Email Setup in Nanaimo

These are the email issues we see most often in Nanaimo:

• Can't send or receive — messages stuck in the outbox, or nothing new coming in
• Password not accepted — your email keeps rejecting a password you know is right
• Works on one device but not another — fine on your phone, broken on your computer (or the other way around)
• Provider changes — Telus and Shaw have both made changes to their email systems over the years, and older settings can stop working
• Send/receive errors — cryptic error codes in Outlook that don't tell you anything useful
• Mailbox full — storage limits reached, bouncing incoming mail
• Duplicate or missing emails — the same message showing up five times, or folders that vanished

Most of these come down to account settings, outdated server information, or a mail program that needs to be reconfigured. The good news: they're almost always fixable.

Outlook Setup and Repair

Outlook is powerful, but when it breaks, it really breaks. We set up new Outlook accounts, fix send/receive errors, repair damaged data files, and get your contacts and calendar working again. If Outlook has been fighting you, we can make peace with it.

Gmail and Webmail

We set up Gmail on your computer, phone, and tablet so everything stays in sync. We can also help you organize an overflowing inbox, set up filters so the important stuff stands out, and recover access to an account you've been locked out of.

Telus and Shaw Email

A lot of folks in Nanaimo have had the same Telus or Shaw email address for decades. When these providers change their systems, older setups can suddenly stop working—especially in programs like Outlook or on older devices. We know the current settings and can get your provider email working again, or help you decide if it's time to move to something more permanent.

Email Migration

Switching providers or moving to a new address? We can move your old emails, contacts, and folders over so you don't lose years of history. We'll also set up forwarding from the old address so nothing slips through the cracks during the switch.

New Device Setup

Got a new computer, phone, or tablet? We'll get your email set up on it properly the first time, with everything syncing between your devices the way it should.

Behind the scenes, your email program talks to mail servers using specific settings—server names, ports, and security options. When a provider updates their system, changes their security requirements, or retires an old server, those settings go stale and things break. It's not your fault, and it's usually not your computer's fault either.

There's also the question of how your email is set up. Some setups keep a copy of everything on the server so all your devices stay in sync. Older setups download mail to one computer and delete it from the server—which is why your email might only exist on that one old machine. We'll check how yours is configured and set it up the right way for how you actually use it.

If you're comfortable entering settings yourself, here are the current server settings for the two providers we get asked about most. If you'd rather not fiddle with it—or you've tried and it still won't work—give us a call and we'll take care of it.

Shaw Email (@shaw.ca) — Now Managed by Rogers

The Shaw gotcha: before IMAP or POP will work, your Shaw Webmail has to be set to Classic mode—and that setting can only be changed from a computer, not a phone or tablet. This is the number one reason a Shaw account works fine in Webmail but refuses to connect in Outlook. Also note that as of February 2026, Rogers no longer creates new @shaw.ca addresses—existing addresses keep working, but if you're thinking long-term, it may be worth planning a move. We can help with that.

Telus Email (@telus.net) — Powered by Google

Here's what trips people up: Telus moved its email onto Google's system years ago. The old imap.telus.net settings you'll find floating around the internet no longer work for most accounts. Your @telus.net address now uses Gmail's servers:

The Telus gotcha: because it's Google behind the scenes, newer email programs should be set up as a Google account type rather than manual IMAP—you'll get a Google sign-in window and everything configures itself. Older programs that only support a plain password often get rejected by Google's security, even when the password is correct. That's the classic "my password works in the browser but not in my email program" complaint—and it's fixable, so don't go changing your password five times. Just call Big Mike.

Your inbox is the number one way scammers try to get at you. Fake "your account will be closed" warnings, phony invoices, links that look like they're from your bank or from Telus or Shaw—we see the aftermath of these all the time.

While we're setting up your email, we'll show you what to look for so you can spot the fakes. And if you think you've already clicked something you shouldn't have, don't panic—check out our virus and malware removal service and give us a call. The sooner we look at it, the better.

All the setup and configuration work we do on your email is covered under warranty. If something we set up isn't working right, we'll come back and fix it. No charge for the labour.

Note: We can't control what your email provider does on their end—if Telus, Shaw, Google, or Microsoft changes their system down the road, that's a new fix. But our setup work? That's guaranteed.