Email FAQ

These messages don't mean that they won't be delivered... "Deferred" means "put off" or "delayed". (Note that different servers may warn you "message still undelivered" for different time periods, and will "keep trying" for different time periods.)

It also, in this case, doesn't mean there's a problem with the recipient's email, though, at times, email servers not only "go down", but are "taken down" to affect repairs.

Think of it as snail-mail you put in a postal mail box last week. The delivery truck got stuck in a snow bank in Fargo, ND, and they are just letting you know that the bill you paid in that envelope hasn't been delivered, yet. In the message above, they are saying that they have tried for four (4) hours (think once every few moments), to pull the mail out of the truck and/or the truck out of the snow, but haven't been able to. They will keep trying for 5 days. (Remember that time periods may vary.)

You will be notified in 5 days (from when you sent the message) if it doesn't go through. (See below)

There are many, many servers in "Internet-land", and there are a lot of computers/servers the message is routed through until it reaches the destination. One of them (probably) temporarily failed.

If it's really important, try to send it again, or, if it's urgent, use the phone.

If you try to send it again, you might want to warn the receivers in that second email that this is your second try and they may get another copy. The second "truck" may follow a different route and get to the destination a little late, or it may get "stuck in traffic" behind the first one.

Otherwise, ignore (just delete) this type of message, and wait for one like the Returned Message (below) -- one that says it couldn't be delivered at all.

If you get THAT one, try again.  It will have been about five (5) days, and maybe the "snow" has melted by then!

This message means that the person has too much email in their stored mailbox (most of the time, it will be a web-based email account, like Hotmail, Yahoo-mail, or the like, though with "POP3" accounts, the email is stored on the server's hard-drive until the person downloads it to their own), and there's no room for yours.

One way to look at it is that their mailbox has been absolutely "stuffed to the gills" and the mailman doesn't have any room to jam your email into it.

If it's really important, or if it's urgent, use the phone.

If not, try it again at later time. Maybe they've "picked up" all their mail, and there's room for yours, now.

Ok... Houston, we have a problem.

The first message is telling you that the "host" name is not known; That your email server could not find "domain.dom" (the part after the "@" in an email address), so the message could not be delivered.

The second message is telling you that the username (first part) of the email address (the part before the "@") is not known.

In both cases:

1. If you manually entered the email address yourself, check the spelling.
   1. Make sure you used periods (".") instead of commas (",") and that you used the "at-sign" ("@") correctly.
   2. If it matches what you thought it was supposed to be, you will probably need to contact that person or business another way -- see #2b -- to get the correct email address.
2. If you clicked a "mailto" link on a web-page to send a message, and your email client came up, or you are replying to a message you received, the link may have been entered incorrectly, possibly on purpose.
   1. Check to see if there is something before or after the "@" that is obviously bogus - like spaces (there are none in an email address), "nospam" or a strange set of numbers or "x"s interspersed. People do this to keep "spam-bots" from finding their email addresses, sometimes without warning, assuming that people will pay attention and remove the "disguise".
   2. Check the domain name (usually www.domain.dom - Most emails are sent from a home "domain" - as "aol.com" from after the "@" of an email has a "home" domain of www.aol.com) of the site to see if it's close to the domain name of the message.
      1. If it is, you might try using it after the "@" in the email address, instead of the one used in the link. (NOTE: Unless you are very sure, this is probably not a good idea. You may be sending email to a business or someone you don't know, or don't want to know. Remember, there are multiple "top-level domains - .com, .org, .net, .us, etc., and many times, different people own the same name with different "top-level" names.)
      2. If it isn't, check some of the other email links on the site, if there are any, and try using one of them, asking them to forward the email to the correct department, because the_email@address.dom didn't work.
   3. Remember that some people (spammers, in particular) will "fake" an email address. It might even be a valid email address of someone who has nothing to do with it. (Just something to keep in mind.)
3. If it is extremely important, you probably shouldn't be trusting email to begin with! Remember those funny things that ring every now and then, you pick up part of it or push a button, you hold something up to your ear and talk to the other end? They do go both ways. Most have numeric buttons to press, and some (usually old ones) have "dials", where you stick your finger in the hole associated with the number on those new-fangled buttons, and turn the dial clock-wise until your finger hits a stop. In other words, try to find a phone number:
   1. on the site
   2. through a phone book (hardcopy or on the internet)
   3. through "toll-free information" (1-800-555-1212)
   4. through the area-code information (1-acd-555-1212)

   You may be charged on your phone bill for using the latter two services, but if it's really important...

The third message is a follow-up to the Warning Message, above. It's telling you that they tried and tried and tried, but that snow (see Warning Message) was just too deep, melted into the truck, and ruined all the mail, and they couldn't send it. They did manage to read your return address, though, and are letting you know. (Isn't that nice of them? )

The final message is telling you that "once was, is no longer". The recipient's domain has "disabled or discontinued" their email account. The reasons for them doing this are many -- the recipient has changed providers; possibly due to the email not having been used for some time; it could be due to misuse (if it's someone you know, don't assume this one), etc.

There are many other versions of all the above, and probably many other types of "fatal" messages.

I was doing every one of the above things until I switched providers, and read their information. My email provider, Insightbb.com had a page devoted to this, and I had not seen anything that read better for the uninitiated (or even the initiated) user. Unfortunately, it appears that the page no longer exists (06/2006). However, there ARE  insidious reasons not to hit that "unsubscribe" link. Check out the article "New Reason to Avoid 'Unsubscribe' Links" at MSNBC Off Site New Window. While written in 2004, it should give you pause.

If your email address is listed on a (your) website, it may be a good idea to find a script to use to keep the "spam bots" from finding a valid address, but allowing your visitors a "mailto" link. (See my "How Did You... (OFP Stuff) FAQ, Protecting Email Addresses". You might also be interested in NetMechanic's "Hide from Email Spiders" article) Off Site New Window.

If you are to the point you want to find out more, this FAQ (from OFPv2's Scams, Shams and More Flim-Flams Section) attempts to explain, and contains some of the better links on spam that I've found.

Clean it up!

Strip at least the forwarding headers and footers, especially from multiply forwarded emails.

The headers usually contain names and/or email addresses of people you don't know, and sometimes, personal comments from one person to you or another recipient. Do you want strangers knowing your private email address? And, think about this one: "spam-bots" COULD "snarf" these email addresses for advertisers! This means that if your email is caught by one of these, everyone whose email address it could receive spam emails, and it COULD be your fault, though there's no way of knowing whether it was your sending or someone else's that it caught.

The footers usually contain signatures, including advertisements or statements of security that are "tacked on to" all emails through certain email clients or places of business. Sometimes, someone "down the road" does "clean up" the email. If a given signature lends credence or legitimacy to the email in question, that person may leave that footer on it, and the next round of forwardings begins with a more legitimate look and feel (which is the way many Urban Legends get their "legitimacy". OR you end up with multiple "Incredi-mail"-like advertisements. (Doesn't that tick you off?) Why should YOU perpetuate this problem?

NOTE: I have found I have difficulty, at times, stripping these, depending on how they were created, especially HTML emails. If you do too:

Forwarding to Groups

If you are forwarding an email to a specialized group, such as a research group, work group, or others that cover specific subjects, be sure to include words like "OFF TOPIC" in the subject.

This allows the recipients to ignore any message that doesn't have anything to do with that with which they may not be interested. If you think they should read it anyway, say so in the subject (i.e. "FW: Incredible! --OFF TOPIC--Special offer for printer inks... WDS: Check it out!")

Check Things Out BEFORE you Forward

Check out all offers, warnings, or anything else that isn't obviously a joke or "friendly" email before you send them on.

1. Go to the website (DIRECTLY - see my Scams Division information page) yourself, and verify that what the email said was true. Don't forget that many "special offers" are only for those who have signed up to receive them, meaning that you or YOUR recipients MAY have to sign up ... :-/
2. Be sure it's not an urban legend or hoax (virus or otherwise) or fraud (see above) -- use the links on my Flim-Flams Division page and verify the offer/threat. If it doesn't exist on one, check it out on at least one or two of the others before you give up and pass it on as "ALLEGEDLY true/valid".

REMEMBER - If it's an email you would rather have not received, don't forward it on. ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"!)

Even though you might agree with the sentiment of the petition, don't waste your time,

The problem with email petitions is that while you have put your name on this one, you forward it to a number of people. Each of these people will put their name on it, and forward it on to numerous friends. As with all emails forwarded like this, at some point in the very near future (less than 30 forwards), you will have over 1,000,000 email petitions out there with YOUR name on it. Some of these are sent to the President of the US, who has no authority on most of the things they espouse but to lobby for the request. Besides, it's VERY DOUBTFUL that HE would ever see it.

The Count

Petitions, Email Servers, & SPAM Filters

"THE xTH PERSON SEND IT TO THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS"

A "Good" Email Petition

Conclusion