Microsoft KB Archive/154083

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

E-mail Sent to Internet Address Arrives Multiple Times
Last reviewed: July 21, 1997

Article ID: Q154083

The information in this article applies to:


 * The Microsoft Network versions 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.5

SYMPTOMS
When you send an e-mail message from MSN, The Microsoft Network, to an Internet address, the recipient may receive the message multiple times.

CAUSE
When MSN sends an e-mail message, SMTP verifies the connection, sends the body of the message, and then waits 90 seconds for verification that the message has been received. If no confirmation is received, MSN assumes that the transmission has not been completed and sends the message again.

Occasionally, the necessary confirmation is not received within 90 seconds due to slow processing on the receiving server or unusually noisy telephone line conditions. If MSN does not receive the necessary confirmation within 90 seconds, the message is repeatedly sent until confirmation is received. In these cases, the recipient receives the message multiple times.