Windows Mail Blocked For Gmail Account

[David H]

My mother's Gmail was hacked a couple of times and locked out till she answered a few questions online. Since then although her online Gmail logs in perfectly her Windows Mail on Windows 10 refuses to accept her password, I even deleted the program and found I couldn't get a new one from Microsoft and had to download Incredimail till we can, and that also won't accept her login, and says the problem's at Gmail's server end.

Without a long phone call to Google how can an email account work perfectly online but not through a program on a computer with the identical account details? Nothing online so far points to a solution.

[Old_Geezer]

Can only suggest double checking the client's settings.
The issue must be to do with how you connect. Via a browser to a website would be different to a direct connection server to client.

[Buenchico]

A few thoughts:

1. You shouldn't have uninstalled Windows Live Mail. Simply deleting the account and then creating it again would have been a better option.

2. As you've discovered, Microsoft have discontinued Windows Live Essentials, meaning that Windows Live Mail is no longer available. However you seem to have chosen the worst possible replacement; it;'s been stated countless times on AB that Incredimail dumps all sorts of junk onto computers. Uninstall it and then run an anti-malware program. Then install Thunderbird:
https://www.mozilla.org/en-GB/thunderbird/

3. You've not stated whether Windows Mail (and Incredimail) have been trying to access your mother's Gmail account via POP3 or by using IMAP. However, whichever one it is, it appears that the relevant service isn't enabled on Gmail. Therefore go into Gmail (via the web interface) and enable the relevant one.

POP3:
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7104828?hl=en

IMAP:
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229?hl=en

[David H]

Incredimail set up the pop and imap and although I know next to nothing about them both current and previous accounts were checked. So Microsoft no longer offer a PC based email program at all? What do new computers use on it? I'll follow the instructions and return with the results.

[Buenchico]

>>> So Microsoft no longer offer a PC based email program at all?

Windows 10 has a built-in mail app
https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/set-up-email-in-the-mail-app-for-windows-10-7ff79e8b-439b-4b47-8ff9-3f9a33166c60
but it's fairly basic. What Microsoft would really like people to do is to form out £60 per year for Office 365, giving them access to Outlook:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2016/jun/02/microsoft-killing-windows-live-mail-what-should-i-do-hotmail-msn-outlook

[David H]

Cheeky baskets. If they provide a program all the others can be downloaded if required.

I restored the computer and returned the emails via the backup I made and sorted them manually to inbox and sent items as it didn't do it for me. It's clearly Plusnet who aren't accepting the password as it's fine directly linking to Gmail and presumably there's nothing more I can do from here so need to call Plusnet.

[Prudie]

Sorry Chris, I rarely understand your answers about email - what do you mean by Windows Live mail is no longer available. I have a hotmail account which now sends me to sign in to outlook.live and it's certainly working and current.

[Buenchico]

Plusnet hasn't got anything to do with it, David.

While Incredimail might well have configured the correct settings for POP3 or IMAP, that won't help at all if neither POP3 not IMAP are actually 'switched on' on Google's server. As I suggested before, log into the Gmail acount (via the web interface) and check that one or the other is actually enabled there.

Prudie:
Microsoft have a nasty habit of using the same names for two entirely different things, which leads to all sorts of confusion.

'Windows Live Mail' is a computer program which enables people to access their email accounts without going via a web page. (It's similar to the program called 'Outlook', which is used in almost every office in the country). Microsoft now longer make Windows Live Mail available for download (although it will still work for people who've already got it).

Microsoft also (stupidly) used the 'Outlook' name to refer to the web-based email service which you use. To confuse matters even further, they then tied the word 'Live' to it. However it's still got absolutely nothing to do with either the program called 'Outlook' or the one called 'Windows Live Mail'.

You're using the web-based email service provided by Microsoft. David's mother is using the email service provided by Google (Gmail). She can access it via a web page but she prefers to use a dedicated program to do so. She previously used a program from Microsoft (Windows Live Mail) but is now forced to use something else.

[David H]

Currently the Windows Live Mail is back to the start, email all where it belongs and refusing to accept the password. I've done everything suggested but although the password is correct the error message comes from the Plusnet server so can only assume it's the weak link.

[Buenchico]

PLusnet's server will simply be saying "Sorry, a connection to Google's server can't be established". That's exactly what I'd expect to happen if neither POP3 nor IMAP is enabled on the Gmail server. Have you logged in via the web to check?

[David H]

All Plus can do is online chat or make a phone call. I had to manually enter the account but only copied what it asked me to put in, I've made them over the years here and they always worked. I'm not there now so unless I set it up here I can't do much till my next visit.

[Buenchico]

If you know your mother's login details (which, from your posts, I assume you do) you can log into her Google account, and hence access her Gmail account, here:
https://accounts.google.com/AccountChooser?service=mail&continue=https://mail.google.com/mail/

You can then use my links above to see whether POP3 or IMAP is actually enabled. If it isn't, simply turning it on should solve the problem.