220-1102 Question 135
Single answerMailA user reports that Outlook on their company laptop can send email successfully, but incoming messages never appear in the Inbox unless they log in to webmail. You verify the internet connection is working and that the user can access the mailbox through the browser. The mail administrator confirms the mailbox is healthy and receiving new mail. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue on the laptop?
- A
The incoming mail server setting is incorrect or using the wrong protocol/port
- B
The SMTP server is offline, preventing Outlook from downloading messages
- C
The user's mailbox quota is full, which allows sending but blocks receiving only in Outlook
- D
The laptop's IP address is misconfigured, but only for inbound email traffic
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question focuses on practical email troubleshooting in a client application. In A+ Core 2 scenarios, a technician should first separate server-side issues from client-side issues. Because the mailbox receives mail in webmail, the account and mail server are functioning. Because the user can send from Outlook, outbound settings are likely correct. That points to the incoming mail configuration in Outlook, such as an incorrect IMAP or POP3 server, wrong port, or mismatched SSL/TLS settings. Best practice is to compare the Outlook account configuration with the organization's documented mail settings and verify protocol, server names, ports, and authentication requirements. Typical standards include SMTP for sending, IMAP or POP3 for receiving in traditional mail setups, with IMAP commonly used to synchronize mailbox contents across devices.
- A. Correct.
Correct. If the user can send email but cannot receive it in the desktop client, a common cause is that the incoming mail settings in Outlook are wrong. Examples include an incorrect IMAP or POP3 server name, the wrong port, or incorrect encryption settings. Because webmail works and the mailbox is confirmed healthy, the issue is most likely with the client configuration rather than the account itself.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. SMTP is used for sending outgoing mail, not for retrieving incoming messages. Since the user can already send successfully, SMTP is clearly functioning well enough for outbound mail. Receiving mail in Outlook depends on the configured incoming service, such as IMAP or POP3, or Exchange connectivity in some environments.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A full mailbox quota can prevent new messages from being accepted by the server, but in this scenario the administrator already confirmed that the mailbox is receiving new mail and the user can see those messages in webmail. That means the server-side mailbox is not the reason Outlook is failing to download or sync incoming messages.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A general IP misconfiguration would usually affect broad network connectivity, not only inbound email inside one application. The scenario states the internet connection works and webmail is accessible, which strongly suggests the laptop has valid network connectivity. Email clients do not rely on a separate concept of 'inbound email traffic' at the IP configuration level in this way.