Thanks, Rex. Although I'm on an apache/Linux server. So hmmmm.

You mentioned getting it to work... which real email provider you get it to function with?

And, for example, does this hack only work accounts that use the "my outgoing server requires authentication" or does it only work with those accounts that specifically do not require that feature?

Ok, I had someone set up a basic SMTP account with no restrictions as a test.

Getting this error now:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: errormessage() in /home/sites/www/zaon.org/includes/mail.php on line 202

Which points to a different, yet similar line as before, in this case:
return errorMessage("Authorization to the SMTP server failed");

Any clues on what's so fussy here?

When I run it i get the error Parse error: parse error, unexpected '@', expecting ',' or ';' in /home/star/public_html/includes/mail.php on line 96
What could be wrong?

Read the topic again... You should write the following line with quotes

yeah I noticed that after, I now get the error Warning: fsockopen(): unable to connect to mail.domain.com:25 in /includes/mail.php on line 183

Fatal error: Call to undefined function: errormessage() in /home/star/public_html/includes/mail.php on line 248

Probably, It's the same problem, write the following line with quotes:

It is already that way.

Are you sure you wrote all informations correctly ?

yeah positive.

SMTP: localhost
sendmail_from: None
sendmail_path: /usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i

Is that normal for 3.0.7?

Anyone?

Holy CRUD!!! This thread fired up and I didn't know about it. Let me see...

So I've got a Linux box running this message board and it's email functions are rock solid. (I have a Windows and a Linux server hosted by Burst.) The only thing I can say to you is make sure that your mail functions point to: 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost (in Linux make sure that's defined it should be, a simple ping to that IP would tell you). Then all you need is to make sure that the SMTP account sending the emails is a real account on a real domain on the server. You can get some good feedback using the diagnostic email in the admin panel. It's under "Import & Maintenance" down at the bottom of the panel. Click "Diagnostics" then send email. You'll get some useful output.

I'll watch for your replies so let me know.

Nope that's wrong.

SMTP: 127.0.0.1
sendmail_from: realuser@realdomainonthisserver.com
sendmail_path: // This looks okay.

Are you on Linux/Windows ehem Winblows? Let me know... I mentioned earlier I'm running this on Windows and Linux. The Linux is so bulletproof I don't even check it. The windows I have to have 9 secret service agents watching around the clock.