How To Use E-Mail

Setting up your e-mail account

The first step in setting up your e-mail account is choosing an Internet Service Provider(ISP). When you have chosen your ISP, they will provide you with all the information that is needed is setting up your account. Included in the information will be your user name and password, type of server used for incoming mail, names of servers for incoming and outgoing mail and the local dial up number for access to the server. With this information easily accessible, follow the steps to set up your account:

1. Start Outlook Express and click on TOOLS in the menu bar and select ACCOUNTS.
2. Click on the MAIL tab, then choose ADD, then MAIL to start the Internet Connection Wizard.
3. Enter your name as you would like it to appear on the e-mail you send, then click next. Example: John Doe
4. You should already have your e-mail address that your ISP gave you, choose "I already have have an e-mail address that I would like to use" and enter your address, click next. Example: johndoe@myisp.com
5. Now you will be asked for the server names that your ISP provided to you. Enter the information in the text boxes and click next.
6. Enter the account name and password provided by your ISP, you may have chosen these. At this point, you should have the option to save your password so you do not have to enter it every time. If you choose to do this, check the REMEMBER PASSWORD box.
7. Click Next, the Finish to save your settings.

Your e-mail account should now be set up and working.

Writing and sending e-mail messages

1. Open Outlook Express and choose NEW MESSAGE from the Message menu or click on the NEW MESSAGE icon on the toolbar. A new message window will open with your address in the from box.
2. Click in the TO box and enter the e-mail address of the person that you are writing to.
3. Enter a subject in the SUBJECT box. It is a good idea to place a relevant subject here as it is the first thing people see when they receive your mail.
4. Now click into the large box at the bottom of the window and write your message.
5. Before you send your message, you have the option to spell check. Click on the SPELLING icon, if you do not have a spelling icon, you can find the spell checker under TOOLS inside of your new message window.
6. If your message is a high priority message, you have the option of marking it as high priority, low priority or normal. From the Message menu choose SET PRIORITY. Select the priority that you wish to set your message as.
7. When you are ready to send you message click SEND from your toolbar or choose SEND MESSAGE from your FILE menu. It will be sent immediately if your are online. If you are off-line it will be placed in your outbox until you connect to the Internet. A copy of your message will automatically be placed in your sent folder.

Sending messages to multiple people

As easy as it is to send a message to one person, you can send messages to many people. You can enter the e-mail addresses of everyone to whom the message is being sent to in the TO field or in the CC(courtesy copy) field. Entering addresses in the TO or CC field will allow people to see the addresses of everyone you are sending the message to. If you do not want addresses to be seen by everyone or do not want someone to know you are sending a copy to another person, you can place addresses in the BCC(blind courtesy copy) field. This hides the addresses entered here. If you do not see the BCC field, click on VIEW on the menu bar and choose ALL HEADERS, the BCC field will now appear.

Using stationery

If you have set up your address book, you can click on the TO, CC, or BCC button on your new message and bring up the address book in a separate window. When you find the recipients name, highlight the name with a single click, then click on the TO, CC, or BCC field where you would like to address to appear. Click OK and the addresses are placed into the appropriate fields. Managing your address book will be covered later.

You can add a personal touch to your e-mail with the Stationery feature. To send a message using "stationary", open an New Message window. The RICH TEXT option should be selected on the Format menu. Choose APPLY STATIONERY from the Format menu and a lest of pre-designed stationery options will appear. Click on the design you want to use and it will be applied to your current message.

If you want to create your own stationery, choose MORE STATIONERY from the Format menu. This will take you to the Stationery Setup Wizard, where you can add picture, patterns, colors, and fonts. Select the picture and color for your background, click NEXT. Now your can specify the margins of your stationery, click NEXT. Now you need to name your new stationery, and it will appear in the list the next time you want to use it.

Reading your e-mail

If you are not already in you INBOX, click on the INBOX folder in the Folder bar. The right side of your window is divided, a list of incoming mail appears in the top portion, while the contents of the highlighted message is in the bottom portion. If you prefer to read your message in a larger window, you may double click the message you want to read and a new window will appear.

Marking your mail to read later

There will be times when you check your e-mail and do not have time to read every message. There are a couple of tools to help you mark these messages to read later.

• Unread messages are listed in bold print. If you have opened the message to review the contents, but wish to read more carefully at a later time, you can mark the message as "unread". To do this highlight the message by clicking on it once, from the EDIT menu choose MARK AS UNREAD. This will place the message in bold again so you can easily find it when you have more time.
• If the message you wish to mark is of high importance, you can "flag" it. When a message is flagged, a red flag appears to the left of the message making it easier to find. To flag a message, click on the Flag column to the left of the message that you wish to flag. You do not have to click on the flag at the top of the column, just click to the left of the message within the column and the flag will appear. If you wish to remove the flag, click on the flag and it will be removed. If you do not have a Flag column, from the VIEW menu choose Columns and mark check the box next to FLAG. To find your flagged messages quickly, click on the flag in the Flag column, all flagged messages will appear at the top of the window.

Responding to e-mail

You can simply reply to the message that is showing the the lower part of the window by clicking on the REPLY icon or choosing REPLY TO SENDER from the Message menu. A separate window will open that looks like a new message window, except the TO, FROM, and SUBJECT is already filled in. Simply type in your reply and click SEND. If you want your reply to be sent to everyone the original message was sent to, click the REPLY ALL icon or choose REPLY TO ALL from the Message menu.

Forwarding a message

You can forward a message by clicking the FORWARD icon or by choosing FORWARD from the Message menu. A new window will open and all you need to do is type in the recipients address. You may also include a message of your own to the forwarding message. Simply type your message where you normally would.

Including original message in reply

With so many e-mails coming and going through your computer and everyone else's, it is a good idea to include the original message with your reply. By doing this, it will give the recipient a chance to review the subject if needed. If this feature is not already on, you can turn it on by choosing OPTIONS from the Tools menu, click the send tab, and check the box next to INCLUDE MESSAGE IN REPLY.

Adding and choosing identities

Outlook Express allows different users to create different identities. This allows families and small companies that have to share computers have a personalized inbox, address book and preferences.

To create a new identity, choose IDENTITIES from the File menu, then select ADD NEW IDENTITY. In the text box at the top of the window, type the name you would like to use for this identity. If you want to keep your information private, check the REQUIRE A PASSWORD box. Click OK and the identity will be added. A window will pop up asking you if you would like to switch to that identity. Outlook Express must close to switch identities and reopen with the new one.

When Outlook Express reopens with a new identity, it will look like it did when you first set up. The address book and e-mail folders will be empty and you will need to reformat the look of Outlook Express to your preferences. You can import your data by choosing IMPORT from the FILE menu.

You can switch between identities by choosing SWITCH IDENTITY from the File menu and selecting the identity to which you want to change to. You are able to delete and modify an identity by choosing IDENTITIES from the File menu and select MANAGE IDENTITIES.

Using a digital signature

A digital signature is a way to ensure proof of the sender's identity. Before sending or receiving a message that is digitally signed or encrypted, you must get a digital ID. Choose OPTIONS from the Tools menu and click the SECURITY tab. Here you select the options to encrypt or digitally sign all of your outgoing e-mail. Click on GET DIGITAL ID and you will be sent to a Web page that will instruct you how to obtain a digital ID. After you have a digital ID, when you want to encrypt or digitally sign a message, choose DIGITALLY SIGN or ENCRYPT from the Tools menu when you are creating a new message.

Personalized Signature

An e-mail signature is a useful feature similar to letterhead. You can choose to list your name, phone number, address, profession, or a favorite quote. The choice is up to you. You have the option to create multiple signatures for different purposes.

To set up a signature choose OPTIONS from the Tools menu and click on the Signatures tab. Click New to add a signature. Name the signature in the upper text box, then add the contents that you would like in your signature in the lower text box. To add a signature to every outgoing message, check the ADD SIGNATURES TO ALL OUTGOING MESSAGES box. Click APPLY.

If you do not want your signature added to all messages, do not check the ADD SIGNATURES TO ALL OUTGOING MESSAGES box. When you are ready to insert a signature into an e-mail, choose SIGNATURE from the Insert menu and select one of the signatures you created.

Sending attachments

To attach a document to an e-mail message, click the PAPERCLIP(ATTACH) icon in your message or select FILE ATTACHMENT in the Insert menu. Outlook Express displays the Insert Attachment dialog box, which is a standard file-browser dialog box. Select the file you want to send and click the ATTACH button on the dialog box. The file name will appear in the Attach box, under the Subject, you can repeat this procedure to attach several files.

Receiving attachments

If you have received an attachment you will see a paperclip symbol to the left of the message you received, you will also see a paperclip symbol in the upper right corner of the preview box. To open the attachment click on the Paperclip symbol in the preview box, highlight the attachment you want to open. A dialog box will appear asking you what you want to do with the attachment. Either OPEN IT or SAVE IT TO DISK. If you will want to edit the attachment, you will want to choose SAVE IT TO DISK. If you just want to view the attachment you can choose OPEN IT.

Sending a Web page

If you come across a Web page that you would like to share with someone, you can e-mail the page directly to them. Go to the Web page that you want to send. Click the MAIL icon and select SEND PAGE. A New Message window will open. Enter the address as you normally would. You can place a message in the body of the e-mail, the page will drop down as you add your message. Click SEND, and the Web page is on its way to the recipient.

Entering addresses

Click ADDRESSES on the toolbar or from the Tools menu, choose ADDRESS BOOK. When the Address Book opens choose NEW CONTACT from the File menu. You can add as little, or as much, information as you wish. If you want to add more than just their e-mail address, click on the tabs across the top to access other pages for more information. After you have added the information, click ADD.

Addresses may be added automatically to your Address Book as you receive and reply to e-mail from a new contact. To do this choose OPTIONS from the Tools menu and click the SEND TAB, this will open a dialog box. Check AUTOMATICALLY PUT PEOPLE I REPLY TO IN MY ADDRESS BOOK. Click OK and the address will automatically appear in your address book.

If you choose not to use the automatic feature, you can easily add names to your Address Book. Simply right click the sender's name in the Inbox and select ADD SENDER TO ADDRESS BOOK from the pop up menu. This will open the Address Book window with the selected e-mail address entered, you can click the text boxes to add more information.

Creating groups

If you write to groups of people on a regular basis, you will find creating groups helpful. To create a group open the Address Book and choose NEW GROUP from the File menu. Enter a name for your group of people. The click SELECT MEMBERS and enter names from your Address Book. Click OK. After your group is created, when you open a New Message, simply enter the name of the group in the TO field, type your message and send.

Sending e-mail into folders

To help keep your e-mail organized, Outlook Express allows your to move your e-mail into different folders. This will help keep ongoing conversations and client contact more manageable.

When you highlight the heading LOCAL FOLDERS in the Folders bar you will see a list of the folders that already exist; Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, and Drafts. To create a new folder right click on LOCAL FOLDERS and choose NEW FOLDER. A New Folder dialog box will appear. Make sure that Local Folders is highlighted in the folder list in this dialog box. By adding all your new folders to the main list, the will be easy to see the the Folder bar. Enter a name for your new folder in the Folder Name text box then click OK. The new folder will be listed alphabetically in your Folders bar.

To rename a folder, simply right click on the folder and choose RENAME. Enter the new name in the text box and press enter.

To delete a folder, simply right click on the folder and choose DELETE. When you delete a folder, all of the contents are also deleted. If you accidentally deleted the wrong folder, you should be able to retrieve it from your Deleted Items folder before you empty it.

Moving messages from folder to folder

To move a message from your Inbox to a different folder, left click on the message and hold, drag the message to the desired folder and release the mouse. To drag more than one message, hold down the shift key and drag your mouse to the last message you want to move. Click again in the list and drag the messages to the desired folder.

If you do not like the drag an drop method, you can right click on the desired message and choose move to folder. Here you can choose which folder you wish to move the message into, and you have the option to create a new folder.

Directing your e-mail into folders automatically

Outlook Express can sort your e-mail into specific folders for you as your e-mail is received.

1. Click the Tools menu and select MESSAGE RULES and then MAIL. The New Mail dialog box will open. Here you can set up the conditions under which a message should be acted upon, as well as the action to be taken. You can have one or more actions.
2. In the top section labeled 1, select the Conditions for your rule.
3. In the next section, labeled 2, select the Action for your rule. "Move it to the specified folder" will place the message directly into the desired folder.
4. The last section, labeled 3, your Condition and Action will appear. If you chose a Condition that searches for certain words, click on the blue, underlined portion of the Condition description and a new dialog box will appear. Enter your conditional words here. For your action, if you chose to move it to a specific folder, click on the blue, underlined word "specific". A dialog box will appear and you can choose which folder to place the message in.
5. Enter a name for this rule in the NAME OF THE RULE section, click OK twice.

Sorting and finding that missing e-mail

Sorting your e-mail is done simply by clicking the appropriate heading at the top of the mail pane. By clicking on the "From" column, your e-mail will be grouped together by the sender's name. If you choose to group by subject, click on the "Subject" column, same with the received column. You can sort in either ascending or descending order.

To find a certain e-mail, you can use the Find function. The Find function allows you to search for a word or phrase in the message body or subject line. Choose FIND from the Edit menu, and then choose message. The Find Message dialog box will appear. Fill in the applicable fields about the message you are searching for, click FIND NOW.

For all the things that can happen to a computer (power outage, it crashes, or you strike the wrong keys) it is a good idea to back up your e-mail.

1. Compact your folder by clicking the File menu and choose FOLDER, then COMPACT ALL FOLDERS.
2. Open Windows Explorer and find the folder file containing your e-mail (usually found near Windows\Application Data\Identities). If you have more than one identity, there will be several directories. Outlook Express mail folders end with the file extension ".dbx", try the Search command from the Start button if you have trouble locating some folders.
3. Copy the files to a backup folder, network drive, zip disk or a floppy disk.

You can backup your Address Book by exporting it to a file. Open your Address Book, from the File menu choose EXPORT then ADDRESS BOOK. A standard file save dialog box will appear. Choose or create the folder and drive where you want to save the backup copy. Your backup copy will be saved with the file extension "wab".

It is a good idea to choose a single computer maintain your e-mail. If that is not possible, you will need to adjust settings on both your remote computer, or computers, and your main computer.

1. On each remote e-mail computer, choose ACCOUNTS from the Tools menu. Double click on your main (or only) e-mail account.
2. Click the ADVANCED tab and select LEAVE A COPY OF MESSAGES ON SERVER. If you have more than one e-mail account, you need to repeat this step for all accounts.
3. On your main e-mail computer, choose ACCOUNTS from the Tools menu and double click on an account. Click the ADVANCED tab and make sure the option to bring in your mail and remove it from the server is enabled. Repeat for each account.

Computers only have a limited amount of memory available. If you are storing large files or photograph's that are not needed, they consume a lot of valuable memory space. Try to delete any unnecessary messages and attachments. Remember, when you delete messages or folders, the items are placed in your Delete Items folder, you will need to empty this folder also. The Sent Items folder is another place that is often forgotten about. If you do not need copies of your sent e-mails, delete them.

Outlook Express can help you keep your Deleted Items folder maintained. Choose OPTIONS from the Tools menu, and click MAINTENANCE tab. On the Maintenance page, make sure the "Empty message from the 'Delete Items' folder on exit" is checked. This will set the program to empty the Delete Items folder whenever you exit Outlook Express.