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Email Newsletter Software, Mailing List Management and Email Software Solution for Windows

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Frequently Asked Questions
 

How to install the service using a different user account?

Please use the following syntax: 
HOSTNAME\username or .\username
DOMAINNAME\username

You can also change the user from Start->System->Administration->Services
Select "MailList Controller" and "Properties". Now change the user.

 


 

Can I use opt-in on a linked (external) list?

No, the external database is opened read-only. This list mode supports opt-out only. The status information is stored inside MailList Controller.

Please use an internal (standard) list instead and import the recipients.
The internal (standard) list supports opt-in and opt-out. (subscribe and remove)

 


 

Do you have a list of SMTP error codes?

211 System status, or system help reply
214 Help message
220 <domain> Service ready
221 <domain> Service closing transmission channel
250 Requested mail action okay, completed
251 User not local; will forward to <forward-path>
354 Start mail input; end with <CRLF>.<CRLF>
421 <domain> Service not available, closing transmission channel
450 Requested mail action not taken: mailbox unavailable
451 Requested action aborted: local error in processing
452 Requested action not taken: insufficient system storage
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments
502 Command not implemented
503 Bad sequence of commands
504 Command parameter not implemented
550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable [E.g., mailbox not found, no access]
551 User not local; please try <forward-path>
552 Requested mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocation
553 Requested action not taken: mailbox name not allowed [E.g., mailbox syntax incorrect]
554 Transaction failed

 


 

Does the application work under a Terminal Services environment?

Yes, it works.

 


 

Does it work together with my Anit-Virus solution?

Yes,  but if it includes an active mail-scanner for outgoing messages, it could be required that you change the "#perCon" setting in the (MailList Controller) "Program Options" section "Send Options". Norton Antivirus for example, acts as a relay between the MailList Controller Mail Service and your external mailserver. If you have problems, please select a lower value, e.g. 10. 

See also: Error 100xx with McAfee (or other Anti-Virus products)

 


 

Problem: Task "canceled"

The following reasons are possible, if the program does not send out the message and you see "canceled" in the "Sent Messages" section:

a) Managed List (default, non-linked)
The list does not have any members or does not have any members with status "Subscriber". The program sends out messages to "Subscribers" only!

b) Linked List
The mail service (which runs as windows service) cannot access the external database. This sometimes happens if the external database is located on a networked drive. 

The mail service runs with the user permissions "local system", of the machine on which it is installed. You can change the user in the " Options" -> "Core Settings" -> "Run MailList Controller Core Setup" -> "Custom Setup" -> click "Next" until you see "Run Service as User" and check it. Enter the username and password and click on "Finish".

Please use the following syntax: 
HOSTNAME\username or .\username
DOMAINNAME\username

You can also change the user from Start->System->Administration->Services
Select "MailList Controller" and "Properties". Now change the user.

 


 

Problem: Task never starts

The mail service (which runs as windows service) cannot access the "data" dir. This sometimes happens if data-dir is located on a networked drive. 

The mail service runs with the user permissions "local system", of the machine on which it is installed. You can change the user in the" Options" -> "Core Settings" -> "Run MailList Controller Core Setup" -> "Custom Setup" -> click "Next" until you see "Run Service as User" and check it. Enter the username and password and click on "Finish".

Please use the following syntax: 
HOSTNAME\username or .\username
DOMAINNAME\username

You can also change the user from Start->System->Administration->Services
Select "MailList Controller" and "Properties". Now change the user.

If you have changed the user and it still does not work, then please try to use an UNC instead of a drive letter for the data-directory. (the specified drive letter might not exist for the user).

e.g. \\myserver\share\folder\data instead of g:\folder\data

 


 

Using McAfee Virusscan and MailList Controller

By default McAfee VirusScan blocks all outgoing messages sent by any program that it does not recognise. To solve this problem you need to tell McAfee that amlcSVC.exe (MailList Controller mail service) and editor.exe (internal editor - if you want to send a test message) is a 'trusted' program for sending emails. (Optional: If you want to run the connection test in the new list wizard, you should also add nlw.exe.)

1. Right click on the McAfee icon in the task tray
2. Select "Virus Scan Console"
3. Double-click on "Access Protection"
4. Click on the "Port Blocking" tab
5. Select "Prevent mass mailing worms from sending email" and press "Edit"
6. Add  "amlcsvc.exe,editor.exe" in the "Excluded Processes" edit field.

 


 

How do I upgrade from version 5.x to 6.x/7.x/8.x

We provide free updates for 1 year. If you are qualified for a free update, then please contact us. If you are not qualified for a free update, then we can offer you a discount code for the purchase of the latest version.

!!! Please make a backup/export all your lists before going further !!!

The installation only requires a few steps:

Please uninstall the 5.x version first. 

Now install the new 6.x/7.x version and start the program.

Select "Custom Setup" and click "Next". 

Click on "Browse" to select the "data" directory of the previous version.
The default location is "c:\program files\arclab\maillist controller\data".

Click "Next", "Next" and "Finish".

Now the program should run and show your existing lists.

 


 

How do I upgrade from version 6.x/7.x to 8.x

Please click here for more information.

 


 

Can I use an IMAP server?

You can use an IMAP server, if the server supports both IMAP and POP3. It will not work with an "IMAP only" server.

Important: Please make sure that "Allow my POP application to delete messages from the server" is enabled on your mailserver, otherwise the program would receive the same messages again and again, which could result in duplicate messages!

 


 

How can I backup my lists and settings?

 

You can either export your lists and drafts using the export functions, or backup the complete "data" folder (this works only when using an internal database, this will not work when using an ODBC database!).

The program stores all lists and settings inside the "data" folder. The default location for version 6 is inside the "public documents" or "shared documents" system folder. Please take a look at the "Program Options" for the exact data-dir location or use the function "File->Misc->Explore Data-dir". Its also possible to move your lists from one machine to the other by replacing the data-folder. Please make sure, that the mail service is stopped and the program closed before copying the data-folder.

We recommend to backup or export your lists on a regular base!

 


 

SMTP Error 550 (unable to relay for)

S: 550 5.7.1 unable to relay for

this means that you need to authenticate before sending out an email.

Please check the Authentication in the List Settings. MailList Controller supports all kind of SMTP authentication: SMTP AUTH, POP before SMTP, SSL and  StartTLS.

 


 

SMTP Error 221

S: 221 ....

221 is an authentication error, so either the username/password is incorrect, or the mailserver uses a different authentication method.

Please check the Authentication in the List Settings. MailList Controller supports all kind of SMTP authentication: SMTP AUTH, POP before SMTP, SSL and  StartTLS.

 


 

How to import Plain Text (.CSV) and MS Excel files

MailList Controller can import MS Access, MS Excel and Plain Text (.csv) format files directly - other formats are supported through ODBC.

The plain text .csv (Comma Seperated Values) file should have the column names (field names) in the first line and one record on each line.
Fields divided by a comma ",".

e.g.
Email,Name
support@yourdomain.tld,Support
office@yourdomain.tld,Office

Please visit Wikipedia for more information about the csv file format.

The MS Excel file should also contain the column (field) names in the first row.

Please check the sheet for invalid cells (e.g. with ####### in it) and for too large texts if you have problems using the import function.

Download and install the "2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components" for MS Office 2007 filetypes. 
The ODBC driver can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com.


 

Does the software send in TO, CC or BCC mode?

MailList Controller sends one seperate message for each recipient - this means each subscriber get his own message message with only ONE email address in it. Its NOT possible to see the email addresses of other subscribers.

The privacy of your subscribers is not at risk.

If your list has e.g. 1000 members, then the software sends 1000 messages with only one email address in it.

 


 

How many messages can I send out in one hour?

Please take a look at this page.

 


 

I have installed the licensed version, but it sends out only to 100 recipients.

Please take a look at the section "Tasks" ... under "Info | Detail" in the middle of the screen you should see the Service: and Version:. You should see either Professional or eXtreme here. If you see Free in the info line, then the mailservice of the free version is still running.

This can happen if the mailservice was running during the installation of the licensed version and a reboot was declined.

Please stop the mailservice (click on "Stop Service"), exit the program and install the licensed version again.

 


 

How can I move all my lists and settings from one computer to another?

You can either:

(A) export your lists and drafts using the export functions, install the software on the new machine, re-create your lists and import the members from the export files

(B) or copy the complete "data" folder.

!!! Please only use this method if you know exactly what you are doing !!!

The program stores all lists and settings inside the "data" folder. All your managed (internal, non-linked) lists are stored inside the internal database. (Please note, that all members from linked (external) lists are not stored inside MailList Controller. You also need to copy this files to the new machine.)

  1. Locate the "data" directory on your old computer.

    Please start the program on your old machine and click on "Program Options" or "Options" for the location of the "data"-dir. Please continue with step 2. if you have found it.

    If you cannot run the program on the old computer anymore, e.g. after a system crash, then you need to search for the "data" directory. The default location of version 5.x is inside the "Program Files" folder - if you are using version 6.x or 7.x, then the default location is inside the "Public Documents" system folder.

    Version 6.x, 7.x and 8.x: (Public Documents)
    Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Arclab\MailList Controller\data
    Windows Vista: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Arclab\MailList Controller\data

    Version 5.x: (Program Files)
    C:\Program Files\Arclab\MailList Controller\data

    Its also possible that the data-directory is on a different location, e.g. if you have updated from version 5 to 6 before or if you used a custom data-directory location. Please double check the data-directory before going any further. The db.mdb inside this folder contains the main database and the "last modified" date should reflect the latest changes. So if the date is very old, or the db.mdb file is very small and you have large managed (internal) lists, then the location might not be correct.

  2. Install the sofware on your new computer.

    If you have lost the installation file, then please contact us and include your order ref#, so that we can send you a new download link for the version you purchased.

    We also provide free updates for 1 year. If you are qualified for a free update, then please contact us. If you are not qualified for a free update, then we can offer you a discount code for the purchase of the latest version.

  3. Run the program once on your new computer.
    This step is important, because the first start creates some required files.

  4. Locate the data-directory on your new computer.
    Please click on "Options" for the location of the "data"-directory.
    This can be a different location as on your old computer!

  5. Stop the mailservice (click on "Stop Service") and exit all program parts on the new computer.

  6. Stop the mailservice (click on "Stop Service") and exit all program parts on the old computer.

  7. Copy the complete "data" folder (located in step 1.) from the old machine and replace the complete "data" folder (located in step 4) with its contents. Its important, that the mailservice is not running, otherwise the files cannot be copied!

  8. Start MailList Controller on the new computer. Now you should see your lists on the new computer.

We recommend to backup or export your lists on a regular base!

 


 

How can I change the charset?

a) Change the charset of the plain-text part and the mail-header

You can change the charset for the mail header and plain-text in the "List Settings" -> "List Details" -> "Charset".

  • iso-8859-1 (Latin 1) - default charset
  • iso-8859-2 (Latin 2)
  • iso-8859-3 (Latin 3)
  • iso-8859-4 (Baltic)
  • iso-8859-5 (Cyrillic)
  • iso-8859-6 (Arabic)
  • iso-8859-8 (Hebrew)
  • iso-8859-9 (Turkish)
  • iso-8859-15 (Latin 9)
  • windows-1250 (Central European Alphabet)
  • windows-1251 (Cyrillic Alphabet)
  • windows-1252 (Western Alphabet)
  • windows-1253 (Greek Alphabet)
  • windows-1254 (Turkish Alphabet)
  • windows-1255 (Hebrew Alphabet)
  • windows-1256 (Arabic Alphabet)
  • windows-1257 (Baltic Alphabet)
  • windows-1258 (Vietnamese Alphabet)
  • windows-874 (Thai)
  • big5 (Chinese Traditional)
  • euc-kr (Korean)
  • ...

Please don't use utf-8 for the mail header or plain-text part!
UTF-8 should be used for the html part of the message only.

b) Change the charset of the HTML part

If you send out a html message, then please also change the charset in the html sourcecode.

e.g.

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">

You can also use utf-8 as charset for the html code:

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">

This allows you to send out html messages in any language, including Japanese, Chinese, ...
You can also import a HTML file using utf-8 from an external html editor using "Import" -> "HTML File".

 


 

I cannot send a message to my list - What can I do?

Please click here to continue.

 


 

Table background-images in MS Outlook 2007

If you are missing table background images in MS Outlook 2007 ... this is not a software error ...

Previous versions of MS Outlook use IE to render html messages ...
MS Outlook 2007 uses the MS Word rendering engine instead of the IE engine.

This means:
- no background images in TABLE cells
- no background images in DIV tags
- no animated gif's
- no nested background colors
- no FLOAT attribute in DIV tags
- no POSITION attribute in DIV tags

The following page contains details about the MS Word 2007 support for HTML and CSS:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa338201.aspx

Please test each message before sending it out to your subscribers.

 


 

Why are the fields of the "Subscribe" message not recognized?

Please verify the syntax of the Subscribe message:

The message should have the following format. Its recommended to use plain-text mode.

From: someemail@somedomain.tld
To: your-list@your-domain.tld
Subject: Subscribe

Message-Body:
Email: members-email-address@somedomain.tld
Name: John Smith

The field-names are case sensitive, so "NAME" is not the same as "Name". If you have checked all the fields and have not found any problem, then please try to send a test subscribe message using your regular mailclient.

Its possible that your anti-virus software changes the message, so that the fields could not be recognized, e.g. by adding a anti-virus signature/footer or by converting/changing the message. Please try to disable the signature/footer in your anti-virus software for a test or disable "Scan incoming Messages" for a test. Please make sure, that you enable it again before you access mail with your regular mailclient.

If you are using AVG Antivirus, then please disable the footer/signature for incoming messages - don't turn off the anti-virus.
Go to AVG Control Panel -> Tools / Advanced Settings -> Email Scanner: uncheck Certification

 


 

The program does not or no longer detect incoming returned messages.

Please make sure, that the message was received by the correct list. It will not work if the returned message was received by another list. Click on "Logfile" for details about incoming messages.

Its possible that your anti-virus software changes the message, so that returned messages could not be recognized, e.g. by adding a anti-virus signature/footer or by converting/changing the message. Please try to disable the signature/footer in your anti-virus software for a test or disable "Scan incoming Messages" for a test. Please make sure, that you enable it again before you access mail with your regular mailclient.

If you are using AVG Antivirus, then please disable the footer/signature for incoming messages - don't turn off the anti-virus.
Go to AVG Control Panel -> Tools / Advanced Settings -> Email Scanner: uncheck Certification

 


 

What means "Send failed.; 553 Sorry, over your daily relay limit.; MAIL"?

That is not a program limitation - it cannot send more messages, because your mailaccount / mailserver has a limitation.
Please contact your mailadministrator or mailprovider about this issue.

Please note, that the program cannot send out more messages as your mailserver allows. Some mailserver have limits, e.g. some allow to send only x messages per hour. You can use the List Settings -> Outgoing Messages (SMTP) -> Limit feature to adjust the program to any limit.

If you have setup a limit in the List Settings -> Outgoing Messages (SMTP) then the task (mailing) will stop, the task will be re-scheduled and will continue automatically after the specified delay.

 


 

I have sent out a list message but my members have not received it

Please check the service logfile of the day you sent out the message and search for error messages. The program adds detailed information about each mailing there. Click on "File" -> "Explore Logfiles" and open the logfile.

If no message was sent out, then please go to:
Help - Troubleshooting - Problems with outgoing Messages

If you are sure, that there were no errors / all messages have been sent out, then:

a) your members have received the message in the junk/spam folder.
See also: Why is my Message detected as Spam and how can I avoid it?

b) your account is over the send limit of your mailserver. (this is rare, because normally the mailserver would not accept any more messages after you have reached the limit, so you should see some error messages in the service logfile)

c) some anti-virus programs have problems with larger number of messages. You can try to disable "Scan outgoing Messages" or the anti-virus for a test (don't forget to turn it back on afterwards - it could be dangerous to be unprotected). If thats the problem, then please go to the "Options" -> "Advanced Server Options" and change the "#perCon" to 5. 

 


 

Why does the List "Syncronization" take longer and longer?

If you have sent out a large mailing, then its normal that there will be a lot of returned messages and unsubscribe requests, so it could take some time to download and process all the messages ... but if you have not sent out a mailing and the synchronization takes longer and longer each time you synchronize, then there might be a problem with your settings for non-list messages.

A non-list message is anything which could not be processed automatically by the program, e.g. spam or a question/reply to your newsletter.

If you have selected to "Leave non-list messages on the POP3 server", then you need to take care of this messages by yourself! If you don't process and remove the messages from the POP3 server, then the number will increase and at some point you will have so many non-list messages on the POP3 server that the program cannot work any longer.

The best solution is to use the forward option, which will forward any non-list messages to a different email account and remove the messages from the lists POP3 account, so that the pop3 account will be cleaned each time the program does a "Synchronize".

Please take a closer look at the service logfile (click on "Logfile") after a "Synchronize" if you think that it takes too long. The program adds details about all incoming messages and remaining messages on the POP3 server to the logfile.

 


 

The mailservice won't start anymore - how can I fix it?

!!! Please make a backup / export all your lists before going further !!!

Click on "Options" -> "Core Settings" -> "Run MailList Controller Core Setup" to install/setup the mailserivce again. Please make sure, that you use the same setup type, data-storage directory and user access permissions as you used before. Complete the wizard and start the mailservice.

 


 

When I send a test message the personalization in To: does not work

The program replaces the personalization fields with values from the database when you check the option "Fill Personalization Fields with Values taken from the first Record of the List".

This affects the subject and also the message-body. It does not affect the TO-line!

The TO-line contains a combination of the friendly name and the email address. If the editor would replace the fields in the to-line, then the message would be sent to the wrong recipient. (The test message should be sent to the email address specified on the test message dialog, it should not be sent to the first record of the list).

 


 

Error AMSG2MIME failed ...

This error indicates that the program cannot access a temporary file or has no write access to the data storage directory or its "send" subfolder.

We also have a report from an user, that this error occured after he has selected an attachment on a mapped drive. 
This could be solved by moving the file to a local drive.
If this also happens on your system, then please drop us a line. The program normally accepts attachments on all kind of drives.

 


 

I have added an image, but the program does not accept it.

A) The image is located on a network share (UNC)

e.g.
file://\\192.168.2.108\share\amlc-newsletter-system.jpg
file://\\planet\share\amlc-newsletter-system.jpg
\\planet\share\amlc-newsletter-system.jpg

Please use a network drive with a drive-letter (instead of the UNC) or copy the file to your local disk !!!

Sample:
"x:\amlc-newsletter-system.jpg


B) The image or the filepath contains spaces or special chars.

Please don't use spaces or special chars, e.g. "umlauts" in the filename or filepath.
e.g. use "c:\folder\image1.jpg" instead of "c:\folder\image one.jpg"

 


 

When I try to import from a database then I get an "NOEMAIL" error for ALL email addresses.

Please take a look at the import_log.txt.

[SYNTAXERROR] NOEMAIL [DB]

If you get this error message for ALL records and you are sure, that the fields are not empty, then please take a look at the definition of the column. The column should be defined as TEXT or VARCHAR, not NVARCHAR. (NVARCHAR is unicode, the email address should be text!)

Alternative: Export the database into text (.CSV) format and import the text file into MailList Controller.

 


 

How can I import email addresses from Microsoft Outlook?

Please export the email addresses from Microsoft Outlook to CSV - Comma Seperated Values (Text) and import the CSV (Text) file to MailList Controller.

Please note, that you can only import data to a "Standard List" (non-linked List), because linked lists are read-only.
Make sure, that you select "Standard List" during the list creation.

 


 

Error: Failed to connect to SMTP server

This means that either the settings for outgoing messages are invalid or a firewall is blocking.

Please take a look at:
Help - Troubleshooting - Problems with outgoing Messages

 


 

Error: Failed to connect to POP3 server

This means that either the settings for incoming messages are invalid or a firewall is blocking.

Please verify the "List Settings" -> "Incoming Messages (POP3)": "POP3 Server", "Username", "Password" and "Port". If your POP3 server requires a SSL (secure connection), then please make sure, that this option is checked.

This information should be provided by your mailprovider.

If you are sure, that everything is setup correctly and it still does not work, then please check your firewall.

 


 

Please contact us if you cannot find an answer to your question here.

 






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