So while I was researching the internet to find a solution, the problem has fixed itself. It works now, 20 minutes later.

I should also say that I had deleted about 50 emails or so b/c I remember at some point my old Outlook was acting funny and the only thing that helped was clearing some emails from the Inbox. Remember this trick if your old instance of Outlook (with lots of emails history) would start some irrational behavior.

Maybe clearing a bit of Inbox also helped this time, or, most likely, it was a server-side problem and it was fixed by a hosting company while I was searching for a solution

the solution The following steps worked for me to fix the problem:

1. In account setup, clear the password field and uncheck Remember Password.

2. Exit Outlook.

3. Change the shortcut that starts Outlook to add at the end of the target line: /safe

4. Save the change and restart Outlook.

5. Do a send/receive. It should prompt for the password. Type it in and check (if desired) Remember Password. Click Ok and it should download just fine.

6. Exit Outlook and change the shortcut to remove "/safe" you added in step 3.

I'll be interested in knowing if this works for anyone else. note : Some of them cause problems with Windows Mail over time. As a minimum, email scanning in the antivirus should be turned off, although that may not be sufficient to eliminate all bad effects. In a worst case scenario, your antivirus may need to be uninstalled/reinstalled or replaced

*The solve I think:

Your modem/network was disconnected. If this happens often with dial-up there may be noise on your phone line or you may need updated modem drivers. With a network (broadband etc) the problem may be with your network hardware or drivers. Also check that any antivirus software you have installed is working correctly.*