- What is MailStart?
- Sometimes it takes a long time for the MailStart pages to load.
- If I read my mail with MailStart, can I read it at home too?
- What services work with MailStart?
- Does MailStart store my e-mail?
- What is the 'Send a carbon copy to myself' check box used for?
- Why can't I get my attachments with MailStart?
- Where are my folders and sent email? Can I read messages that I have in my Inbox at home?
- Why does my session keep expiring?
- I can not access my student e-mail account.
- I am still having problems...
- Why doesn't MailStart use a Secure Connection (SSL)?
- How do I sign up?
- Mailstart keeps using the wrong POP3 server, and I have to log in twice using the correct POP3 server at the second login page. How can I bypass this inconvenience?
- I used to have a bookmark that took me straight to my mailbox without having to use the login page, but I've somehow lost it. How can I set it up again?
- Why do my email address and password get entered in to the form automatically?
- What is POP3?
- Can I use MailStart.com to change my email password?
What is MailStart?
MailStart is the technoloy demo for WebBox and allows you to use a web browser to handle your email, making it accessible from anywhere. There is no need to get a different email address or have your mail forwarded, because this system is a gateway that actually contacts your mail server and converts the content to HTML. This allows easy access to your regular email from anywhere with Internet access. Visit the About page for more information about MailStart.
Sometimes it takes a long time for MailStart pages to load.
Although the MailStart servers are fast, it may take a while to retrieve mail from your server. This may be because of traffic between the MailStart servers and your mail server, or your mail server may be busy processing other requests. Please be patient; don't hit the "Stop" or "Reload" button on your browser. If there is a real problem accessing your mailbox, an error message will let you know what happened and suggest a remedy for it. If you consistently get an error message, please read the problems page, or Contact us.
If I read my mail with MailStart, can I read it at home too?
Yes, unless you use the delete feature of MailStart. When MailStart accesses your email messages, it leaves the original messages on your mail server. This allows them to be accessed at a later time using your email package at home, or you may continue to use MailStart.
What services work with MailStart?
MailStart works with all standard POP3 e-mail servers that aren't behind a Firewall. Many large, proprietary systems do not work with MailStart, because they are either behind a firewall, or they are not standard POP3 (AOL is a good example). These types of organizations do not adhere to Internet standards. In an effort to provide service to the largest possible audience, MailStart follows and supports all open Internet standards. As such, the majority of e-mail accounts can be accessed. If MailStart has a problem accessing your e-mail, you will get an error describing the cause of the problem. If you are sure your account is open, and you should be able to use MailStart to access your e-mail, then please Contact Us about this problem, or read the problems page for a possible solution.
Does MailStart store my e-mail?
No, MailStart is only a gateway that converts information from your mail server into a web viewable format. MailStart then takes information you type into forms (for new email, replies, etc.) and translates that into email to be sent off to the destination. Email is never stored, held, or logged in any way.
What is the 'Send a carbon copy to myself' check box used for?
Mail that you send with MailStart will not show up in the Out-Box of your regular email package. As a convenience, you can select this option so you will get a copy of any mail that you send with MailStart.
Why can't I get my attachments with MailStart?
While we continuously try to provide the best service possible while still remaining anonymous, there are certain features we simply cannot maintain. Because of the anonymous nature of MailStart, we are not able to store mail on our servers, which would be a necessary step for decoding attachments. In order to view attachments by using our services, you would have to sign up for the complete WebBox service for only $18 per year. WebBox is a more personalized service, which allows you to consolidate up to 5 email accounts, store 20 MB of Files (including attachments), store your bookmarks online, manage your business or personal contacts, and keep track of your day with a full featured calendar. WebBox gives you so much, and it only takes a few minutes to sign up! Sign up today at: http://www.webbox.com/signup/
Note: Once you have signed up, you have to actually log into your Webbox at www.webbox.com to use it.
Where are my folders and sent email? Can I read messages that I have in my Inbox at home?
Unfortunately, MailStart cannot show you any folders or sent mail. Folders and sent mail are never stored on your POP3 server, so the anonymous nature of MailStart prevents the service from storing folder and message information, such as a personal email client does.
Why does my session keep expiring?
In an effort to keep your MailStart sessions as secure as possible, we add an expiration tag to your URL. If the URL you get when you first start a MailStart session is over 10 minutes old, MailStart will prompt you to reenter your password. Although we try to maintain a consistent 10 minute period, you rarely may be shifted to another computer that has the wrong time. The end result is you may be asked sooner, or later, to re-enter your password. If this happens when you click the 'send' button after finishing an outgoing email message, the message will still be sent.
I can not access my student e-mail account.
Many high schools, colleges and universities offer student e-mail accounts. If you are having trouble accessing your account with MailStart, it may be because your e-mail address is not the same as your e-mail server login name. If you have been given a login name AND an e-mail address that do not match, try using your login name instead of your e-mail name in the e-mail account field.
For example, if your e-mail address is student@university.edu and your login name is Joe: Try entering joe@university.edu as your e-mail address.
If you are still experiencing trouble accessing your student account Contact Us about the problem and we will do what we can to remedy it.
I am still having problems, what can I do?
There are many different type of email servers on the Internet, most use POP3 and have the mailbox stored under the same name used in the email address. MailStart was designed to work with these systems, and may not work with others (AOL, MSN, ATT WorldNet...). There are also many other things that can go wrong between our computers and your mail server. If you are having problems, please read the Problems page, this FAQ in more detail, or Contact Us, so we can make the system better.
Why doesn't MailStart use a Secure Connection (SSL)?
We believe that by using SSL on our login page, we would be 'luring' users into a false sense of security. Because of the nature of POP3, Username and Password combinations must be sent to the POP3 server in plain [non-encrypted] text. Therefore, even if your credentials were encrypted from your browser to our site, we would have to send your credentials to the mail server in plain text, which would defeat the purpose of the secure connection between your web browser and our site.
How do I sign up?
Mailstart does not charge any fees, require a signup process, maintain memberships, nor provide passwords because it is just a demo of the more advanced WebBox service. To use Mailstart, go to www.mailstart.com, enter your email address and password, and login. You may use the demo once per week, but we encourage you to join our WebBox service , for just $18 per year for complete access to all your email and more, what could be better?
Mailstart keeps using the wrong POP3 server, and I have to log in twice using the correct POP3 server at the second login page. How can I bypass this inconvenience?
If you know the name of your POP3 server, you can skip the second login page by entering your email address in the form of username@popservername instead of username@domainname.
I used to have a bookmark that took me straight to my mailbox without having to use the login page, but I've somehow lost it. How can I set it up again?
Unfortunately, that bookmark can only be set up when you have no mail on your server. Try forwarding all your mail to another address (or don't), and then use the 'delete all' command. Once you have no mail in your server, you'll see the instructions to set up the bookmark.
Why do my email address and password get entered in to the form automatically?
Are you using Internet Explorer 5? By default, Internet Explorer 5 has a feature that remembers what you type in to most forms online. It's called "AutoComplete," and you can disable this, or simply clear what it's saved. Click the "Tools" Menu, and then click "Internet Options." A new window with several tabs at the top will pop up. Click the "Content" Tab, and then click the "AutoComplete" Button. By disabling AutoComplete, Internet Explorer will never enter your email address and password into the form again.
What is POP3?
POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol, version 3. It is a publication that standardizes the way computers on the internet send and receive email messages. These computers that do the sending and receiving are called servers. It's probably more than you were asking for, but if you like, you can view the protocol document itself by clicking here.
Can I use MailStart.com to change my email password?
Unfortunately, you cannot use our service to change your password. MailStart.com does not have any formal relationship with the provider of your email address, so we don't have access to any of your account information. To change your email password, contact the provider of your email address.
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