If your username is jdoe, your E-Mail address is jdoe@provide.net. E-Mail addresses are not case sensitive, so jdoe@provide.net is the same as JDoe@Provide.Net.

NOTE: We are not providenet.com! If you set your E-Mail address to jsmith@providenet.com, you won't get your E-Mail!

One of the most common E-Mail problems is a password error resulting from incorrect settings in the mail program. If you're getting a password error, make sure that you've double-checked the following:

Your username is entirely in lowercase letters.

You've re-entered your password to confirm that it's typed correctly.

Your account name and E-Mail address are not the same! If your E-Mail address is jsmith@provide.net, then your account name is simply jsmith. If you put your E-Mail address in the account name blank, you will get a password error.

Also see: What is a POP lock and why do I keep getting one?

Changing your E-Mail address is not an easy process. We prefer that you keep the address that you sign up with. If you want to change it, you'll need to give us a call at (888) 480-4200. The change must be completed on our end first. Once everything is changed on this end, you will need to reconfigure your dialer and E-Mail client with the new information.

Before you set up your E-Mail program for multiple accounts, you'll need to call Provide.Net to activate your new E-Mailboxes. There is a small additional fee to hold extra mailboxes.

Once your new accounts are active, you'll need to configure an E-Mail program to send and receive messages from the individual mailboxes. The best way to do this is to use Netscape Communicator, because it includes an internal profile manager.

You can also use Outlook Express version 5.0 or higher. There is a setting in the "file" menu that says: "add new identity." It's significantly more complicated, though.

All E-Mail sent from Provide.Net's network must pass through our mail server. This is a common Anti-Spam tactic implemented by many ISP's, including us.

This means that you're unable to run a SMTP server from your dialup modem (a violation of our acceptable use policy, actually), and that you're unable to use SMTP servers maintained by other providers.

When sending E-Mail from Provide.Net, you MUST set your SMTP server to mailout.provide.net.

If you have access to a computer with an internet connection, you can pick up your Provide.Net E-Mail, no matter where you are. There are two good ways to accomplish this:

Use Provide.Net's Web Mail to read and respond to your Provide.Net E-Mail through the web. You'll need to enter your user name and password in the two boxes. Once you've done this, click the "log in" button. This will take you to your e-mail box on our server for you to check your e-mail. You may need to push the INBOX button after logging in to refresh your main screen. Or,

Set up an E-Mail client (Outlook Express, Outlook, Eudora, Pegasus, etc.) to pick up your E-Mail from our server. You'll need to set the POP3 server to "mailin.provide.net", the E-Mail address to your Provide.Net E-Mail address, and the account name or username to your Provide.Net username (not your E-Mail address). Provide.Net's SMTP server ("mailout.provide.net") requires that you be dialed into a Provide.Net modem in order to send E-Mail. Because of this, you'll need to set the SMTP server to whatever server your ISP specifies. (eg, if you're connected to MSN and you're picking up your Provide.Net E-Mail, you'll need to use MSN's SMTP server in order to send mail.)