Fix Outlook Express Errors 550 and 0x800ccc0e

Once in a while, when you try to send or receive an email, an error message may appear on your screen indicating there is an issue preventing you from sending or receiving emails.

Outlook Express errors occur due to mis-configured SMTP settings between the client and server. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is basically a protocol that used for sending outbound mails. Discussed below are two common Outlook Express errors:

Error Code: 550

Symptoms:

Any attempt to send an e-mail fails with an error message that looks similar to:

‘Error 550. Relaying not allowed.’

However, the exact way this message is phrased might vary; we’ll see why a little later. Sometimes, you might not even receive any error message and still the email send process may fail nonetheless.

Cause:

Error 550 is a common error that occurs when you change your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or create a new outbound connection, a fresh connection with your existing ISP.

This error is generated from the email server and not by Outlook Express. This is why the error message shown is the one that is sent by the email server. As stated previously there might even be no error message, but the email fails to transmit. The main reason why this occurs is a mismatch in the SMTP settings between the one that is configured on your computer and the one that your Internet Service Provider expects.

Solution:

To resolve this issue, first contact your ISP for the correct email accounts settings, then perform the following steps to configure your email account accordingly:

1. Open Outlook Express.
2. Display the Tools menu.
3. Click Accounts.
4. In the Internet Accounts dialog box, select your email account and click Properties.
5. On the Servers tab, ensure that your SMTP settings (as well as POP3) are correct and the My server needs authentication (most ISPs require this for security purposes) check box is selected.
6. Once you are done, click OK to save your changes, exit the open dialog boxes and try to send your emails again.

Error: 0x800ccc0e

Symptoms:

On attempting to send or receive mails in Outlook Express, the following error message may pop up:

‘The connection to the server has failed. Account: '<account name>', Server: '<SMTP server name>', Protocol: SMTP, Port: 25, Secure (SSL): No, Socket Error: 10051, Error Number: 0x800CCC0E.’

Causes:

This error usually occurs when the remote email server refuses connection from your email client. This happens when you are attempting to send emails using a different provider while you are connected through another service provider.

The error may also occur if a third-party anti-malware software and firewall interfere with Send and Receive process of Outlook Express.

Solution:

There’s probably something wrong with your SMTP or POP3 settings. Check settings in Outlook Express. Before proceeding further, confirm the correct email settings from your Internet Service Provider.

Disable any third-party firewalls or anti-malware software that might be interfering with the  email Send and Receive process. If the problem is solved this way, contact the software vendor for support and advice. You may also opt to use a more user-friendly anti-malware tool, such as XofSpySE.