Question: When I tried to access my account I get a error page with "DEBUG: Erstat XXXXXXX" where XXXXX is a number.

urrently?  The DEBUG: Erstat error message is related to your account being accessed concurrently from multiple computers.  This is seen as a security violation and your login session is terminated to protect your account from concurrent access.  Concurrent access makes it difficult to protect your account from "session hijacking" and can cause your credentials to be compromised.  If you have further questions, please contact us for support / help.

Question: My addressbook got corrupted or lost when I was trying to update it.

Addressbook gets corrupted or fails to get the full update if there is an intermittent network connection.  However everytime you update the addressbook there is a backup copy kept for you convenience.  It is available for you to restore it yourself.  You will see this under "EDIT Addressbook" link as the second option from the top that says "Restore Backup", use this option anytime you have a problem and the addressbook.  This will restore your last known backup copy that either got corrupted or was "truncated" due to a network error.

Question: I installed openvpn successfully When I right-click the icon in the status bar, it has the same 3 options: Proxy Settings, About, Exit.

This happens when you install openvpn, something prevented the copying of required configuration files into the appropriate configuration folder.  This could be an external program (such as Antivirus) or windows access control.  You can either exclude the openvpn software PSVPN from Antivirus software (or windows access control) OR you can do the following steps to install the files that were not installed properly.

1.  Download the configuration file https://mail.psmail.net/secure/vpn/sslvpn/openvpn-config.zip
[enter your PSMail email address and password if prompted]
2.  Save this file in a convenient location.
3.  Extract the zip file, typically by doing right click and do "Extract Here"
4.  Copy the Folder PSVPN to your configuration folder - typically C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenVPN\config
5.  Restart OpenVPN.

Question:  I was able to connect to PSMail's VPN but afterwards I cannot browse the internet.  the VPN logs show error as below

2011-01-09 20:37:29 RESOLVE: Cannot resolve host address: vpn-ssl.psmail.net: [HOST_NOT_FOUND] The specified host is unknown.

Solution:

Your MAC OS X Lion system most likely blocks changes to its DNS and network settings.  This could be due to a number of factors, such as antivirus, new security controls or software firewall.  To test and see if this is your problem, youcan try and disable the experimental options in Tunnelblick.  go to Tunnelblick drop down menu choose "Details" and then disable/uncheck the "Set Name Server" and the "Monitor Connection" option.  If your VPN works correct, then you may need to disable any additional software and give Tunnelblick appropriate permissions to manage DNS on your system.

I suspect somebody else is using my account or has access to my account...what should it do?

If you still have access to your account, it is best to login and change your password immediately.

If you are not able to access your account via the login page, but have set up your account to use 2FA (two factor authentication with our software based tokens) you will still be able to login using your 2FA software code and your pin number (if you have not set up 2FA, learn more about our three password system here). If you have the SSL key certificate that is included in the 2FA download, you can also use that to reset your password.

If you are unable to access your account and have not set up 2FA for your account, please contact us immediately.

For continued protection, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on your account by logging in at https://mail.psmail.net/ and clicking on "Account Status" in the left-hand sidebar. This will display a "Last Login Time" field, which shows when you logged in to PSMail most recently.* If this gives you reason to suspect that someone else has accessed your account, contact us immediately.

*NOTE: This includes VPN login, IMAP/POP login, and web based login.

When PSMail's SPAM filter identifies a problem message, it does not completely delete it right away. Instead, it removes it from your inbox and "quarantines" it, keeping it safe and harmless until you can confirm that it is indeed SPAM. This prevents important messages that are accidentally identified as SPAM from being inadvertantly deleted.

On a weekly basis, PSMail automatically sends each user a Weekly Digest that shows all the messages that have been quarantined. Some users, however, especially those who choose to set a very low SPAM tolerance level, might prefer to get this Digest on a daily basis, since the increased sensitivity of their SPAM filter may catch more legitimate emails. The following steps enable you to change your settings in order to receive this Daily Digest. For questions concerning the settings of your SPAM control itself, please visit our FAQ article on managing your SPAM.

Step 1: Login to your PSMail account.

Step 2: Go to Manage Account. NOTE: You must actually click on Manage Account rather than just expanding it by clicking the + sign.

Step 3: A Manage Account Options page will open. Underneath the link to SPAM Control you will see a seperate link: Daily SPAM Digest. Click this.

Step 4: Check the box next to Enable daily digest of spam emails. Then click Update.

You're finished!

In some cases you may be required to use a proxy server to connect to the internet.  In this case, you may not have direct access to the internet or to our SSL VPN servers.  However you can configure your VPN to work with proxy settings.  You need to add necessary configuration to indicate the proxy server you are connecting through.

Question: I am connected to VPN but when my internet traffic is not being routed via VPN.  When I look at the logs I see some errors as shown below

Wed Jan 26 21:06:20 2011 openvpn_execve: CreateProcess C:\WINDOWS\system32\route.exe failed: %1 is not a valid Win32 application.(errno=193)
Wed Jan 26 21:06:20 2011 ERROR: Windows route add command failed: externalprogram did not execute -- returned error code -1
Wed Jan 26 21:06:20 2011 Initialization Sequence Completed

Reason and Answer:

If you are using Windows operating system and have a unique configuration on your windows system such as D:\ being your primary drive or a possible multi-boot environment on your windows PC? (XP/Vista/Windows 7), it can cause the VPN setup to fail when configuring your network.   to solve this issue, you should add the following line to your openvpn configuration:

win-sys env

To add this, right click on openvpn icon and then choose "Edit Config" and then type "win-sys env" at the bootom of the file in the notepad window.

Save the file , Exit, and right click and exit openvpn - restart openvpn with "Run As Administrator" option. 

If you use IMAP or webmail as your email client and you do NOT regularly delete emails from your account, your mailbox can get full and incoming emails be rejected into your mailbox.  We recommend you use the "Automatic Archiving" settings in PSMail to regularly archive old messages.  When you are logged into PSMail, you can go to "Manage Account" and then to "Archive Settings."   You will see two settings for archiving, one for archiving large messages that come into your mailbox and another to archive automatically messages that are older than any number of days.  We recommend this to be 720 days or so - approximately 2 years.  The automatic archiver job runs every week once to check for emails in your Inbox that are older than 720 days and moves them to archive.  Once the email is in the archives, it is accessible for 30 days.  After 30 days these messages are automatically deleted.

To access an archived email:

Archived emails can be accessed in several ways. Using IMAP you can synchronize a folder called "PSMail/quarantine/archive" which will carry your archived emails.  You can also use the steps below to access archives through a browser:

1. Login at https://mail.psmail.net/.

2. Click on Folders on the left-hand menu.

3. At the very bottom you will see the option for Archive Folder. Click on it.

4. You will now be able to see and access your archived messages. Archive messages remain in this folder for 60 days.

NOTE: An error message that says, "Sorry this folder has been removed or corrupted," simply means that you have no messages currently in the Archive Folder.

To Manage Archive settings

1. Login at https://mail.psmail.net/.

2. Click on Manage Accounts

3. Click on Archive Settings

4. Choose appropriate Archive size, OPTIONAL: If you would like to disable archiving entirely, you can set this size to be 20 MBytes.

5. Click on Update Settings.

See example screenshot below for archive settings to automatically archive messages older than 659 days and messages that arrive larger than 5.1 MBytes.

This article explains how to use the autoresponder function in your PSMail account to respond to friends and colleagues in your absence.

Instructions for retrieving a lost address book.

Apple OSX Mail does not support the export of the address book into a compatible import format for PSMAIL.

A 3^rd party problem named “A-to-G” solves this problem and is free for OSX version 10.3.9 and above.

To export your list using A-to-G:

1. Download A-to-G from: http://info.psmail.net/download/atog1_3_5.zip
2. Once the download completes, open the zip file and run: “A to G”
3. Click: Click "Export to Desktop"
4. Once the process completes you will see a message stating that the export is complete. Select 'Quit'
5. Browse to your desktop, you should see a file named: ‘Contacts for Gmail.csv’
6. Login to PSMAIL at https://mail.psmail.net
7. Go to the ‘Address Book’, select ‘ Import addresses from CSV’
8. Select the ‘Contacts for Gmail.csv’ file on your desktop and set the file format as ‘Gmail’.
9. Click ‘Upload’
10. Once the process completes it will report the total number of addresses which have been uploaded.
11. Browse your address book and confirm the entries are correct.

Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have grown increasingly popular. They are now used by millions to stay closely connected with friends and family, even across great distances. In some situations, however, access to these services is restricted or unsafe because of security concerns.

That's where PSMail's VPN service can help. When a user connects to the Internet through our VPN, it is as if they are connecting through their own private network (rather than whatever network they are actually using, like that of an Internet cafe or airport). This private network gives them secure access to the Internet by routing them through our servers in the US and Canada and protects them from eavesdroppers and hackers that might pose a danger in their current location. By using the VPN service, PSMail subscribers can stay connected through social media without fear.

For more information about VPN, including setup information, click here.

Creating Personal Folders

To save copies of email from your Inbox (or other IMAP folders), you need to first create a personal, or local, folder on your computer into which you will move them.

You can easily distinguish your IMAP folders from your local ones by looking at the folder tree in Outlook. The folders underneath mail.psmail.net are the IMAP folders, stored centrally on the mail.psmail.net server. The folders under Personal Folders are local ones. You can expand either list of folders by clicking on the plus sign next to that section.To create personal folders in Outlook, perform the following steps:

From Outlook, go to the File menu, select New and then Folder.

The following window will appear.

Select Personal Folders, and under Name, type the name of the Personal Folder you wish to create (for example, "Archive"). Under Folder contains, select Mail and Post Items if it is not selected already.
You should now see the folder that you created under Personal Folders. The screenshot below highlights the newly created "Archive" folder.

You can repeat the previous steps to create as many local folders as you need.

Moving Messages into Personal Folders

To move a message from an IMAP folder into a personal folder, select the message and either drag it to the appropriate local folder or go to the Edit menu and select Move to Folder. Select the folder to which you would like to move the message.
To move the entire contents of a folder, select the IMAP folder you want to move and then select any message within the folder. Go to the Edit menu and choose Select All . You can now drag all the messages to the appropriate folder or use the Move to Folder menu option.

Make sure you regularly login to your account and check your quota usage.  Here is how to do chekc your quota

Login (https://mail.psmail.net) -> Click on "Manage" (or Manage Account for old webmail client)-> Choose "View Account Status" [Sample screenshot shows < 1% quota usage of 1000 M]

You will see a bar graph as the third item that shows your current quota usage.  Keep your quota usage always below 75% to be safe.

"There are some sites and protocols that seem to be blocked by PSVPN. Why is that?"

Our VPN service includes a built-in protection against sites that carry sexual, illicit, or illegal content. We also block sites that spread viruses, malware, and distasteful content (such as racist messages) and sites and protocols* that provide illegal software or media distribution. We block these sites for the safety of our users and their families. If you are trying to access a website that is being blocked but does not fit into one of our prohibited categories, please contact us and we will remove the site from the blocked list.

* Protocols such as SMTP and Jabber (Chat) are allowed only to PSMail servers.  Secure SMTP is allowed to any site from PSMail's VPN.

This problem happens typically when you run Openvpn as a normal user and not as "Administrator." Make sure you run openvpn by doing Right click on Openvpn icon and then choose "Run as Administrator"
(See step 11 in our instructions)

You can force VPN to always run as administrator, here are the steps to do so

1.  Go to Windows icon on window 7 and type openvpn at the search window.

2.  Right click "OpeVPN GUI" and choose Properties.

3.  In the next windowo go to tab called "Compatibility"

4.  Enable the option "Run this program as an administrator"

5.  click "Apply" and then click "OK"

6.  Close the openvpn application in the system tray and restart it.

7.  When prompted for privilege of administrator say "Yes"

This article contains a comprehensive list of questions and answers concerning SPAM and how your PSMail account can help you deal with it.

Forwarding mass emails (such as emailed chain letters or bizarre consumer warnings) seems harmless but may have negative repercussions.

Many computer programs automatically cache your username and password. That means that your computer remembers your login information so that as you begin to type it, often only the first letter, it will automatically complete the word/words for you. This is very convenient, but can also be a security risk (if someone ever got ahold of your computer, for example, they could simply type the letters of the alphabet until the cache was triggered and the rest of your login information was revealed).

The default configuration for PSMail's VPN allows caching for the convenience of our users. If you prefer caching to be disabled for your VPN, please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click on your PSVPN icon and click Edit Configuration (NOTE: MAC users will need to click Details and then Edit configuration; Vista and Windows 7 users should choose sslvpn-vista and then Edit Configuration). Your computer may ask you to unprotect your configuration file in order to make changes; do so as prompted.

Step 2: In order to disable caching, add the following line to the configuration file: 

"auth-nocache"

Step 3: Once you have made your changes click File and then Exit. When you are asked if you would like to save the file, click Yes.

You're done!

It is convenient to send images and documents via email or share it using a file share.  However email size limits (typically 20 MBytes) keep you from sharing large documents.  It is important to note that most doucments can be compressed to a smaller size without loosing content and quality.  Images such as photo images, pictures, digital camera photos can be compressed to a size that is many times 40% smaller without loosing quality.  This is usually because many pictures are stored in very high quality and large size (in pixels) to enable both editing and poster size printing if desired.

Here we provide some tips for compressing both images, word documents and power points for both MAC and Windows users.  Linux users can take advantage of gimp which is powerful in manipulating images and compressing images/pictures to efficient transport formats.

"After installing OpenVPN and copying the PSVPN openvpn-config files onto my machine, I only see "client.ovpn" listed in my connection options. Why is that?"

This usually occurs because you already have a 3rd party OpenVPN based client installed on your machine. 3rd party VPN installations include UltraVPN and AlwaysVPN. Just follow these steps to correct the problem:

Step 1: If you are currently connected to PSVPN, right click the OpenVPN icon on your taskbar and click Exit.

Step 2: Open your Control Panel and click Add/Remove (in Windows 7 it will be Programs and Features).

Step 3: Find and right-click OpenVPN. Then select Uninstall.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 for UltraVPN. If you are unable to find UltraVPN, simply continue.

Step 5: Repeat step 3 for AlwaysVPN. If you are unable to find AlwaysVPN, simply continue.

Step 6: Close the Control Panel.

Step 7: Open My Computer, select your "C" drive, and then open Program Files (c:\Program Files). Delete the following three folders (or whichever ones you can find):

• OpenVPN
• UltraVPN
• AlwaysVPN

Step 7: Reboot your machine. This is necessary in order to make sure old versions of the OpenVPN client are fully removed.

Step 8: Once your machine has rebooted, re-install the PSMail SSL VPN client by following the instrucitons available at http://info.psmail.net/noah/psmail-help-mainmenu-59/27-sslvpn-client-info.html.

You're done! If you have any further problems, please contact our helpdesk by clicking here.

NOTE: These instructions are specifically for a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. If you have another operating system and need help addressing this problem, please contact our helpdesk.

Tunnelblick has announced that there is a bug in most Tunnelblick versions before 3.1.1. This bug makes the user vulnerable to a specific security risk (another local user can gain administrative access) but only applies to Mac OS X systems. To correct this problem, PSMail has made the newest version of Tunnelblick (3.1.2) available on our website. We strongly encourage all Macintosh users to upgrade to this version as a precaution against the security glitch. As always, there is no charge for our VPN services and this update is offered freely to all our subscribers. If you have any questions about the security risk or the newest version of Tunnelblick, please feel free to contact us.

My PDA Windows Mobile or Pocket PC complains that the certificate provided by mail.psmail.net is not trusted. What should I do?

PSLists is a secure email list used to communicate with a set group of people. Messages are sent to a "list address" (ex. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and all members of the list, called subscribers, have access to it. The following article explains how PSLists can be used and provides potential troubleshooting information.

PSMail servers use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt communications between email client and server. PSMail servers do NOT support SPA (Secure Password Authentication). However, recent Microsoft security update enables SPA (and sometimes disables SSL), this causes your account to stop collecting email.  You need to step through your account settings and navigate to the authentication portion and disable SPA

In Outlook: Under Tools, click E-mail accounts. Open properties and then uncheck the box that says Logon using SPA.

"Secure email" can sometimes be a slippery term. What exactly does it mean? How secure is my communication really?

There are different levels of security and privacy for email, and there are also different ways of providing it. Some technologies focus only on specific aspects of the email process and others were created to defend against specific threats. For your own peace of mind and confidence, its important to know just what is meant when we at PSMail claim to provide secure email services.

A key aspect of security is protecting your email as it travels from you to the recipient. Many times, when a company advertises secure email it indicates that the connection between your computer (or email client) and the server is protected. That means that when you hit "send" your mail is safe as it makes its way to the email server, and incoming email is also safe as it makes its way from the server to your computer. This is called securing the end user interface. Many popular email services do this by providing security for authentication, but they fail to encrypt the emails unless the user manually enables the encryption. The other important aspect of secure email - one which many security services ignore - is communication that goes outside your local email system. These are emails that are transferred from your email system to another remote email system and then towards the recipient. Oftentimes, your email travels through several servers on its way from your computer to its destination, and all those in-between steps, as well as the final leg of the journey, may remain insecure or have a lower level of protection.

PSMail, however, provides comprehensive security for your communication. We use automatic encryption technologies - Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) - for all communications, whether incoming or outgoing and for both internal and external transactions. SSL and TLS provide end-to-end security and use an opportunistic method to protect communications traveling through remote email systems. The opportunistic method uses the maximum security possible when connecting to remote servers. The highest level of security provided by the remote system is taken advantage of by PSMail's email system.*

When PSMail says that we provide secure email, we mean secure. We mean you can have peace of mind that your information will be kept private and safe. If you are interested in testing the security of your PSMail account or any other email account you may have, visit http://ismymailsecure.com. This is an external site that will provide independent analysis of what security is present for a given email address.

* NOTE: When an email leaves our servers and heads towards the recipient, part of the security then depends on the end-user's client and network.

Information for renewing both individual and group accounts.

"I've received an email that is digitally signed. What does that mean and how can I know the signature is valid?"

Like an ink signature on a document, a digital signature on an email is meant to guarantee authenticity. It's like a digital thumbprint that is attached to an email to uniquely identify the sender and insure that the document has not been tampered with.

When you get an email in your PSMailbox that has been digitally signed you will see a notary symbol next to it (see below).

When you open this email, you will see that the digital signature appears as an attachment called "smime.p7s" with the same notary icon next to it. When you move your mouse over this icon you will see an option to "Verify digital signature."

If you click the notary icon, the digital signature will be validated against a list of certificate authorities (Verisign, Comodo, etc.). If the certificate is valid and the message has not been tampered with, you will see the verification screen below.

If you have any further questions about digital signatures or email security, please don't hesitate to contact us.

A one time password (OTP) is a password that is only valid for a single login session or transaction. This article explains their uses and how to generate one.

PSVPN is the VPN (Virtual Private Network) service provided by PSMail.

One problem that arises with spam filters and blockers is that legitimate emails are sometimes accidentally identified as spam. This article explains how to prevent your outgoing mailings, such as newsletters or PSList emails, from being blocked by your recipients' spam filters. If you have questions about accidentally blocked incoming messages, please follow this link.

First, PSMail emails are always signed with SPF (Sender Policy Framework), which helps to validate your email as originating from a reliable source. We also provide reliable email headers to ensure that your email does not resemble spam. These two steps alone should prevent most problems. However, if you are still having trouble getting your email through to certain recipients, there are a few things you can do to prevent misidentification.

#1 - Don't include anyone on your mailing list (even friends, family, colleagues, etc.) without their explicit permission. A good way to ensure this is to make people "work" to sign up for your newsletter by requiring them to email a certain address with a "subscribe" instruction or by providing a newsletter sign-up box on your website. If they've specifically asked to be on your mailing list, chances are better that they won't accidentally block you.

#2 - Don't surprise people with unexpected content. If they've signed up for your newsletter on "Living in Africa" and they begin receiving information from you on fly-fishing or your European vacation, the may be confused (or frustrated) and begin blocking your emails.

#3 - Make it easy for people to unsubscribe should they so choose (e.g. "Just send your email address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will take you off our mailing list immediately."). No one likes to be stuck on a mailing list they no longer read and they may very well begin identifying your email as spam. (NOTE: You may want to use one of your alias addresses as your contact for people who want to unsubscribe. For information on how to create an alias, click here.)

#4 - Always start your newsletter and/or list email in a consistent way so your readers can recognize it immediately. If possible, tie the subject line of your email to the content. This helps people distinguish your newsletter from a spammer's unwanted gibberish. In addition, make sure your newsletter doesn't look like spam. Avoid the use of the following in your subject line: ALL CAPITAL LETTERS; excessive use of "!"; other unusual characters like "..." or "X"; and words like "copyright", "sale", "percentage", "discount", etc.

Follow these steps and you should have no trouble getting your information to those on your mailing list. If you have further issues or questions, feel free to contact us via our contact page. We'll be more than happy to help you.

When you receive a very large email (over 5 MB, for example), the process to download it can take a long time, especially if your Internet connection is slow. Aside from forcing you to wait to read the message, this can cause  problems with your inbox as it clogs things up and monopolizes your computer's attention. Occasionally, your inbox can even freeze, locking up the downloading process and forcing you to start again. In order to address this, PSMail introduced archiving, an option where a large message intended for you can be saved on our system and accessed directly through a link. This prevents the long download times and protects your inbox from a large message that could take up an inordinate amount of space.

The default email size that will automatically be archived is 5MB, but you have the option of adjusting this number to suit your preference (included is an option to prevent any archiving). To change your archive settings, just click on Manage Accounts and then Archive Settings. Please note that unread messages will now be held in our archive for 60 days (not 30).

Archived emails can be accessed in several ways. Typically, you will receive an email alerting you that you have an archived message and providing you with a direct link to access it. Recently, however, we have enforced authentication for accessing these emails, which occasionally interferes with the link. Follow these steps to access your archived messages if the link is not active:

1. Login at https://mail.psmail.net/.

2. Click on Archive icon on the left menu (below the Folders icon next to "Sent-Items") 
OR
click Folders on the left-hand menu, and then at the very bottom you will see the option for Archive Folder. Click on it.

3. You will now be able to see and access your archived messages. Archive messages remain in this folder for 60 days.

NOTE: An error message that says, "Sorry this folder has been removed or corrupted," simply means that you have no messages currently in the Archive Folder.

To Manage Archive settings

1. Login at https://mail.psmail.net/.

2. Click on Manage Accounts

3. Click on Archive Settings

4. Choose appropriate Archive size, OPTIONAL: If you would like to disable archiving entirely, you can set this size to be 20 MBytes.

5. Click on Update Settings.

As always, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about archiving emails or any other PSMail service.

See example screenshot below for archive settings to automatically archive messages older than 659 days and messages that arrive larger than 5.1 MBytes.

Virtual keypad is a technology used by PSMail for subscribers who need to access their account from a public place or using a public computer. Many such situations, such as at an Internet cafe' or airport, expose you to keystroke loggers and software password sniffers that can collect your password as you type it, thus compromising your secure email account.

PSMail's solution is to provide you with a virtual keypad to log into your PSMail account. If you are in a public place and unsure of the security of the network, the virtual keypad allows you to enter your password on the screen, rather than by typing on your keyboard, and thereby bypasses any program that is monitoring your keystrokes for passwords.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: Go to your login screen. It should look something like this:

Step 2: Instead of entering your username and password as you typically would, click Using Public Computer?. You will now see a new login screen that looks like this:

Step 3: Enter your PSMail Email Address as you typically would (ex. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). When you click on the Password field, however, you will see the following screen:

Step 4: Type in your password by clicking on the virtual keypad. This will successfully log you into your account, while keeping your password hidden from prying eyes.

PSVPN's default configuration provides Internet access via either Canada or the US (depending on several factors). It is possible, however, to configure your VPN to terminate to a PSMail server in a specific country every time you connect. Currently, this can be done for three countries: the US, UK, and Canada. (NOTE: Our servers on the European mainland and in Asia are still under beta testing. We can make these available to users who are intersted in testing them early. Just write us through our contact page if you are interested.)

To change your settings, first make sure that you are disconnected from the VPN. Then right click on your PSVPN icon and click Edit Configuration. (NOTE: MAC users will need to click Details and then Edit configuration; Vista and Windows 7 users should choose sslvpn-vista and then Edit Configuration.) Your computer may ask you to unprotect your configuration file in order to make changes; do so as prompted. You should then see a notepad or similar software with lines of information. Find the line that says: "remote vpn-ssl.psmail.net 443".

(For MAC users that have PSVPN version of Tunnelblick, there is a script that you can download and use to update your configurations click here to download)

For the Canada link, change this to: "remote vpn-ssl-ca.psmail.net 443"

For the UK link, change it to: "remote vpn-ssl-uk.psmail.net 443"

For the US link, change it to: "remote vpn-ssl-us.psmail.net 443"

For the Asia Pacific (Singapore) link, change it to: "remote vpn-ssl-ap.psmail.net 443"

Once you have made your changes click File and then Exit. When you are asked if you would like to save the file, click Yes.

You're done!

If you have any further questions about PSVPN or accessing the Internet via servers in a specific country, please contact us. We'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

PSWeb is a web tool included with every PSMail subscription. It helps you create online image libraries, newsletters, and simple webpages. Read more for further information and for setup instructions.

An explanation of the error message: UNABLE TO VERIFY YOUR SESSION INTEGRITY.

Similar to how it may be used in a spy movie, an alias is an assumed name that is not your own. In the case of PSMail, it's an assumed email address.

"I've lost my PSMail password. Can you send it to me?"

When a request comes in claiming to be a PSMail user and asking for an account's password, we at PSMail recognize that this could be a security threat. For your protection, PSMail employees will first verify that the person sending the email is really the person who owns the account. If everything checks out, we will not send the user their password (PSMail staff will never access our subscribers' password information). Instead, we reset the password and allow the user to create his/her own.

To have your password reset, please send the following information to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it :

• The primary PSMail.net email address (not an alias)
• The first and last name on the Account Registration
• A copy of the electronic invoice we sent to you with your subscription payment
• The last four digits ONLY of the credit card number (if you paid for your subscription via credit card). DO NOT send your FULL credit card number by email).

A randomly generated One Time Password (OTP) will then be sent to the alternate email account that you used when you subscribed. This OTP is unique to your PSMail account and will only work once. Use it to log in to your PSMail account, and then click on Manage Account in the left-hand sidebar. Click Change Your Password and enter a new password. Once you click Submit, this password will now serve as your permanent password.

Remember, the OTP will only work once. When you've used it to log into your PSMail account, you must initiate a new password by following the instructions above.

Explanation of "MS Visual C++ Runtime Error R6025".

Explanation of the "Security failure. Data decryption error" received with Internet Explorer on a Macintosh OS 9 computer.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users sometimes experience trouble connecting to the Internet through their VPN. Though the VPN icon shows "green" (connected), their Internet activity is not actually routing through the secure network. The reason for this is that in order for OpenVPN to route traffic correctly, users must run it as an administrator. The following are several solutions for correcting this issue and simplifying the use of OpenVPN.

If you use your VPN only infrequently, the simplest thing to do is to manually grant yourself administrator privileges each time you want to connect. Just right-click on the VPN icon and select the Compatability tab. Then select Run as Administrator. Now you can connect the VPN as you usually would and traffic will route correctly.  Please see details steps below:

1.  Go to Windows icon on window 7 and type openvpn at the search window.

2.  Right click "OpeVPN GUI" and choose Properties.

3.  In the next windowo go to tab called "Compatibility"

4.  Enable the option "Run this program as an administrator"

5.  click "Apply" and then click "OK"

6.  Close the openvpn application in the system tray and restart it.

7.  When prompted for privilege of administrator say "Yes"

If you DO NOT have privilege to do the above change, but would like to have the option to run openvpn as administrator only when needed.  You can do so by creating a new short-cut in your Windows machine.

Here are the steps to create "Run-as Administrator" shortcut:

Step 1: Create a normal shortcut to OpenVPN by clicking on your Start menu, browsing to OpenVPN, and right clicking on the OpenVPN icon. Next click Send to and select Desktop (Create Shortcut).

Step 2: On your desktop, right-click the shortcut and select Properties.

Step 3: In the Target box, insert the following before the path to openvpn-gui.exe:

"runas /savecred /user:administrator".

Step 4: Now double-click the short-cut and enter your Windows administrator password. NOTE: If you have changed your Windows adminstrator account to a username other than the name of the adminstrator, please replace the adminstrator with the correct account name.

Step 5: If you want OpenVPN to auto-start when you log on, move the shortcut you've created to your Startup folder on the Start-> Programs menu.

As always, if you have any trouble with these proceedures or have any further questions, please contact our helpdesk by clicking here.

"Why are my outgoing messages timing out and failing to send from iMail."

Often this indicates a problem with your settings. Follow these steps to ensure that your account is set up correctly.

Step 1: Open iMail.

Step 2: Select Mail and then Preferences from the menu.

Step 3: Select the Accounts tab.

Step 4: Select the mail account you need to modify from the Accounts list on the left side of the window.

Step 5: At the bottom right side of the window select Edit Server List from the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) dropdown menu.

Step 6: Select PSMail from the list of SMTP Servers.

Step 7: Under the Account Information tab, set the Server Name to "mail.psmail.net".

Step 8: Select the Advanced tab.

Step 9: Set your port to "465". Make sure the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) box is selected. Then select Password from the Authentication dropdown.


Step 10: Enter your PSMail username (i.e. username-psmail.net) and password. Make sure you use a dash instead of the @ symbol.

Step 11: Click Ok. If it asks you to save, click Save.

To test your setup, try sending an email to yourself. If you have any problems with setup, or have any further questions, please contact our helpdesk by clicking here.

This article explains a frequent issue with a simple solution: trouble logging into PSMail.

Test your connectivity and find out more about our major network providers through the links provided in this article.

The Stunnel program is an alternate method for using SSL that allows unsupported email clients to connect to our encrypted servers.

"When I try to log into Tunnelblick on my MAC, instead of asking for a password, it exits with an authentication failed error. What's going on?"

This usually happens because you have saved either an old password or an incorrect password (perhaps a mispelling) using MAC OS X Keychain facility. Just follow these steps to correct the problem:

Step 1: Quit the Tunnelblick application if any part of it is still running.

Step 2: Open Applications in Finder. Click on Utilities and then open Keychain Access.

Step 3: Choose Edit and select Keychain List from the drop down menu. Then select the keychain called "Tunnelblick" or "Tunnelblick.app".

Step 4: Click the minus sign (-) at the bottom of the window to delete this keychain.

Step 5: You may now close Keychain Access and run Tunnelblick using your correct password.

If you continue to have problems, please contact our helpdesk. We'll be more than happy to assist you.

"When I try to log into Tunnelblick, I get an error that says,'Tunnelblick Configuration Problem: Tunnelblick could not be launched because of a problem with the configuration. Please examine the Console Log for details.' What does this mean?"

This error occurs if Tunnelblick was installed before the configuration files were copied. Follow these instructions to correct the problem and get Tunnelblick up and running:

Step 1: Close Tunnelblick if any part of the application is still running.

Step 2: Open Finder and click on Library, then Application Support, and then Tunnelblick.

Step 3: Drag the "Configurations" folder to the Trash bin.

Step 4: Try to run the Tunnelblick application again. When you see the option to connect to sslvpn, click on it.

Step 5: When prompted, enter your PSMail address (ex. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) and password.

Problem solved! Tunnelblick should now run as normal. If you continue to have problems, please contact our helpdesk for further assistance.

A software token is a type of Two Factor Authentication (2FA) that provides additional security for your account by requiring both your password and a random token number for access. The random token number is dependant on a private key file that is generated for you.  The token number changes every 15 minutes, making it impossible for others to eavesdrop and/or guess your access information.

This article contains examples and explanations to help you decide whether POP or IMAP is right for you.

An explanation of the conflict that occurs with Norton Antivirus when setting up SSL Secure POP3 or SMTP Service with PSMail.

The maximum size for an email attachment is 20MB. The following article explains how to send larger attachments without negatively effecting your recipients.

Email users sometimes find that they receive email messages with a strange file attached: winmail.dat. When they attempt to open this file, either it can't be opened at all, or it contains "garbage" data. In this article we explain the problem and offer solutions to help correct it.

Mobile VPN is the VPN (Virtual Private Network) service provided by PSMail.  VPN is a private network system that uses the public internet to "tunnel" traffic secretly and securely from your PC/phone to a computer network. This allows you to safely access your PSMailbox and other Internet resources from a limited or unsecure network connection (ex. public wireless or internet cafe).

How is Mobile VPN different from PSVPN?

Mobile VPN is different from PSVPN, it is designed for lightweight devices such as mobile phones (iPhone, android, Windows Mobile) and tablets (Android tablet, iPad).  Mobile VPN also uses SSL protocol like PSVPN, however it uses a different lightweight client from Cisco called AnyConnect.   The software for Mobile VPN is available free from both the Apple AppStore and Android Market.

How much does Mobile VPN cost and how do I pay for it?

Update: Mobile VPN will be included in the price of PSMailbox.  There is no additional fees that will be required.  This is due to the license we have been able to obtain for PSMail users.

Mobile VPN has an additional cost for licensing the Cisco based service.  It is currently in beta mode provided to all PSMail users.  In Jan 2012, an estimated additional price of $12 per user is planned for Mobile VPN service.  You should have a PSMailbox account before you can get access to the Mobile VPN. You can opt-out of Mobile VPN and continue to pay $36 per mailbox per year.

Note:  PSVPN operates only on jail broked iPhones/Androids, Ipads and it provides only limited support for other mobile operating systems.

How do I connect to Mobile VPN from my device?

Install the Anyconnect application and then create a new VPN connection.  Once you have the software installed follow instructions in our website (PSMailbox Login Required) for setting up your mobile device.

Can I access Mobile VPN on a trial period?

The demo account available for PSMailbox does not include VPN access.  However, you can request a new account at https://mail.psmail.net/newaccount and complete the payment process.  After you have paid for the account, you have 30 days within which you can cancel the service to receive full refund.

Does Mobile VPN encrypt my phone calls?

No.  Most of the smart phones have both data and voice channels.  Mobile VPN ONLY encrypts the data channel i.e., your phone access to browser, email and internet resources are encrypted.  However your voice calls are NOT encrypted via this channel.  If you use internet based phone service (example Facetime or Skype) that uses the data channel to make phone calls, your voice calls may be encrypted when using the Mobile VPN.

What mobile phones and Tablets are supported by Mobile VPN?

Currently iPhones (version 4), iPads (version 4), Android on Samsung/Lenovo/HTC are supported.  Windows Mobile support is listed below for convenience.  We recommend that you try and install AnyConnect from the Apple Appstore or Market before purchasing VPN.

HTC Imagio running Windows Mobile 6.5
HTC Tilt 2 running Windows Mobile 6.5
HTC Touch running Windows Mobile 6.0
HTC TyTN running Windows Mobile 5.0
Samsung Epix running Windows Mobile 6.1
Samsung Omnia Pro 4 running Windows Mobile 6.5
Samsung Omnia running Windows Mobile 6.1
Samsung Saga running Windows Mobile 6.1

Other resources on the internet

Cisco AnyConnect for Apple iOS

Cisco AnyConnect for Android