If you're having problems collecting mail from a POPMail account (eg, if you've got a large email that is taking a long time to download, or a problem making a connection to the mail server), you can connect to the server manually using a telnet connection.

To do this, you need telnet software on your computer. Telnet is built in to Windows 95/98/NT and most Unix systems, but will require a third-party product on Windows 3.1 or Mac systems.

Starting a telnet session under Unix and Windows 95/98/NT uses the same syntax. On a Windows system, open a DOS window and type the command into that; on Unix you can issue the command directly from the shell.

Things you need to know before you start

You will need to know:

• The hostname (or IP address) of your POPMail server
• Your POPMail username
• Your POPMail password

You may be able to find these in the settings of your existing mail software; otherwise you will have a copy of them in your original account documentation.

To make the connection, enter the command:

telnet hostname 110

where hostname is the name of the POPMail server (eg, pop1.mail.uk.psi.net).

On a Windows system, this will open the connection in a new window. On a Unix system, the connection will be made in the current window.

Once the connection is made, you will receive a "server ready" message. You then need to enter your username and password. These are entered on separate lines, by typing:

user username

pass password

where username is your POPMail username, and password is the POPMail password.

If you get an error after the password, it could be either the username or the password that is at fault - you will need to re-enter both of them in order to try again.

Assuming that the connection and login has been successful, there are now some commands you can issue:

LIST

Gives a list of the messages on the server, showing the size of each one (in bytes).

RETR message

where message is the message number.

Displays the contents of the message on the screen. Other than for very short messages, this is probably not helpful, as most of the data will scroll off the top of your window.

TOP message lines

where message is the message number, and lines is the number of lines to display.

Displays the top of the message, for however many lines you have selected. This is very useful for seeing who a message is from, and the basic content.

DELE message

where message is the message number.

Deletes the selected message from the server. Be careful! This is irreversible - if you delete the wrong message, or change your mind afterwards, you can't get it back - it's gone for good.

QUIT

Logs out from the POPmail server.