IMAP server issues and webmail fist-chewingly slow.

[#1]

Today, my parents emails stopped coming and going out.  We a basic Windows Mail set up using the IMAP settings  IMAP.PLUS.NET and RELAY.PLUS.NET for the servers fields.  All working fine for months. 

When I looked today the settings had changed Mail (account settings / manage accounts / mailbox settings).

IMAP.PLUS.NET:993:1 and RELAY.PLUS.NET:465:1    Numbers at the end?

The password also looked odd (more characters than normal).   

I changed the server settings back to the recommended (as above), and low and behold mail started trickling in. 

Ok, I'll do a test to be sure from another account.   Nothing in Win Mail.  So I check Plusnet Webmail -  which in my opinion is something from the 90's.  Gave up, nothing loaded. 

Checked my settings again in Winmail for a second time, and it looks again like the password length has changed, but the server settings are as-changed (same).   Sync settings are every 15 mins, but I am hitting refresh, so (one would assume) you can force a push to retrieve emails, no?

My question and frustrations are? 

1) why would the server fields change to include these additional numbers?

2) why would the password be longer 

3) why have plusnet not invested in Webmail since 1990.  It is literally unusable.

[#2]

You have not mentioned the email client.

The change in server settings simply looks like all of the parameters have been formatted into a single string

• server:port:encryption
• server - imap.plus.net
• port - 993
• encryption - SSL/TLS (would be a reasonable guess)

Note that port 465 for SMTP is deprecated and ought not to be used ... even though it does work.  The correct port for SMTP message submission is 587 with STARTTLS encryption.

Password fields on reviewing settings will often show more blobs than the length of the password so as not to aid a hacker working out the password.

Winmail is not exactly state of the art either!

Webmail can be problematic where mailboxes are overly full.  See the webmail performance thread at the top of this board.  Also try basic webmail.

A badly performing internet connection in the presence of a large email queued to be down loaded can give rise to your reported experience.  Check the server time outs in your webmail application - set them to 2 minutes and see if that improves matters.