Help! AOL is bouncing my emails

new answers

oh, the full AOL reply is:

The IP address you are using to connect to AOL is open to the

ooops. i had to delete the html code.
well, my problem is that i have no informatic skills (the prove is upthread), so i don't what to do. i don't even know what does "free relaying" mean!

The IP address you are using to connect to AOL is open to the
free relaying of e-mail. AOL will not accept future e-mail transactions
from this IP address until this server is closed to free relaying.

The problem is that AOL have decided to rejct all emails originating from that IP range probably because someone is using it to send huge amounts of spam. Even if you use hotmail the originating IP address of the computer used to send the message is also logged in the email headers and detected by AOL. If you are a home dial up user you could open an account with another provider and send the email while connected to that provider. Or use an internet cafe or public library or something. Anything to make the source IP address different.

thanks david.
but then, after i've changed the IP address momentarily to send this urgent email, any further emails to AOL users will bounce as well, right?
how can i solve this? contacting my provider? is that a virus in my computer or someone is using the same IP address than me?

Someone with the same ISP as you has probably been sending spam/viruses (either deliberately or as a result of virus infection/hacking). So it's not exactly the same IP address as you but within a certain range, all assigned to that ISP. AOL just block the whole range and presumably unblock it again once they're satisfied that it's no longer a problem. No idea how long that would be though. You should contact your provider (and also AOL customer services) and see if they have any further information.

If you had a virus on your machine I think you would notice unusual behaviour like the hard drive being active a lot for no apparent reason (well it was noticeable to me the one time I got infected with a virus).

aol is annoying this way, I can't send any emails from my primary domain (ie: the one I use here), aol won't accept them because that domain wound up in some spam generator somewhere and it crossed their filters. whatever. fuck 'em.

thanks again, david! at least i know where i stand now.
so yeah, it seems i'm with anthony: fuck AOL! i had to send my messages (and receive the replies) through a friend...

Open relaying is not really the same as having a virus though.

What can cause it is if you run any software on your system that allows mail to pass through it (eg MS Exchange, or a mail server client) that isnt set to block outbound mail on port 26 (SMTP mail port). People can bascially piggyback yr link and cover their tracks by sending mail via your ip.

That IP ends up on a blacklist like SPEWS (who are a buncha uselessheads anyway) and anyone who relies on antispam blacklists will no longer accept your mail (eg AOL etc).

I'd suggest contacting yr ISP because if a whole dialup IP range is affected you'll have a lot of problems and its the ISPs duty to fix their IP relaying holes.

If on the other hand youre running a permanent link and a mailserver, you might be getting an open relay attack and you have a fuck of a lot more to worry about (such as sky high data transfer charges).

Do a google search on "open relay" and chat to your ISP.

Ack that should be port 25, typo. Not that it matters.

not that i understood a word of what you tried to explain (very kind, thanks!), but i'll speak to my ISP right away :-)
thanks again