Error ID 0x800CCC0B on Gmail and Windows Live Mail

Email Processing
Understanding the ins and outs of email processing will help you determine the possible cause of your error. Email processing occurs on a central server, not on your computer. In other words, email is an online function. In order to read and compose your messages, you use an email client like Gmail or Windows Live. This is the interface that holds your mail. The client is responsible for handling the processing of the mail, much as a mail carrier handles snail mail. Certain protocols must be followed or the mail cannot go out. It is these protocols that are causing your error.
What Does 0x800CCC0B Mean?
Microsoft identifies what this particular error means. Its definition represents what is going on with the server, not what is happening on your computer to cause the problem. Microsoft defines 0x800CCC0B this way: 'The server or mail drop is busy.' It indicates the mail cannot leave the outbox for some reason. Just because you use a specific email client doesn't mean you use its interface to compose emails. You might use a third-party application like Outlook Express or a different client to create the text. The problem will be with your settings on the application you use to write the emails.
SMTP Setting
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP, dictates the standard format for transferring Internet mail over IP networks. Each service has a protocol to follow that helps to identify the client initiating the message. This means that Gmail and Windows Live have their own SMTP settings that include authentication codes and port assignments. You can think of a port as the door that provide access when something enters or exits a network. An email client needs the proper SMTP settings to send mail out on your behalf. If you are receiving the 0x800CCC0B error message, go into the Properties tab on your email interface program, Outlook or another third-party service, and check the SMPT settings to ensure they match what Gmail and WIndows Live require. Both Gmail and Windows LIve provide SMTP information on their websites.
Server Authentication
Another possible problem is with server authentication. This setting may affect your email processing even if you use the Gmail or Windows Live Mail interface to compose your emails. Server authentication is about communication between the client sending the mail and the one receiving it. If your mail is not leaving your outbox or arriving at the target inbox, that communication may not be working properly. When you open the Properties folder on your email client, you can change the authentication setting by checking the box to make it active. Activating the authentication may remove the error. While you have the Properties box open, verify that Log on Using Clear Text Authentication is selected as well.