Setting up a Mail Server

[Paddy]

My domain is registered with a crappy company called freedomnames.co.uk.

It has taken them eight days to update the MX records and they are still not correct. I have also noticed that I can't receive any email through them, although Outlook does not report any errors...

Thinking about it, they don't actually do anything apart from host my pop3 accounts... As I have a static IP address and my computer is on most of the time, I should be able to setup a mail server.

I will only do this provided that I can have a secondary mail server elsewhere as my computer does get rebooted... Is this possible???

What is to stop me from releasing my domain from these people and doing all the work myself??

[Paddy]

Oh crap.. I wanted them to change the ip address of my domain, so that you got routed to my computer rather then their webspace.... having re-read my above post, and their correspondence, they have changed the ****ing MX record!!!!

No wonder i've not had any mail!

Ok, I've got a copy of Mercury mail that came with XAMPP... I guess I need to set it up ASAP so that I do not loose any more mail..... any tips?

[Wombat]

Are you sure you can even do this? In the US, most ISPs filter out the mail ports. It stops people from sending spam from home.

[Paddy]

I managed to setup Mercury Mail last night... My installation is very crude, but I have managed to save 98emails that were sent to my domain over the pas nine hours.

The mail is in CNM format. Any advice on how to convert it?

My hosting company are not responding to telephone calls....

[Paddy]

My MX records are now back to as they were... Cheers guys!