provider.

Just try with any other email it first (if you have another email address with another service provider); if they go through, you'll have an issue verified.

[Ancient Observer]

As another non-techie user of Outlook, in the past 2 helpful "solutions" or work arounds have helped me.
1. Set up a web-based, (not initially Outlook based) e-mail for yourself on gmail. Send "test" e-mails to the recipients you are having trouble with from this new e-mail account. If they get through OK, then the issue is between your service provider and the recipients service provider.Then, get the recipients to send you an e-mail or two, to both your e-mail addresses. . If they work, it might solve your problem?? If not, If you are with, say, BT, then call them.
I am told that with the right " help" from Mr Google, one can run multiple accounts from your Outlook. (I don't)
.
2. Go in to your email account via the url, not Outlook. Try sending test type e-mails again. Experiment as with 1.

And don't forget IT 101. Turn everything off. Leave for 10 mins, and turn on again! I was once told that turning everything off sometimes requires unplugging from the wall socket! Being ignorant, I will try anything!!

[MarkD]

Mxtoolbox (a very handy resource indeed) does not show a DNS record for plus.com (assuming that domain is where you are sending)

this is not your issue - it’s your recipient’s issue. Give them a call - I doubt they are getting email from anyone

[atakacs]

Mxtoolbox (a very handy resource indeed) does not show a DNS record for plus.com (assuming that domain is where you are sending)

this is not your issue - it’s your recipient’s issue. Give them a call - I doubt they are getting email from anyone

You got that wrong I'm afraid.

This is the recipient server doing a reverse DNS on the sender IP 40.92.55.37 (a very common check) and not finding a PTR record.

The sender being a Microsoft SMTP systems that is possibly misconfigured in their DNS. The only way to fix this is either for Microsoft to make an entry for said IP or for the user to retry in the hope that a different, hopefully correctly configured server will be used. An alternate explanation is there might be an issue with the resolver used by plus.com as the IP currently resolves to a Microsoft server in Oslo, Norway. So either they fixed it since you posted or plus.com doesn't know how to do reverse DNS...

[Rocket2]

Thanks again folks, the problem has gone on for the last two weeks, tried re-booting my Apple Mac but didn't expect it to resolve the problem as it happens across all three platforms that I use, incl my Samsung S3 phone & S10 tablet. It seems that btinternet accounts reject all my emails as well as some more obscure ones but by no means all so am having to ask friends & family to forward my emails on. Very frustrating!

R2