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What Are the Common Causes of Socket Error 10060?
Socket Error 10060 is an error that occurs while using email, and it specifically refers to a timeout while communicating with the email provider servers. The causes can be found in email settings, in authentication settings, in firewall settings, in anti-virus programs and in the blocking of simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) by an Internet service provider (ISP). This error will most often occur while the computer user is sending email rather than receiving it.
The vast majority of all email uses SMTP for outgoing mail. Socket Error 10060 in most instances is related to the SMTP settings for the user's email. Every email provider has unique settings for its services, so a user must contact his or her ISP or visiting its support website to determine the correct settings.
When a Socket Error 10060 occurs, the user should first check the names of the POP3 and SMTP servers to ensure that they are correct. The next thing he or she should check is the outgoing SMTP port. Email providers change this value more than any other in their individual settings. If authentication is required, the user should click the “Server Requires Authentication” box. All email clients should have this selection option.
If the email settings are correct and the Socket Error 10060 is still occurring, the cause might be firewall software. The user should turn off any installed firewall software to test the email connection. If this resolves the error, the user should follow the instructions in the support documentation for that particular firewall software to create an exception for the email program.
When that does not correct the error, the user should open a command prompt and ping the SMTP server address obtained from the email provider. If the ping is unsuccessful and the computer is connected to a router, the user should connect it directly to the cable modem to test whether the router hardware firewall is blocking the SMTP traffic. If this is the case, the user should consult the router documentation to create exceptions for the SMTP port his or her email provider uses. Alternatively, the cause might be the SMTP server being blocked by the user's ISP. He or she should contact the ISP for possible workarounds or to request unblocking.
There is the possibility that a virus or malware is blocking SMTP communication. The user should update any anti-virus or anti-malware programs and run a complete scan. If a Socket Error 10060 is still occurring, the issue might be caused on the email provider's end. The user should contact the email provider and see whether there are any issues on that end.
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![Socket Error 10060 can sometimes be caused by a virus or other malware.]()
By: alexskopjeSocket Error 10060 can sometimes be caused by a virus or other malware. -
![When a people see Socket Error 10060, they should update any anti-virus or anti-malware programs and run a complete scan.]()
By: creative soulWhen a people see Socket Error 10060, they should update any anti-virus or anti-malware programs and run a complete scan. -
![In some instances the router's firewall may be blocking SMTP traffic.]()
By: vladimirsIn some instances the router's firewall may be blocking SMTP traffic. -
![The vast majority of all email uses SMTP for outgoing mail.]()
By: adimasThe vast majority of all email uses SMTP for outgoing mail.
Discussion Comments
You might have a brand new smartphone that does it all, but the emails you pull from the servers are using the same SMTP protocol as the old man who is still running a computer from the early 90's. I don't think that the protocols will be changing that much in the future because, as we have seen for the last few decades, it just works.
What might be coming down the pike could be things that enhance the software and its original intention, or in other words, its original reason for being created in the first place. With the ongoing battle against spam, you would hope that they would figure out a way to prevent people's mail boxes from becoming over run with the stuff, but I guess we haven't reached that point yet, huh?
I cannot tell you how many times I have had to use other means and methods in order to get an email message to a client or customer. There should be ways to mitigate a problem like this to prevent the flow of business from coming to a halt.
I have been victim of the ISP blocking or otherwise preventing me from getting mail that resides on legitimate servers. Their reasons have been varied -- from them telling me that there's something sitting on the server that is potentially harmful, to me getting notified that the messages I'm trying to retrieve are too large to transfer. I don't buy that. These companies have to know that there are more than a million people using their servers for mail and folder usage so shouldn't they have planned accordingly?
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