Note    This article applies to the Internet Mail Only configuration of Outlook 2000. If you're not sure which configuration of Outlook you have, on the Help menu, click About Microsoft Outlook to check.

When you start Outlook or first connect to your AT&T Internet e-mail server, you might receive the following error message: "Dial-up networking settings not valid. Please check your password."

After you receive this message, sent messages might not leave your Outbox.

This problem might be caused by:

• Incorrect settings in the Internet e-mail account properties.
• Corrupted password (.pwl) file.

First, try the following procedure:

Check your e-mail server settings

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Mail icon.
3. In the list, click your AT&T World Net account, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Services tab, click Internet E-mail, and then click Properties.
5. Click the Servers tab, and then check the entries in the Incoming Mail (POP3) and Outgoing mail (SMTP) boxes. They should be in lower case letters and should match the table below.
   

   Incoming mail (Pop3)	Outgoing mail (SMTP)
   postoffice.worldnet.att.net or use the IP address, 204.127.3.1	mailhost.worldnet.att.net or use the IP address, 204.127.129.4

    Note    If your mail server entries are completely different than listed above, carefully check the server names against what you were provided by AT&T. They should match exactly and be in lower case letters.

6. In the Account Name box, check the accuracy of the part of your e-mail name that's before the @ sign.
7. In the Password box, type your password. Remember, passwords are case sensitive, so you must use the same upper and lower case letters that you entered when you set up your account.
8. Click OK, and then click Close until all dialog boxes are closed.

If the above procedure doesn't resolve the error, your user password list might be damaged. Try the following procedure:

To create a new password list

1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type *.pwl and click Find Now.
3. Right-click the file named username.pwl, and then click Rename on the shortcut menu.
   

    Important    If you're using a personal certificate, you must export it before renaming your .pwl file. If you do not do so, it might be unavailable when you send e-mail.

4. Rename the file to username.old, and then press ENTER.
5. Quit and restart Microsoft Windows® 95 or Microsoft Windows 98.

You'll be prompted to enter a new password before entering Windows.