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E-Mail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Questions

Which version of E-mail should I choose - METNET Mail, WebMail 2 or WebMail 3?

METNET Mail is recommended. It has more features. WebMail 2 and WebMail 3 will be discontinued in Summer, 2010.

I forgot my password, How can I gain access to my e-mail?

All METNET e-mail passwords are encrypted and cannot be looked up. For security purposes, passwords cannot be changed or reset over the telephone or via e-mail to METNET. Go to the Reset Password page. It allows you to check your own password. If you do not have enough information for this to work, please go to the student computer lab at your school and see the lab attendant for assistance. Be sure to bring along photo identification.

I don't remember my Internet ID or Username. How can I find it?

Internet ID and Username are the same thing. Internet ID is the first part of the METNET e-mail address (Example: E-mail address is jone1234@metnet.edu; Internet ID is jone1234). Go to the E-mail Directory at http://www.metnet.edu/lookup and search by your name. Your Internet ID will be displayed. If you have further trouble, please see the computer lab attendant at your college. Be sure to bring along photo identification. MCTC students are not included in the directory at the request of the school administration.

What is my Tech ID?

Your Tech ID is provided to you by the school where you registered for classes. Often, it is the same as your Student ID number.

My name has changed. How do I change it in my METNET account?

See the computer lab attendant at your school. Be sure to bring along photo identification. The attendant can then submit the name change to METNET to be updated. This changes affects only the E-mail Directory. Account Internet IDs (usernames) are not changed. Students should go to the Admissions Office or Registrars Office to change name on student records.

What is the limit on my attachment size?

Attachments in WebMail are limited to 4 MB. In METNET Mail, the limit is 10MB.

How much mail can I have stored on my account?

There is a limit of 50 MB of file space for an account.

What should I do if I receive messages from METNET Systems Management regarding METNET disabling my account or changing my password?

These messages are NOT from METNET. They was SPAM which was made to look as though it was coming from METNET systems support. The best practices are to delete these messages without opening them and DO NOT OPEN Attachments that come with them.Many of these messages contain attachments which have viruses and if opened, you would have the virus and be infecting others. Never opening attachments in suspicious mail or from persons unknown to you. No changes will be made to your account. It won't be disabled.

Why do some messages I receive in WebMail2 or 3 show up with HTML coding in the text?

This problem occurs when e-mail messages are encoded in HTML. WebMail does not parse the HTML coding; therefore, you will see the coding in the message itself. For the best results, have the sender change their preferences to send the message in TEXT coding.

Can I use HTML coding in my messages with WebMail 2 or WebMail 3?

WebMail does not support HTML coding.

Why do I get random "Page Not Found" errors?

Some of these errors happen in Internet Explorer. These errors can also occur when you use the browser's back button instead of using the buttons on the page.

I used WebMail 3 then went back to WebMail 2. Now, there are no graphics appearing on my WebMail pages. What can be done to fix this?

The Visual Theme for WebMail 3 does not work in Webmail 2. In WebMail 2, click on the link for Preferences, click on a radio button to select a Visual Theme, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the button for "Save my changes".

WebMail 2.0 (Pro)FAQ

WebMail 3.0 FAQ

METNET Mail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What web browsers does METNET Mail support?

Internet Explorer 6 and above, Firefox 1.x/Netscape 7.x, Firefox 1.5, Opera, Safari 1.x, and Safari 2.x . JavaScript and cookies must be enabled with all browsers.

How much e-mail can I have stored on my account?

Accounts have 50 Megabytes (Mb.) of storage space for folders, messages, and attachments.

When I log in to METNET Mail, the page that has my oldest, unread e-mail message appears. Is there any way to change that setting?

Yes. Log in to METNET Mail. Click [Settings] > click [Display]. Locate the 'Sort Order' box . From the 'Message sort order' dropdown menu, select a new order. Click the button to [Change for this a future sessions]. The next time you log in, the page that has your most recent mail will appear.

Why do I only see 10 messages when I log in?

METNET Mail divides your mailbox's index into 10 messages per page by default. You can change this by clicking [Settings], click [Display]. Locate the 'Sort Order' box and change the value for 'Recent messages length' to a number from 10 to 100 (max).

What does the "Couldn't connect to session. Maybe it timed out? Click here to login again" error message mean?

METNET Mail will shut down automatically after 30 minutes of idle time. To return to METNET Mail, follow the 'Click here to login again' link.

What does the "Status: [CLOSED] IMAP connection broken (server response)" error mean?

This message appears when you are accessing your e-mail account from an additional e-mail program while using METNET Mail. You can select the [Return to in box] button to continue accessing your mail.

What does the "Status: Lost connection to IMAP server (possible concurrent access?)" mean?

This message appears when you are accessing your e-mail account from an additional e-mail program while using METNET Mail. You can select the [Reopen Mail in box] button to continue accessing your mail.

What does the "Status: UID may not be zero" error message mean?

I see a message that says DO NOT DELETE THIS MESSAGE. What do I do?

It is safe to delete the message. This will happen when a user normally uses another POP3 e-mail client to check e-mail, but used METNET Mail to check e-mail last time. Upon going back to their normal client, the DO NOT DELETE message appears. Many users use a POP3 based e-mail client; however, METNET Mail is IMAP-based. The IMAP server uses the DO NOT DELETE message to insert settings into your mail folder on the IMAP server. When you check your e-mail with a POP3 client, the message appears.

Why do I get seemingly random "Page Not Found" errors?

These errors can also occur when you use the browser's back button instead of using the navigation buttons on the page. Some of these errors happen in Internet Explorer.

Where is my address book?

At this time the address book from WebMail is not automatically available when a user switches to METNET Mail. Address need to be added manually.

Can I save a draft of a message?

Yes. In the 'Compose Message' window, there is a option to save a draft.

How do I select all of the messages on a page?

Check the check box on the left side in the column titles to select/deselect all the messages on a page. Selecting messages is not carried over from one page to another.

I select messages on one page, then if I navigate to another page, my check marks are deselected from the previous page. Why?

By default, METNET Mail does not select messages across multiple pages.

Does METNET Mail support international character sets?

Yes. METNET Mail permits you to compose and display e-mail messages with the UTF-8 international character set, provided your Web browser is configured to use it.

Can I compose a message using HTML and rich text elements like bold and italics?

No. Support for composing e-mail with HTML or rich text elements is not planned at this time for METNET Mail.

Does METNET Mail support the viewing of HTML messages?

Yes. METNET Mail supports viewing and forwarding messages containing HTML, with some restrictions. METNET Mail attempts to remove all forms of scripting from HTML e-mail. Specifically, the open and close tags are removed from the following HTML tags: SCRIPT, APP, APPLET, SERVER, OBJECT, HTML, HEAD, BODY, META, TITLE, FRAME, LINK, and IFRAME. The following HTML attributes are stripped from every tag: ONLOAD=, ONMOUSEOVER=, and all ON*= attributes; TARGET=, CODE=, CODETYPE=, and LANGUAGE= are removed; TARGET=_blank is added to all tags. Image (IMG) tags are removed and replaced with an A tag, in order to keep the HTTP client from automatically loading any images from external Web sites upon opening a given message. Gophermail allows IMG tags, but the SRC argument is a /redirect to prevent "Referrer:" attacks.

If I forward a message that contains HTML, will the recipient receive the message intact?

Forwarding a message that contains HTML is supported; however, for network security reasons METNET Mail will strip out the HTML tags as listed (above) in [Does METNET Mail support the viewing of HTML messages?]. The message will be forwarded as an attachment. .

Can I get my signature to appear above the text when replying to e-mail messages? When replying to long messages or messages with several threads, my recipients might not scroll down below everyone else's old threads to read my signature.

In METNET Mail, your signature is automatically placed at the end of a message. You can copy and paste your signature to another location within the body text if necessary: Select your signature, and then choose Copy from the Edit menu; choose a new location, and then choose Paste from the Edit menu.

When I am viewing a message and click the next message arrow, why does METNET Mail go to a previous message instead of the next and vice versa?

It depends on the way you last sorted your mailbox's index. If you chose a reverse sort order, then viewed a message, and then clicked the next message arrow button, the next message would follow through with your sort order (reverse).

Is there a search feature in METNET Mail?

Yes. Search within the In-box and each mail folder is possible. The In-box and folders have Search box in the upper right side of the window. Search by the following items: From, Recipient, Subject, and Text (searches the body text and header information).

Can I search all of my mail folders at one time, or do I have to search each individual folder?

You must perform any search folder by folder. METNET Mail does not perform its search across folders.

How do I get all my messages to return after I perform a search?

In the Search box, click on the 'Clear Search' link. The messages in the Inbox will appear.

When I click the Folders button, why doesn't my In-box show up?

METNET Mail's Inbox is displayed in the folder list. To access your account's Inbox, clink on the INBOX link.

Why don't all of my folders appear in the Change to: or the Move Marked to: drop-down menu?

METNET Mail gives you the option of selecting favorite folders to make your Change to: and Move Marked to list contain fewer folders. To set a "Favorite" folder, go to [Folders]. Click the [Favorite Folders] link on the right side. Click the [Add to Favorites] link next to any folder you want to include in your Change to: list. To remove a favorite folder from the list, go to [Folders]. Click the [Favorite Folders] link. Click the [Remove from Favorites] for any folder you want to remove from your Change to: list.

Can I change the folder that appears at the top of my Change to: drop-down menu?

Yes. Any folder that is set as a "Preferred Folder" appears at the very top of your Change to: list, and only one folder can be the "Preferred Folder." To choose a preferred folder, the folder must first be a "favorite folder." Once you have a list of favorite folders, the 'Make Preferred' link will appear next to your favorites list. The status of your new preferred folder will be changed to "Current Preferred." INBOX will always have the 'Make Preferred' link present.

My In-Box used to always appear at the top of my [Change to:] drop down menu, and now it does not. How can I get it back to the top of the list?

Go to [Folders]. Click the [Favorite Folders] link. Click the 'Make Preferred' link.

Why do I receive the message "Status: Attachment too large" when attempting to attach a file to a new e-mail message?

METNET Mail does not allow sending of attachments larger than 10 Mb. You can use a mail client such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook, which will allow you to send attachments greater than 10 Mb. There is no size limit for e-mail attachments received other than your 50 Mb mailbox space.

I want to forward a message that already has an attachment. Will the attachment automatically forward along with the message?
Yes. Remember that METNET Mail does not allow forwarding of attachments larger than 10 Mb.

Why does METNET Mail list the e-mail message as a separate attachment?

When there is an attachment in an e-mail, METNET Mail will display the attachment as a link at the top of the message screen. Along with the attachment link, METNET Mail will display the body of the message as a text file attachment. (The body of the e-mail is usually listed as item nuMber one.) You can just ignore this link. Enriched text and HTML will also be displayed as an attachment.

Why do some of my Address book entries show up looking like " "\"\\\"Lastname, Firstname\\\"\"" instead of an e-mail address?

Importing addresses from Microsoft Outlook can cause this to happen. You can use Address book's edit feature to correct this entry.

Can METNET Mail import an address book from another e-mail program?

Yes. METNET Mail can import two different forms of address book files: CSV (comma-separated value) and txt (tab-delimited). To use an address book from another e-mail client, you will first need to find a method of saving or exporting the addressbook into either the CSV or TXT (tab-delimited) format.

Can METNET Mail export its address book so that I can use it in another e-mail program?

Yes. METNET Mail can export two different forms of addressbook files: CSV (comma-separated value) and txt (tab-delimited).

When creating a group in METNET Mail's address book, it does not use all of the e-mail addresses that I checked. Why?

METNET Mail's address book cannot select addresses across pages of the address book to create a group. These groups can be created manually. In the [Address(es)] field, enter either the full e-mail address of the group members or the nicknames of existing address book entries. Addresses must be separated by commas. Enter a nickname for the group. Then click [Add Entry]. To address an e-mail to the group, enter the group's nickname in any of the recipient's address field(s).

When using the spell checker, I noticed that my e-mail's original text does not appear in the spell checker screen. How can I get it to appear?

This is a known issue for some versions of Internet Explorer. Updating to the latest version of Internet Explorer should resolve this issue.

Some of the materials in this document were obtained from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Academic and Distributed Computing Sevices (ADCS) and the Digital Media Center (DMC). ADCS and the DMC are units of the Office of Information Technology (OIT).