Overview

GFI MailEssentials displays the following error message when configuring the GFI MailEssentials Anti-Spam folders via Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP):

The IMAP test failed for the following reason:

Could not connect to < IMAP server >.

x0000 BAD Protocol Error: "Expected SPACE not found"

This article provides a resolution to fix the issue.

Information

Environment

• GFI MailEssentials
• Microsoft Exchange 2003

Root Cause

This error has been encountered when trying to configure the GFI MailEssentials Anti-Spam folders on certain IMAP servers using a username that contains the backslash ( \ ) character or the double quotation marks. This may be the case when you are required to enter the credentials using the domain\username syntax.

Process

To solve the problem, either:

• You will need to specify a username that does not contain the backslash ( \ ) character.
• Or, you will make use of the following syntax:
  • If the username is domain\username, then it should be domain\\username.

Confirmation

There should be no more issues when configuring the GFI MailEssentials IMAP Anti-Spam folders.