>Any suggestions on how to duplicate this behavior on my PC? So far, I find that if I use the wrong password or user name or the server IP, my VFP 9 code simply reports that connection failed. But I want to duplicate the Email Server being locked; just like my customers sometimes experience.

Unplug the network cable. Supply a bad password. Add a zero to the port or servername. Any of the above should constitute a valid state of incommunicado.