In our last tip, we showed you how to switch from a plain text
message to an HTML message (complete with all your custom formatting
choices), even if you're already halfway through the message: In the
New Message dialog box, choose Format + Rich Text [HTML], select any
existing body text, click the Style Tag icon, and select Normal.
But what if you want to go the other way--from fancy to plain?
(Imagine you're halfway through a purple, Baskerville Old Face, HTML
message and suddenly realize the person you're sending it to can only
read plain text.) You can make the switch easily:
1. Choose Format + Plain Text. 2. Click Yes to confirm.
Presto! Everything in the message is plain as plain can be.
FLAT TO FLUFFY
In our last two tips, we showed you how to change the default font
and font color of all outgoing HTML messages: Choose Tools +
Stationery, click the Font Settings button, take your pick of options
in the Font dialog box, and click OK.
If your mail sending format is set to HTML (on the Send tab of the
dialog box that appears when you choose Tools + Options), you're all
set. Any time you compose a new message, Outlook Express uses the new
formatting default you set. BUT if your mail sending format is set to
Plain Text, you see exactly that--plain text, nothing more, nothing
less--when you compose a message.
The big question is, what do you do if you're halfway through a
plain text message and suddenly decide that you wanted to send HTML
after all? Whatever you do, don't start over or go through the
painstaking process of selecting each formatting option--font, size,
color, and so on--one at a time. Just switch to HTML and then apply
your defaults to the existing text in one fell swoop, like this:
While still inside the New Message dialog box:
1. Choose Format + Rich Text [HTML]. 2. Select any existing body
text. 3. Click the Style Tag icon (just to the left of the Bold
button) and select Normal. (Alternatively, choose Format + Style +
Normal.)
All selected text now appears in the default font, font color, and
so on, as defined in the Font dialog box. Complete your message and
send it off with style!
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TAKE YOUR MESSAGES OVER THE RAINBOW
Do you like to use a particular color for every outgoing HTML
message? Are you tired of selecting this color by hand in the New
Message dialog box? Here's how you can instruct Outlook Express to use
this color for each and every message, unless you say otherwise:
1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 2. On the Mail tab, under Compose
Font, click the Font Settings button. 3. In the Font dialog box, under
Color, click the down arrow and select any color. 4. Click OK twice.
As long as your recipients can read HTML messages (and as long as
you send HTML messages), they'll receive your e-mails in full color!
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LOVE ME, LOVE MY FONT
A few tips back, we showed you how to change the font used to
display incoming messages (assuming that the sender didn't compose the
message using his or her own favorite font): Choose Tools + Options;
click the Read tab; click Fonts; under Proportional Font, select a new
font; click OK twice; then exit and restart Outlook Express.
If you want to set what font is seen by the people who receive your
messages, follow these steps:
1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 2. On the Mail tab, under Compose
Font, click the Font Settings button. 3. Select a font (and font style
and size, if you want). 4. Click OK.
Way to be an individual!
(Note: Outlook Express uses this font only when you compose
HTML--as opposed to Plain Text--messages.)
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THE GANG'S ALL HERE--PART 3 of 3
In the last two tips, we told you how to create and view Address
Book groups, or mailing lists. But what if you want to send a message
to multiple people, but don't want everyone's name to be displayed?
Simple! Add them to the Bcc (also known as Blind Carbon Copy) list.
Adding contacts to this field accomplishes the same thing as adding
them to the Cc (Carbon Copy) list except for one important detail Ñ
recipients can't see who's on the blind carbon copy list. Say you want
to keep a colleague in the loop about your meeting with a client, but
said client only wants to deal with you. You can send your co-worker a
copy of the e-mail on the sly.
1. Click the Compose Message button. 2. Type the primary
recipient's name in the To: box. 3. Type the secret recipient's name
in the Bcc: box. If you're mailing an entire group, type the group's
name in the Bcc: box. 4. Inside the New Message dialog box, address
and compose your message as usual. 5. Click the Send button.
Don't forget to type an address in the To: box. If you address a
message using only the Bcc box, the message will be addressed to
"undisclosed recipients" when the recipients view the message. If
you're sending blind carbon copies to a group, you can put your own
name in the To: box, and put the group name in the Bcc: box.
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SPACE SAVERS--PART 1 OF 2
Folders are great when it comes to organizing your messages--you
know just where to find what you're looking for. They're also good at
hogging precious disk space, which could be better used, say,
downloading pictures of, umm... your dream home. But don't give up on
those folders!
To save a little space by compacting, or compressing, your folders,
start at the Inbox window, select a mail folder, and then click File +
Folder + Compact.
Voila! Smaller (and still useful) folders!
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SPACE SAVERS--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip we told you how to save disk space by compacting
your folders. There's another way to keep Outlook Express the lean,
mean e-mail machine it strives to be. By default, the program saves
copies of the mail you send in the Sent Items folder. By changing this
setting, you can recover some lost disk space. When's the last time
you looked at that folder, anyway?
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. Click the Send tab, and clear the
check box next to Save copy of sent messages in the 'Sent Items'
folder.
(Tip-in-a-tip) If this seems too drastic, and you like having a
copy of sent messages, be sure to periodically go through the Sent
Items folder and manually delete message you don't need.
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WHO ARE YOU?
"How do you change how your name is displayed in the default 'From'
when sending a mail message?"
When you created your e-mail account, you told Outlook Express
which name to attach to outgoing messages. If, in a fit of whimsy, you
told it to identify you as Goofy, you may want to change it back to
your real name. Here's how:
1. Click Tools + Accounts. 2. Click the Mail tab. 3. Select the
appropriate e-mail account, then click Properties. 4. In the Name Box
(under User Information) type the name you want displayed in the From
field in outgoing messages. 5. Click OK.
You're ready to go! From now on, the right name will be on your
outgoing e-mail messages.
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HAVE IT YOUR WAY--PART 1 OF 3
Did you know you're not stuck with the default Outlook Express
window? With just a few clicks in the Layout dialog box, you can
display or hide the Outlook bar, the folder window and the folder bar.
1. Click View + Layout. 2. Under Basic, check the items you want to
appear and uncheck those you don't. 3. Click OK.
HAVE IT YOUR WAY--PART 2 OF 3
In the last tip, we told you how to display or hide the Outlook bar
and folder windows. You can also customize your Outlook Express
toolbar by changing its position in the window and adding or removing
toolbar buttons:
1. Click View + Layout. 2. Under Toolbar, choose the toolbar
location you prefer--Top, Left, Bottom, or Right. 3. Check the box
next to Show Text on Toolbar Buttons if you want text; remove the
checkmark if you don't. 4. Click on Customize Toolbar, select which
buttons you'd like to appear, then click Close. 5. Click OK.
Now your toolbar has exactly what you need!
HAVE IT YOUR WAY--PART 3 OF 3
In the last two tips, we've shown you how to display or hide the
Outlook bar and folder window, and tweak your toolbar. Now you're
ready for the next Layout task--customizing the Preview Pane, which
lets you view the messages in your inbox without opening a separate
window.
1. Click View + Layout. 2. Under Preview Pane, put a check in the
box next to Use Preview Pane. 3. Choose where you'd like the Preview
Pane to appear, either below or beside the messages. 4. Put a check in
the box next to Show Preview Pane Header. 5. Click OK.
Your window should now be divided into the panes you've chosen.
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HIDE YESTERDAY'S NEWS
Having a hard time weeding through your inbox? Try hiding the
messages you've already read. To do this, just click on View + Current
View + Unread Messages.
Now you should only see those messages you haven't read yet. To
switch back to the previous view:, click on View + Current View + All
Messages.
PICK YOUR COLUMN
By default, Outlook express arranges columns in the message list by
importance, attachments, sender, subject, and then date. But you're
not stuck with that lineup. If the message subject carries more weight
with you than its attachment, you can rearrange the order in which
columns are displayed within the message list.
1. Position your cursor over the column you want to move. 2. Click
and drag it to the desired position.
EASY ADDRESS BOOK ADDITIONS--PART 1 OF 2
Did you know you don't have to type the name and e-mail address for
each person you add to your Address Book? The next time someone who's
not already in your Address Book sends you mail, try this nifty
right-click trick:
1. Open the message. 2. Right-click on the sender's name. 3. Select
Add to Address Book 4. Outlook Express will automatically fill in the
sender's name and e-mail address, and you can add whatever other
information you'd like. 5. Click OK.
EASY ADDRESS BOOK ADDITIONS--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip you learned how to quickly add someone to your
Address Book. There is an even quicker, if less discriminatory method
of adding new contacts--add everybody whose messages you reply to!
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. On the General tab, click
Automatically put people I reply to in my Address Book. 3. Click OK.
>From now on, when you reply to a message, that person will
automatically be included in your list of contacts.
GO DIRECTLY TO INBOX. DO NOT PASS GO
Why bother with the main Outlook Express screen, with its
unnecessary graphics of mail, news, Address Book, and so on? If you're
a person who saves time wherever they can, you'll want to skip that
stuff and go straight to your messages.
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. Click on the General tab. 3. Place a
check next to the box When starting, go directly to my 'Inbox' folder.
(Tip-in-a-tip: You can accomplish the same thing by checking the
box on the main Outlook Express screen.)
GET SOME NEW THREADS--PART 1 OF 3
Ever find yourself hunting through you inbox trying to track down a
specific reply to a message? Say you can't remember where your book
group is meeting. You've got 7 messages that say Re: Book Group, and
the meeting location is buried in there somewhere.
For an easier way to track all those e-mails, just group them
together. To do this, click View + Sort By + Group Messages by
Subject.
Ta da! Your inbox is now sorted by subject, making it easier to
search.
GET SOME NEW THREADS--PART 2 OF 3
In the last tip, we told you how to group your inbox messages by
subject, making them easier to read and search. You can do the same
for your newsgroup messages--handy when hundreds of people are
weighing in on a particular topic.
To get started (assuming you've already entered your news server
information), follow these steps:
1. Switch to your news folder. 2. Click View + Sort By + Group
Messages by Thread.
GET SOME NEW THREADS--PART 3 OF 3
In the two previous tips, we told you how to display your inbox and
newsgroup messages by thread. You also know from past tips that a plus
sign next to a message in your inbox means there are replies, and you
can view them by clicking on that plus sign. However, if you prefer to
not manually expand those threads each time, do this:
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. Select the Read tab. 3. Select
Automatically expand conversation threads by placing a check mark in
the box. 4. Click OK.
Now all your messages are not only grouped by subject, but each
thread is also displayed, making them easier to read.
SORT
Who was that guy from last Tuesday's meeting? You can't remember
his name, but you remember his email address starts with "bizguy." Not
a problem. You can sort Address Book contacts alphabetically by first
name, last name, or e-mail address, and you can order the list in
ascending or descending order. To sort by e-mail address:
1. Switch to your Address Book. 2. Click the E-mail Address column
heading. 3. To switch between ascending and descending sort order,
click the column heading again so that the arrow points up or down.
There you go! All your contacts, alphabetized by e-mail address. Of
course, you can do the same thing to sort by first or last name.
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Imagine this scenario: You drag yourself to work, shoot the breeze
at the coffee pot, fire up your e-mail, and discover you have 30 new
messages to read. Next Monday's staff meeting announcement. Marketing
report. Announcement of corporate restructuring. And so on and so
forth. All boring, boring, boring--until you get to number 30, which
announces a plate of freshly baked cookies in the kitchenette!
Unfortunately, while you were reading e-mail, your coworkers were
eating your share.
You could have avoided this disaster if the cookie-baking sender
had remembered to mark that message as high-priority. You would have
seen the red exclamation point next to the e-mail and been motivated
to read it first. To avert tragedies like this in the future, make
sure you mark high-priority e-mails as important:
1. Click Compose New Message. 2. Compose the message as usual. 3.
Choose Tools + Set Priority + High. 4. Click Send.
SIG ALERT!
In our last tip, we showed you how to send messages without
attaching your signature at the bottom. But what about all those other
messages that do get signatures? If you're going to send a signature,
why not make it as personal as you can. What's more personal than a
pithy quote, you ask? How about a picture.
To add a picture to your signature:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. Click the Send tab. 3. Under the Mail
Sending Format section, select the HTML option. 4. Click OK. 5. Open a
New Message window and compose your message. 6. Choose Insert +
Picture and choose a picture. (Note: Make sure that the image is
suitable for a signature; in other words, pick a small one.)
Voila! You've got a picture-perfect signature!
PUT IT IN STORAGE
One of the joys of technology (and Outlook Express) is that if you
have an Internet connection at home, you can still get e-mail from
your work account--all while lounging in your jammies and fuzzy
slippers. But before you download new messages from your work mail
server, make sure that you can still access those messages when you
return to your desk at the office. To do so, you specify that messages
be left on your mail server and not just downloaded to the hard drive
of your remote computer. Follow these steps:
1. Choose Tools + Accounts. 2. Select the mail account and click
Properties. 3. Click the Advanced tab; under Delivery, select the
option Leave a Copy of Messages on Server. 4. Choose OK.
BETTER THAN A BUNCH OF FLOWERS
To forward a bunch of e-mail messages to one person, you don't need
to send all the messages individually. For example, suppose that your
sister has relieved you of your duty as family reunion coordinator
(whew). You can forward those saved e-mails from far-flung family
members to your sister in one fell swoop, provided that all the
messages are in the same folder.
To forward multiple messages at one time:
1. Switch to the folder that contains the e-mails you want to
forward. 2. Hold down Ctrl and select the messages by clicking them.
3. Click the Forward button. A New Message window appears with the
messages attached (you can see them across the bottom of the window).
4. Just address the message, compose your own note, and send it off.
SIGNATURES WILL BE GIVEN ON A NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS
Signatures--those little sign-off messages that automatically
appear at the end of your messages--are a good thing. They let people
know who you are, how to reach you, and, if you included a witty
quote, whether or not you have a sense of humor. But too much of a
good thing can get repetitive. Often, you don't need to attach a
signature--for example, when you reply to a message or forward a
message to someone else. To exclude a signature from forwards and
replies, follow these steps:
1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 2. Click Signature. 3. Select the
Don't Add Signature to Replies and Forwards option. 4. Click OK.
Now your signature is attached to only new messages (assuming, of
course, you have this feature selected in the dialog box just
described).
SOUNDS GOOD
Whenever you get new mail, Outlook Express plays a handy little
sound. But you're a unique individual, so why should you be stuck with
the same notification sound that everyone gets? Personalize your
e-mail by assigning a new sound--like a bird chirping or a bar or two
from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony--to it:
1. From your Windows desktop, choose Start + Settings + Control
Panel. 2. Double-click Sounds. 3. In the Sounds Properties dialog box,
scroll to and click New Mail Notification. 4. Click Browse, find the
.wav file you want to use, and click OK. 5. Click Apply; then click
OK.
ENJOY THE SILENCE
In our last tip, we showed you how to change the sound you hear
when new e-mail arrives. But what if you don't want a bell chiming or
a bird chirping every time you get a new message? You can turn it off:
1. With the Inbox window open, choose Tools + Options. 2. On the
General tab, deselect Play Sound When New Messages Arrive (remove the
check mark). 3. Click OK
>From now on, all you hear when a new message arrives is sweet
silence.
PEOPLE SEARCH--PART 1 OF 2
Did you know you don't have to switch to your Address Book to track
down a contact? You can search for a lost soul right from the Outlook
Express front page (the one you see when you click the Outlook Express
icon in the directory list):
1. From the Outlook Express front page, click Find People. 2. With
Address Book selected in the Look In dialog box, enter part or all of
the name, e-mail address, street address, or phone number of the
person you're looking for. 3. Click Find Now.
Within seconds, the Address Book entry for the person you're
seeking appears.
PEOPLE SEARCH--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to search your Address Book
without even opening it. But the Find People option has even more
search tricks up its sleeve. Not only can you search your own Address
Book, but you can also harness the power of seven Internet search
engines to track someone down. If you've been meaning to look up that
old high school flame, now you have no excuse not to.
1. From the Outlook Express front page, click Find People. 2. In
the Look In dialog box, choose a search engine: Yahoo! People Search,
Bigfoot, InfoSpace, WhoWhere, and more. 3. Type in part or all of the
name, e-mail address, street address, or phone number of the person
you're looking for. 4. Click Find Now.
RIGHT-CLICK TRICK
Organizing your e-mail into folders is a great way to keep yourself
organized. You can keep your personal and business correspondence
separate and your Inbox uncluttered. Here's a quick and easy way to
add a new folder:
1. Right-click anywhere in the folder pane on the left-hand side of
the Outlook Express desktop. 2. Select New Folder. 3. Type the name of
your folder and select which folder the new one should go in. 4. Click
OK.
Now you've got a new folder, ready for filing.
BRING IN THE OLD--PART 1 OF 2
If you've recently switched to Outlook Express from another e-mail
program, you've probably got a whole Inbox full of old messages that
you can't access. So what do you do if you need last quarter's
marketing report or that recipe for lemon souffle Aunt Lois sent last
year? Not to worry. You can easily import old e-mail messages into
Outlook Express from the most popular e-mail packages, including
Eudora and Netscape Mail:
1. Choose File + Import + Messages. 2. Select the e-mail client you
want to import messages from and click Next. 3. Select which folders
and messages you want to import. 4. Click Finish.
Then sit back while Outlook Express does the rest.
BRING IN THE OLD--PART 2 OF 2
In our last tip, we showed you how to import your old e-mail
messages into Outlook Express. You can also import your old address
book--welcome news if you were dreading retyping all that contact
information.
To import an old address book into Outlook Express:
1. Choose File + Import + Address Book. 2. Select the e-mail
program from which you want to import the book and click Import.
Sit back while Outlook Express does the rest.
WARNING SIGNS--PART 1 OF 2
"What's the small yellow triangle that appears in the lower-right
corner from time to time?"
It's an error message. If for some reason the transmission process
is interrupted, the yellow triangle appears. If you click the
triangle, a window pops up to inform you of the error.
Next time, we tell you what might be causing the error.
WARNING SIGNS--PART 2 OF 2
In our last tip, we told that the yellow triangle in the
lower-right corner is an error message. Today, we help you figure out
what's causing the error. Lots of problems can cause error messages,
but a common one is an inability to connect because of heavy net
traffic. So check your server timeout setting. A setting that's too
low can cause the server to drop a connection too quickly.
To adjust the server timeout setting:
1. Choose Tools + Accounts. 2. Select the Mail tab; then click your
primary mail account. 3. Click Properties and select the Advanced tab.
4. Move the Server timeouts slider bar from the default of one minute
to a longer period of time. (Don't go up to five minutes, though; your
server shouldn't take anywhere near that long.)
Changing this setting should reduce the number of error message
(and little yellow triangles).
FORM A NEW ATTACHMENT--PART 1 OF 3
One of the best things about e-mail is the ability to send files
back and forth, whether you're mailing files to your home computer so
that you can work on the weekend (we don't recommend it) or sending
files to your boss so that she can work on the weekend (this we don't
have an objection to). To insert a file into an e-mail:
1. Click Compose New Message. 2. Compose the message as usual. 3.
Click the Attachment icon (the paperclip) in the toolbar. 4. Select
the file you want to send and click Attach. 5. Send the message.
FORM A NEW ATTACHMENT--PART 2 OF 3
In the last tip, we showed you how to attach a file to your new
e-mail message by using the paperclip icon. Here's another way to
attach a file--by copying from Windows Explorer:
1. From Windows Explorer, select the file you want to attach; then
right click and choose Copy from the pop-up menu. 2. Toggle over to
Outlook Express and click Compose New Message. 3. Compose the message
as usual. 4. Right-click in the New Message window and select Paste.
5. Send the message as usual.
FORM A NEW ATTACHMENT--PART 3 OF 3
In the last two tips, we showed you two different methods of
attaching files to new messages: by using the paperclip icon from the
toolbar and by cutting and pasting from Windows Explorer. Today, we
show you an even faster way: Just drag and drop in Explorer:
1. Click Compose New Message. 2. With both the Windows Explorer
window and the New Message window visible, click the file you want to
attach and hold the mouse button down. 3. Still holding down the mouse
button, drag the file into the New Message window; release the mouse
button. The file appears as part of the new message. 4. Compose the
message as usual and click Send.
SAVING ATTACHMENTS--PART 1 OF 3
In previous tips, we've shown you several ways to attach files to
your e-mail messages. But what do you do with the attachments somebody
sends you? Well, if you want to keep an attachment, you first have to
save it to your own hard drive. You can do this in several ways.
Here's the first:
1. Open the message. 2. Right-click the attachment and select Save.
3. Specify where on your hard drive you want to save the file. 4.
Click OK.
It's all yours now. (Tip-in-a-tip: You probably also noticed that
right-clicking gives you several other options, like Open, Print, and
Quick View. You could have selected any of these commands, too.)
SAVING ATTACHMENTS--PART 2 OF 3
In the last tip, we showed you how to save an attached file to your
hard drive by opening the message and right-clicking the attachment.
But if you want to save a little time, you can save files without even
opening the message:
1. Click the message to select it. 2. Choose File + Save
Attachments. 3. Specify where on your hard drive you'd like to save
the file. 4. Click OK.
SAVING ATTACHMENTS--PART 3 OF 3
In the last two tips, we've shown you two different ways to save an
attachment to your hard drive--by right-clicking the file and by using
the File menu. Believe it or not, we have another way you can save an
attachment. In this technique, you use the Preview Pane:
1. Click View + Layout. 2. Make sure that both Use Preview Pane and
Show Preview Pane Header are selected. Click OK. 3. Select the message
containing the file. 4. Click the paperclip icon in the upper-right
corner of the Preview Pane. 5. Click the paperclip icon again. A
dialog box asking if you want to open or save the file appears. 6.
Choose Save to Disk. 7. Specify where on your hard drive you want to
save the file. 8. Click OK.
In this method, the file is saved without being opened.
WHO NEEDS YA ANYWAY?
Say you want to hold on to a message but don't want the attached
file hogging up space in your Inbox. Seems like you should just be
able to delete the attachment, right? Wrong--sort of. Although there's
no conventional way to delete an attached file, you can forward the
message (and only the message) back to yourself.
1. Open the message. 2. Click Forward. 3. Address the message to
yourself. 4. Right-click the attachment and select Remove. 5. Click
Send.
There you go! You should now have a new message, sans attachment.
I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME HERE
What if you want to send messages through one e-mail address but
have replies sent to another e-mail account, perhaps your personal
account? Simply specify a different Reply To address in your e-mail:
1. Choose Tools + Accounts. 2. On the Mail tab, select your mail
server. 3. Click Properties. 4. On the General tab, type in the e-mail
address you want the replies sent to. 5. Click Apply; then click OK.
>From now on, any time someone replies to your e-mail, the reply
goes to this address.
SAVE ME! -- PART 1 OF 2
Outlook Express' folders are a handy way to save messages, but
they're not your only option. If you want to keep all your messages
from your cat fanciers club in with your letters to the fan club
(saved in Microsoft Word), there's no reason not to. Just save it in
whichever directory on your hard drive you choose!
1. Select File + Save As. 2. Open the e-mail. 3. Navigate to the
directory where you wish to store the file. 4. Choose a name (the
default will be the message subject). 5. Click on Save.
You probably noticed that the file was saved with a *.eml
extension. Why is this important? When you double-click to open that
file, it will open up in Outlook Express just as if you had OE open.
SAVE ME! -- PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to save a message outside
Outlook Express folders as an .eml file. You can also save it as a
text file, which will allow you to edit it, paste it into other
documents, and so on.
1. Open the e-mail. 2. Select File + Save As. 3. Choose a name (the
default will be the message subject). 4. Navigate to the directory
where you wish to store the file. 5. In the dialog box Save As Type,
choose the option Text Files (*.txt) 6. Click on Save.
ENOUGH, ALREADY
Have you been getting e-mails with subject lines like "Britney
Spears is the coolest"? Maybe it's time to get your teenage daughter
her own e-mail account. Here's a quick way to add it.
1. Go to Tools + Accounts + Add and select Mail. 2. Follow the
directions of the Internet Connection Wizard.
THE NAME GAME
Unless you've already turned into a complete nerd, you haven't
started thinking of people, or referring to them, by their e-mail
address. Let's say you want to send a message to your Uncle Lou. It
may be easier for you to think of him as Louis B. Frankelheimer III
rather than crazylou@isp.com. Well, there's good news. You don't have
to remember everyone's e-mail address off the top of your head. Once
you've entered it into your Address Book, Outlook Express remembers
their e-mail address for you. You just have to start typing the name,
and OE fills in the rest.
To get this feature up and running:
1. Click Tools + Options + Send. 2. Place a check in the box next
to Automatically complete e-mail addresses when composing. 3. Click
OK.
Now the next time you're composing a message to Uncle Lou, just
start typing his name and Outlook Express will do the rest.
CALL ME WHATEVER YOU WANT -- PART 1 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to activate Outlook Express'
AutoComplete feature, so you didn't have to remember Uncle Lou's
e-mail address. Turns out, you don't even have to remember his full
name! (A good thing, as his full name is Louis B. Frankelheimer III).
When you enter him as a contact in your Address Book, you can enter in
a nickname. When it comes time to send him a message, just start
typing Uncle Lou, and OE will know who to send it to.
1. Click on Address Book 2. Open Lou's contact information. 3. In
the Nickname box, enter Uncle Lou (or whatever nickname you'd like).
4. Click OK.
Note that as long as Uncle Lou's full name is in the Display Name
box, his full name will be show up on the actual message.
CALL ME WHATEVER YOU WANT -- PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to address a message by typing
in a person's nickname, while keeping their full name intact on the
actual message. But what if you want the nickname to be displayed on
the message? For example, let's say Uncle Lou hates his full name
(which, you'll remember, is Louis B. Frankelheimer III -- can you
blame him?)
1. Click on Address Book 2. Open Lou's contact information. 3. In
the Nickname box, enter Uncle Lou (or whatever nickname you'd like).
4. In the display name box, enter Uncle Lou. 4. Click OK.
Now the message will be addressed Uncle Lou!
IS IT DRAFTY IN HERE? -- PART 1 OF 2
"What the heck is the Drafts folder for?" Sadly, it's not Outlook
Express' ultimate guide to beer, though it is pretty useful. It's
simply a place to store a message you haven't sent yet, perhaps one
that needs some editing, like, say, your manifesto about office
politics. A message will be automatically saved to your Drafts folder
if, in the process of composing a message, you click on the "X" in the
upper right corner of the Compose New Message window. When you click
on that "X," you'll see a pop-up dialogue box asking you, "Do you want
to save changes to this message?" If you click on the Yes button, that
message will fly over to your Drafts folder. If you click on No, it's
gone forever.
IS IT DRAFTY IN HERE? -- PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to store an e-mail message in
progress (say, your life-changing manifesto) in the Drafts folder.
When you're ready to resume working on it so you can send it out to
the whole office, follow these steps.
1. Click on the Drafts folder. 2. Double-click on the message in
progress. 3. Make whatever changes are necessary. 4. Click Send.
Now sit back and wait for acolytes to swoon at your feet.
YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THEM
Wouldn't it be handy if you could customize the icons used for new
folders created in Outlook Express? Several readers thought so, and we
agree, but apparently Microsoft doesn't. Sadly, you'll have to go
elsewhere to exercise your creativity.
THE MISSING LINKS -- PART 1 OF 2
Concerned reader Mark Simon wrote that when he clicks on Web links
in mail or news posts, nothing happens. In the next two tips, we'll
show you common causes of non-functioning links, and what you can do.
First, make sure that Outlook Express is set up as your default mail
and news program.
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. Select the General tab. 3. Make sure
there's a check mark in the box next to Make Outlook Express my
default e-mail program. 4. Make sure there's a check mark in the box
next to Make Outlook Express my default news reader. 5. Click OK.
THE MISSING LINKS --PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to verify that Outlook Express
is set up as your default e-mail and news program. If it is, and links
still aren't working, you'll need to make sure that Internet Explorer
is your default browser.
1. Open Internet Explorer. 2. Click View + Internet Options. 3.
Select the Programs tab. 4. Make sure there's a check mark in the box
next to the option Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is
the default browser. 5. In that same window, make sure that Outlook
Express is listed as your Mail and News programs. 6. Click OK.
Web links should be linked and live in your Mail and News messages.
AND MAKE SOME COFFEE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT...PART 1 OF 4
While you may not be able to afford a personal assistant to sort
and file all your incoming paper mail, you can still play the big boss
electronically by hiring an Inbox Assistant. In the next four tips,
we'll show you how to put your new assistant to work routing your
e-mail into the appropriate folders, corresponding with important
contacts, and more. And you don't have to buy flowers on Secretary's
Day.
Let's say you want all the messages from your golfing buddy to be
routed quickly into a personal folder. It's easy to set up the
following rule:
1. Click Tools + Inbox Assistant 2. Click Add. 3. In the section
that reads When a message arrives with the following criteria, type
your friend's e-mail address (let's say it's golfgirl@driver.com) in
the From: field. 4. In the section that reads Perform the following
action, place a check mark in the box next to Move to:. 5. Click on
Folder. 6. Select which folder you want your golf messages moved to,
or create a folder by clicking New Folder, then naming a new folder
Golf. 7. Click OK.
Presto! From now on, all e-mails from golfgirl@driver.com will be
routed into your Golf folder. Fore!
PROBLEMS WITH OUTLOOK EXPRESS AND PGP
If you try to install Outlook Express over PGP (Network Associates
International's Pretty Good Privacy), you may experience a problem
that prevents the launch and/or presents an error message stating that
one or more DLLs are missing. This problem is known to affect Outlook
Express, version 5 for Windows 95, 98, and NT. You can work around
this glitch by uninstalling Outlook Express, uninstalling the Pretty
Good Privacy program, and then reinstalling Outlook Express, version
5. For additional information about this fix, visit
AND MAKE SOME COFFEE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT...PART 2 OF 4
In the last tip, we showed you how to get your Inbox Assistant to
forward mail to a particular folder. Since we're feeling powerful, why
don't we go a step further, and forward all golf-related e-mails to
your social secretary, who can conveniently schedule your next
tee-time. (Okay, so you don't have a social secretary, it's actually
your husband, but it's nice to dream). To automatically forward
messages to a contact in your address book:
1. Click Tools + Inbox Assistant 2. Click Add. 3. In the section
that reads When a message arrives with the following criteria, type
your friend's e-mail address (let's say it's golfgirl@driver.com) in
the From: field. 4. In the section that reads Perform the following
action, place a check mark in the box next to Forward to:. 5. Type in
the e-mail address of the contact to forward the message to (or search
the Address Book by clicking on the Contact icon). 6. Click OK.
Now any messages from golfgirl@driver.com will be forwarded to your
husband, who can schedule you for 18 holes. Who says good help is hard
to find?
AND MAKE SOME COFFEE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT...PART 3 OF 4
In the last two tips, we showed you how to put Inbox Assistant to
work routing and forwarding e-mail to folders and contacts. Today
we'll show you how to automatically send a file in response to an
e-mail. Say you and your golf pals have a match schedule set up, and
want an easy way to send it out. If any of them send an e-mail request
with the words "Golf Schedule" in the subject line, Inbox Assistant
can automatically send out a text file that contains the schedule.
Here's how to set it up:
1. Click Tools + Inbox Assistant 2. Click Add. 3. In the section
that reads When a message arrives with the following criteria, type
"Golf Schedule" or whatever text you'd like, into the Subject: field.
4. In the section that reads Perform the following action, place a
check mark in the box next to Reply With:. 5. Click Browse, and
navigate to the e-mail, text, or html file you need (in this case, the
one containing the game schedule). 6. Click OK twice.
Now whoever needs the schedule can get it by e-mailing you a
request.
AND MAKE SOME COFFEE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT...PART 4 OF 4
In the last three tips, we've shown you how to use Inbox Assistant
to automatically route e-mail to folders, forward e-mail to contacts
in your Address Book, and reply with a file attachment. What if you
want to do some combination of rules? The good news is it's easy to
apply multiple filters at the same time. For example, if all your
e-mail from your friend golfgirl@driver.com gets delivered directly to
your Golf folder and she sends a work-related mail, you might not get
it right away. You can avoid this situation by applying multiple
filters:
1. Click Tools + Inbox Assistant 2. Click Add. 3. In the section
that reads When a message arrives with the following criteria, type
your friend's e-mail address (let's say it's golfgirl@driver.com) in
the From: field. 4. Type GOLF in the Subject: field 5. In the section
that reads Perform the following action, place a check mark in the box
next to Move to:. 6. Click on Folder. 7. Select which folder you want
your golf messages moved to, or create a folder by clicking New
Folder, then naming a new folder Golf. 8. Click OK.
Now, since your friend's e-mail must say Golf in the subject line
to get moved to the Golf folder, you'll still get work-related e-mails
from her in your Inbox.
CHECK THAT FOR ME, WILLYA?
You don't run outside to your mailbox every twenty minutes to check
if you got new mail, so why should you do it with your e-mail inbox?
Set it so it automatically retrieves new mail without you having to
click Send and Receive.
1. Click Tools + Options. 2. On the General tab, check the box
entitled Check for new messages every 'x' minutes. 3. Enter in minutes
how often Outlook Express should check for messages. 4. Click OK.
Outlook Express will now automatically retrieve your new messages.
IT'S GOTTA BE HERE SOMEWHERE
We all know people who will talk your ear off IRL (that's 'In Real
Life' for all you non-geek types.) Those same people will send you an
e-mail the size of a novel just to tell you about their weekend. If
you're suspect there's a nugget of information you actually want
buried in all that chatter, you'll have to search for it. Luckily,
that's not so hard to do.
1. Open the e-mail; or, if you're using Preview Pane, click on the
message so you can see the text in the Preview Pane. 2. Click Edit +
Find Text. 3. Enter in a word that's included in what you're looking
for, like "contract" (or maybe "muzzle"). 4. Click Find Next.
The cursor will jump to the text you're looking for bypassing all
the mumbo-jumbo you don't want to read.
LOST? NO, FOUND --PART 1 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to search for specific words
within a message. But what if it's a whole e-mail you're looking for?
Not a problem -- Outlook Express has a very powerful search feature
that lets you look for messages using multiple criteria.
Have you ever just been positive that you got a message about
something important, but can't find it? If you can remember the
sender, another recipient, the subject line, or even a key word or
phrase, you can find it using the search feature.
1. Click on your inbox. 2. Click Edit + Find Message 3. Enter in
your search criteria -- either the sender's name or e-mail address in
the From field, other recipients in the Sent to field, the subject in
the Subject field, or a word or phrase in the Message Body field. 4.
Click Find Now.
Outlook Express will come up with a list of messages based on your
criteria -- hopefully the one you're looking for is included.
LOST? NO, FOUND - PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, you learned how to search for an e-mail message in
your inbox. But what if that message isn't in your inbox but buried in
a folder somewhere? No problem! To search in folders and subfolders,
follow the steps below.
1. From your inbox, click Edit + Find Message. 2. Under the box
that says Look Under, you'll see a drop-down box. 3. Select the folder
you want to search in, or select Inbox, and put a check in the box
next to Include Subfolders. This will search every folder in your
inbox. 4. Click Find Now.
Ta-da!
PASS IT ON
Now that you're a seasoned pro with this Internet thing, you're
probably connected to a few Usenet newsgroups. Have you ever received
an e-mail that you wanted to forward directly to a newsgroup, instead
of copying and pasting into a new message? Well, you can. There's no
menu option, but we're a little sneaky here at Tipworld, and we came
up with a workaround.
1. Make sure that the desired newsgroup is showing in the left pane
of your Outlook Express window. 2. Click once on the e-mail you want
to forward, and drag it onto the newsgroup you want to forward it to.
3. A new post will pop up with the mail message in the body. Edit as
needed, and click Send.
STEALTH MESSAGES -- PART 1 OF 2
Want to really impress your computer-illiterate friends? Show them
how you can create and fire off an e-mail message quickly, without
even loading Outlook Express. How, you ask?
1. Select Start + Run. 2. Type "mailto:" (without the quotes) in
the Open box. 3. Click OK. 4. This will bring up a Compose Message
window. Compose as usual and click Send.
STEALTH MESSAGES -- PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to call up a Compose Message
window and send an e-mail without ever loading Outlook Express by
clicking Start + Run. Today we'll show you another way to do the same
thing by putting a shortcut on your desktop.
1. Minimize all your application windows by clicking the Minimize
button in the top right corner. 2. Right-click on your desktop, and
select New + Shortcut. 3. In the Command Line box, type in "mailto:"
(without the quotes). 4. Click Next. 5. Give your shortcut a name --
perhaps "See How Clever I Am." 6. Click Finish.
Now you have an Outlook Express shortcut on your desktop. Whenever
you want to compose a new message, simply double-click on it.
BIG BLUE
Have you ever wondered what that big blue E in the upper-right
corner is for? What, you never noticed it? It's time to start
exploring your desktop a little more! And that's exactly what happens
when you click the E. An Explorer window opens and transports you to
the Microsoft Outlook Express Home page, where you can find help
files, updates, and articles.
So grab your Panama hat and start exploring!
SEND THE WHOLE ROLL
"Can I send more than one picture as an attachment?"
No problemo! What you can't do, though, is select them all at the
same time (using the Ctrl key).
1. Click the Compose Message button and compose your message as
usual. 2. Choose Insert + Picture. 3. Click Browse and navigate to the
directory where your image is stored. 4. Click the image file you
want, choose Open, and click OK. 5. To insert more images, repeat
Steps 2 through 4. 6. When you're done adding files, click Send.
WHEN THEY DON'T GET THE PICTURE
"Sometimes people can't see the images I insert into e-mail
messages--what's the deal?"
Here's a nifty little trick that makes sure the message recipient
gets the picture:
1. Choose Tools + Options and click the Send tab. 2. Click the
Settings button. 3. Make sure the Send Pictures with Messages option
is checked. 4. Click OK twice to get out of the dialog box.
IT'S THE 70'S ALL OVER AGAIN
When someone sends you a message with multiple pictures attached,
why bother with opening and closing them one by one? Take advantage of
technology: View the pictures as a slide show:
1. Choose Tools + Options and click on the Read tab. 2. Select Show
Multiple Pictures as a Slide-Show. 3. Make sure that Automatically
Show Picture Attachments in Message is also selected.
The next time someone sends you a message with more than one
picture attached, you see the first picture, along with navigation
buttons that say Previous, Play, and Next. (We don't recommend
inviting the neighbors over to look at your e-mail -- they might think
you're a little strange.)
HOW BIG IS IT?
Have you ever wondered just how much space the messages in your
e-mail folders eat up? Here's an easy way to check:
1. In the Folder Bar or Outlook Bar, right-click the folder. 2.
Select Properties. 3. Read the size (in parentheses) next to the
number of files in the folder.
If those folders are more crowded than the closet in the spare
bedroom, there's no time like the present to clean house.
SIDE-BY-SIDE, HAND-IN-HAND
We all know that the Preview pane lives underneath the message list
in your Inbox, but there's no law that says it has to stay there. If
you want your Inbox to look more like a typical Windows Explorer
window, move the Preview pane over to the side:
1. Choose View + Layout. 2. Under Preview Pane, select Beside
Messages. 3. Click OK.
If you decide the Preview pane should go back from whence it came,
simply repeat these steps but select Below Messages in Step 2.
HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, PAL
Say you're on the road, checking messages using an ancient (meaning
more than a year old) notebook computer. Chances are you don't have
the time or the patience to download a 2 MB Adobe Acrobat file. That's
what the Inbox Assistant is for. Ask that it not download messages
that exceed a certain size limit--at least, not until you're good and
ready.
1. Choose Tools + Inbox Assistant. 2. Inside the Inbox Assistant,
click the Add button. 3. Select the Larger Than box and set this
number to the desired limit (500 KB, for example). 4. Select Do Not
Download from the Server. 5. Click OK twice.
Don't forget to turn this option off when you're back in the
office; otherwise, those large messages just sit on the server.
FORMING AN ATTACHMENT TO YOUR E-MAIL?
"When I receive my mail, some of it comes with a paper clip icon.
How do I open these?"
Those paperclips are Outlook Express's way of telling you there's a
file attached to the message. To open the file:
1. Open the e-mail. 2. Double-click the file icon at the bottom of
the message window.
If you're using the Preview pane, you can open the attachment from
there by clicking the paperclip icon in the message header and then
clicking the filename. The file opens in the right application.
KEEP IT CLEAN, BUDDY
Tip for cleaning up messages you want to save:
1. Open the message. 2. Click Forward; then type your own e-mail
address in the To: field. (To make any changes to the message, you
first need to forward it to yourself.) 3. Position your cursor at the
beginning of what you'd like to keep. 4. Press Ctrl + Shift + Home to
select everything above your cursor and then press Delete to remove
the stuff you don't want. 5. Position your cursor at the end of the
text you want to keep. 6. Press Ctrl + Shift + End to select all the
text between your cursor and the end of the message; press Delete. 7.
After you clear out the unnecessary clutter, press Send to send the
message to yourself.
BACK UP THERE--PART 1 OF 2
If you had to choose one piece of advice when it comes to
computers, this would be it: Back up. Losing all your data can not
only be catastrophic and inconvenient, but it also makes you feel like
a fool for not taking one simple step. Here's how to back up your mail
files:
1. Click the Start menu; then choose Find + Files or Folders. 2. In
the Named box, type
*.mbx
3. Click Find Now. (There is an .mbx file for each folder in your
folder list--Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, and so on.) 4. Copy every one
of the .mbx files to a floppy.
Note: Do not copy the .idx files that live in the same directory.
They are index files, but you're better off letting Outlook Express
re-create them if you need to reinstate your mail folders.
BACK UP THERE--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to back up your mail folders.
Today, we explain how to back up your Windows Address Book so that,
even if your hard drive goes kaput, you can still get to your little
black book.
1. Click the Start menu; then choose Find + Files or Folders. 2. In
the Named box, type in
*.wab
3. Click Find Now. (Typically, the .wab file is in
C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book.) 4. When you find
the .wab file, simply copy it to a safe location, like a floppy disk.
Note: Do not rename your Windows Address Book file.
WHAT'S YOUR HANGUP?
Apparently, Outlook Express would like to think that sending and
receiving e-mail is the only reason you bother to connect to the
Internet. Otherwise, why would it hang up on you after it's done
downloading your mail? Fortunately, you can keep it from
disconnecting:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. Click the Dial Up tab. 3. Deselect
Hang Up When Finished Sending, Receiving or Downloading. 4. Click OK.
>From now on, Outlook Express stays connected until you disconnect
manually (for example, by right-clicking the Dial-up icon in your
taskbar tray and selecting Disconnect).
ALL IN THE FAMILY--PART 1 OF 3
Need to send an e-mail about the family reunion to your whole
family in one shot but don't want to search through your Address Book
name by name? No problem. You can track the names down in a snap by
using the Find button in your Address Book.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to bring up your Address Book. 2. Click
the Find button (or press Ctrl + F) to bring up the Find People dialog
box. 3. Click Clear All. 4. Click in the Other text field and type the
info that your contacts share (if you had designated all your
relatives as Family in the Other field, for example, you'd type in
"family"). 5. Click Find All. 6. Press Shift + End to select the
entire list of contacts that pops up. 7. Right-click anywhere on the
highlighted list and choose Send Mail. 8. Fill in the message and
click Send as you normally would. 9. Press the Esc key to exit Find
People. 10. Press the Esc key to exit the Address Book.
ALL IN THE FAMILY--PART 2 OF 3
Yesterday, we showed you how to search for and send e-mail to a
group of contacts. Here's another way to accomplish the same thing,
except that you do it from a New Message window rather than from the
Address Book:
1. Click the Compose Message button. 2. Choose Tools + Select
Recipients. 3. Click Find. 4. Click Clear All. 5. Click in the Other
text field; then type Family or whatever common information you're
looking for. You can also search by using the Address text field. For
example, if all your family lived in Oregon, you could type OR in the
Address field and select Find All. 6. Press Shift + End to select the
entire list of contacts. 7. Click the To button and select OK. 8. Fill
in the message and send it as you normally would.
Searching from a message in this way has an added advantage. Before
you click OK, you can go back and plug in other criteria to add
contacts to the message. For example, once you add all your family,
you could go back and add your two best friends to the same e-mail. If
you were searching from the Address Book, you'd have to create
separate messages. Now isn't that handy?
ALL IN THE FAMILY--PART 3 OF 3
In the last two tips, we showed you how to search for and e-mail
your entire family at once. But what if you're putting together a
birthday party for Aunt Joanne and don't want her to know? When you
search for your whole family, you'll need to deselect her name from
the search results list.
1. Search for your family, using the Find People dialog box from
your Address Book or from within a new message. 2. Look through the
highlighted list, clicking the up/down scroll arrows, if needed. 3.
When you find a contact that you don't want to include in the mailing,
hold down the Ctrl key and click that contact's name. 4. Repeat Step 3
for any contacts you want to oust from your outgoing letter. 5.
Right-click somewhere on the highlighted list and choose Send Mail if
you're searching from the Address Book; if you're searching from
within the message, click the To button and then click OK. 6. Send the
message as you normally would.
Just make sure to tell everyone not to let Aunt Joanne in on the
surprise!
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
"Can I use more than one signature?"
Technically, no. Outlook Express only allows for one signature,
that handy little block of text you can insert automatically at the
bottom of each message. But there is a workaround. You can create a
second (or as many as you want) signature, so instead of Joe Smith,
Vice President, you can be JoJo, The Scary Clown (or whatever strikes
your fancy).
1. Click the Compose Message button. 2. Leaving the To and Subject
fields blank, create the signature you desire. 3. Choose File + Save
As and call your signature template something like Sig 1. Click Save
(remember to save it to a location from where you can easily launch
it, like the desktop).
Now whenever you need to send a mail or news message with this
particular signature, just launch your message template, fill it out
as usual, and click Send.
GROUP HUGS--PART 1 OF 2
We've shown you in past tips how to create a Group to send the same
message to multiple recipients. But many users have complained that
when they use this feature, all the recipients can see the other names
and e-mail addresses to which the message has been sent. To exercise a
little more discretion, use the Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy) field.
1. Click Compose Message. 2. Enter your group name in the Bcc
field. 3. Compose your message as usual and click Send.
When you use the Bcc field, none of the recipients can see the
other names on the Bcc list.
GROUP HUGS--PART 2 OF 2
Yesterday, we showed you how to send a message to multiple
recipients while keeping the names suppressed by using the Bcc
feature. Unfortunately, since you didn't enter an address into the To
field, what your recipients saw is that the message was sent to
Undisclosed.Recipients@your.emailserver.com. Not only is this a tad
impersonal, but it also makes it pretty clear that you've sent the
message to multiple recipients. To keep from being found out, you can
create an alias for your own e-mail address.
1. From your Address Book, click New Contact. 2. In either the
first name or last name box, type in My Best Friends (or whatever name
you prefer). 3. Type your own e-mail address in the Add New E-Mail
Addresses box; then click Add. 4. Click OK. 5. When you compose a New
Message to send to your group of friends, type in My Best Friends in
the To field, and the actual group name in the Bcc field. Click Send.
You're actually sending the message to yourself, but your friends
will see the alias (in this example, My Best Friends) in the To field.
RESTORATION PROJECT
"How do I transfer my old mail files to a new computer?"
Recently, we showed you how to back up your Outlook Express message
folders by locating and copying all the *.mbx files on your system.
Now, we show you how to transfer them to a new computer or restore
them to an old computer if you've lost your data.
1. Exit Outlook Express, if you haven't already. 2. In an Explorer
window, navigate your way to the folder that contains your Outlook
Express *.mbx files. (Typically, on a Windows 98 system, these files
are located in the C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Express\Mail folder. If you aren't sure, use Find to locate them.) 3.
Rename the *.idx and *.mbx files that correspond to the folders you're
about to restore. For example, if you plan to restore the Inbox
folder, rename Inbox.idx and Inbox.mbx. 4. Copy the backed-up *.mbx
files to the Mail folder. 5. Delete the file folders.nch from the Mail
folder. (This contains your folder hierarchy, which means you'll need
to re-create it. The good news is, though, that you'll be able to read
your mail messages.)
Once you're sure your mail is where it should be, you can delete
the renamed *.idx and *.mbx files.
IT'S A WRAP
Have you ever received a forwarded message, and the original quoted
text (which is usually indented and set off with the characters >>>)
is all funny looking, with a long line, then a short line, and then
another long line? This happens because Outlook Express automatically
sets the line length at 76 characters to a line. This is fine when you
send a message, but when it gets replied to or forwarded a few times,
those lines can start running to the edge of the window and then
spilling over to the next line. You can avoid this in the future by
wrapping your lines at fewer characters.
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. On the Send tab, click Plain Text;
then click Settings. 3. Type the maximum number of characters to
display per line for the option Automatically Wrap Text at x
Characters When Sending. (We recommend 70 or 72 characters.) 4. Click
OK twice.
Now your lines stay where they should be, no matter how many times
your message gets quoted.
TO DELETE OR NOT TO DELETE--PART 1 OF 2
What if you delete an e-mail and then 10 minutes later realize you
need it back? Uh-oh.
Fortunately, those wizards at Microsoft prepared for just this
situation. Unless you've changed your default settings, that deleted
message is still accessible. Here's how to restore it.
1. Click the Deleted Items folder. 2. Find your message and then
copy or drag it back to your Inbox (or a folder for safekeeping).
Ta-da. Like picking your cable bill out of the trash, without all
that nasty garbage clinging to it.
TO DELETE OR NOT TO DELETE--PART 2 OF 2
Yesterday, we showed you how to retrieve a deleted item. If you
thought to yourself, "Undelete is for wimps," you' probably want
Outlook to go ahead and trash your deleted items.
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. On the General tab, select the option
box Empty Messages from the 'Deleted Items' Folder on Exit.
Now when you close Outlook Express, all your deleted e-mails go
away. Forever. Tread carefully, dear reader.
OUT OF SITE
Chances are, a good number of the people you know have their own
Web site, whether it showcases their ultra-hip Internet start-up
company or their kids' latest soccer trophy. So why not keep track of
your friends' sites in your Address Book? That way you can keep tabs
on Junior's progress.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to open the Address Book (or click the
Address icon on the Standard toolbar). 2. Double-click the contact you
want to add the URL to. 3. If it's a personal Web page, click the Home
tab; if it's a company site, click the Business tab. 4. Click once in
the Web Page box and type the URL. 5. Click OK.
GET THEE TO THE WEB
In the last tip, we showed you how to add a URL to contact
information in the Address Book. Now you're probably wondering how to
open that URL. It's easy.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to open the Address Book (or click the
Address icon on the Standard toolbar). 2. Double-click the contact to
open it. 3. Find the site you want (business or personal) and click
the Go button next to it.
Outlook Express opens a browser window and accesses the site.
DON'T LEAVE ME!
"I've recently switched from America Online. Is there any way to
import my AOL e-mail into Outlook Express?"
Sadly, no. America Online doesn't make it easy on you when you
leave. If you really can't live without your old e-mail, you have to
open each old message and forward it to the e-mail account you access
through Outlook Express:
1. Open the AOL personal filing cabinet. 2. Select each message and
click Open (or double-click the message). 3. Select the Forward
button. 4. Type in the e-mail address you use with Outlook Express. 5.
Click Send Now.
This process ain't pretty, but it does the trick.
HEADER OFF AT THE PASS
If, in a fit of spring cleaning, you decided to get rid of the
header information that adorns the top of the Preview Pane (and shows
the From, To, and Subject fields), and now you can't remember how to
get it back, don't fret. Just follow these steps.
1. Choose View + Layout. 2. In the Preview Pane section of the
dialog box, select Use Preview Pane. 3. Select Show Preview Pane
Header. 4. Click OK.
COLUMN HOW YA SEE UM
Customization is the name of the game in Outlook Express. If you
don't like the way the columns in your Inbox are arranged--and really,
let's be honest: Is the message priority, attachment, or flag option
really the most important attribute?--change it!
1. Click the message column header (To, From, Received, Sent, Size,
and so on) and drag it horizontally over the other column headers. 2.
Release the mouse button when the header is where you want it; the
column drops into place.
SINCERELY YOURS--PART 1 OF 2
You wouldn't send a letter without signing it first, so why should
e-mail be any different? If you haven't already, create your own
unique signature. Most signatures contain pertinent contact
information--name, company, phone number, Web site, and so on--but you
can include whatever you want. Outlook automatically attaches this
signature to every outgoing message you send.
1. Choose Tools + Options and select the Signatures tab. 2. Click
New and enter text in the Edit Signature box. 3. If you want to add
the signature to all your outgoing messages, select Add Signatures to
All Outgoing Messages. 4. Click OK.
SINCERELY YOURS--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to create a signature that
attaches to every outgoing message. Did you know that if you include
your e-mail address in your signature, the address is hotlinked? That
means the people who receive your messages can simply click on your
e-mail address to create a new message to send to you.
To include your e-mail address in your signature:
1. Choose Tools + Options and select the Signatures tab. 2. Add
your e-mail address in the Edit Signature box. Don't forget the
complete address, including the @ and .com (or .net or whatever). 3.
Click OK.
The next time you compose a new message, your signature not only
includes your e-mail address, but it will also be clickable!
PLAIN AND SIMPLE
"Why am I receiving an error message that says 'Some of the
recipients prefer to receive only plain-text messages'?"
That's because, although you sent out an e-mail message in HTML
format, at least one of the recipients on your list set their Outlook
Express to accept plain text only. At this point, you have a few
options:
* Send the message in plain text to everyone and lose all your
spiffy formatting. * Send it out in HTML. Those who only want plain
text still receive it, but they also get a bunch of HTML gobblydegook
coding (bet you didn't know gobblydegook was a technical term, did
you?).
YOUR OWN PERSONAL MAIL SERVICE
Have you ever noticed that, when you click Send, the new message
sits in your Outbox for a few minutes before Outlook actually sends it
out? Sort of like waiting for the mailman to pick up your outgoing
snail mail. If you'd prefer to have your e-mail delivered immediately,
just tell Outlook to send it.
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. Click the Send tab. 3. Select Send
Messages Immediately. 4. Click OK.
Keep in mind that once you hit Send, the message is gone. So do
your proofreading beforehand.
PAPER VIEW--PART 1 OF 2
"Is there any way to print out all my contacts' phone numbers?"
Why yes, Virginia, there is a way to print out phone numbers. No
more lugging your desktop computer around with you.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to open the Address Book (alternatively,
click the Address Book button on the toolbar). 2. Choose File + Print.
3. Under Print range, select All. 4. Under Print Style, select Phone
List. 5. Click OK.
TAKE OUT THE TRASH--PART 1 OF 2
As you've probably figured out, when you delete an e-mail message
in Outlook Express, the message isn't really gone. It just goes to
live in the Deleted Items folder, just in case you decide you need it
after all. But that folder can get pretty full after a while. Plus, an
overflowing trashcan is never attractive. Luckily, emptying the
Deleted Items folder is a snap:
In the last tip, we showed you how to empty the Deleted Items
folder. If you're feeling brave and want to eliminate a step, you can
set Outlook Express to automatically empty the folder when you exit
the program. Just don't come crying to us when you realize you need an
e-mail you deleted the day before.
1. Choose Tools + Options and click the Maintenance tab. 2. Select
Empty Messages From The 'Deleted Items' Folder On Exit. 3. Click OK.
EXPRESS YOURSELF--PART 1 OF 2
Why should you be stuck sending out messages that use boring fonts
like Arial and Courier? Exercise your creativity a bit--find a font
that screams "ME!" and make it your own. Perhaps the stately
Baskerville Old Face or the elegant Garamond?
1. Choose Tools + Options and click the Compose tab. 2. Under
Compose Font, click the Font Settings button. 3. Select a font (and
font style and size, if you want) from the appropriate list. 4. Click
OK twice.
Of course, you can use these fancy fonts only when you're composing
HTML--and not Plain Text--messages.
EXPRESS YOURSELF--PART 2 OF 2
In the last tip, we showed you how to change the default font on
outgoing messages. But why stop at font style? A little color can
brighten up the dullest of e-mails. Here's how to change the font
color on outgoing messages:
1. Choose Tools + Options and click the Compose tab. 2. Under
Compose Font, click the Font Settings button. 3. In the Font dialog
box, click the down arrow beside Color and select any color. 4. Click
OK twice.
As long as your recipients can read HTML messages, they'll receive
your e-mails in full color!
HOLD THE LINE
You can accomplish a lot in Outlook Express without being connected
to the Internet. If you want to keep your phone line free, compose
your messages offline and don't connect until you're ready to send
them.
To compose messages offline:
1. Choose File + Work Offline. 2. Disconnect from the Internet. 3.
Compose your message(s) as usual. 4. Click Send. 5. If necessary,
click OK to close the Send Mail dialog box. (It just tells you that
your message is being moved to the Outbox.) 6. Repeat Steps 3 through
5 for each new message.
When you're ready to send your messages off, click Send and Receive
and then click Yes to confirm that you want to go back online. Outlook
Express reconnects and delivers your mail.
BE A GOOD SORT
No law says you have to sort your Address Book in a certain way.
You can sort by first name, last name, e-mail address, city, state,
and so on. To sort the list however you want, follow these steps:
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to open your Address Book. 2. Choose View
+ Sort By and choose how you'd like to sort the list OR click the
column header that you want to sort by.
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU
Ever wonder what the difference is between Reply and Reply All?
Here's your answer:
* If you click Reply to respond to a message, the message is
addressed to only the person who sent the original message. * If you
select Reply All, your response is addressed to the original sender,
and every other recipient on the original message is included in the
CC: box.
In other words, if you've got something private to say to the
sender, use Reply, not Reply All.
TIP: DO I NEED TO DRAW YOU A MAP? NO PROBLEM!
September 29th, 1999
Have you ever had an appointment to get to and not the least idea
how to get there? Outlook Express has a great feature for the
geographically challenged! If you've got an address entered in your
Address Book, you've got a map!
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + B to open your Address Book. 2.
Double-click the contact to open it. 3. Click the Home or Business tab
(depending on which address you're seeking). 4. Click View Map.
Expedia Maps opens in your browser with a printable street map
showing the contact's address.
A helpful reader pointed out that some Outlook Express 4.x features
don't work properly if you upgrade to Internet Explorer 5 (it's not a
bug; it's a feature).
So if you've made the switch to IE5 and suddenly find you can't
print your mail, go all the way and upgrade to Outlook Express 5. It's
got lots of nifty new features, and more importantly, it works with
the latest version of IE. You can find OE5 at
Several readers with Outlook 5 have written in to ask, "Where the
heck is this Inbox Assistant you keep referring to that can sort my
mail into folders?"
Our mistake, dear readers. If you've got Outlook 5, the newest
version, your Inbox Assistant has been fired and replaced by the
Message Rules Wizard (choose Tools + Message Rules).
You can use the Message Rules to automatically sort incoming
messages into different folders, highlight certain messages in color,
automatically reply to or forward certain messages, and much more.
Keep reading this newsletter for more Message Rules tips.
When you delete messages, they're not actually gone. They simply
move to the Deleted Items folder, and they stay there until you empty
it. The same is NOT true for folders, however. Once you delete a
folder, it's gone. History. Outta here. The moral of the story? Be
very careful when deleting folders. A slip of the mouse could mean
data loss.
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 1 OF 6
October 4th, 1999
So, you're a pro at e-mail, but what the heck are these newsgroups
you keep hearing about? Newsgroups are collections of electronic
messages on a particular topic that you can access if your ISP has a
news server. * Newsgroups are similar to e-mail in that individuals
like you send (or "post") messages on the topic of choice. *
Newsgroups are different in that mail doesn't go to a list of
recipients. Instead, it goes to a central computer where anyone who
subscribes to the newsgroups can access it. If you've got a hobby or
special interest--whether it's handheld computers or knitting
circles--you can probably find a newsgroup dedicated to it. The next
five tips walk you through the basics of setting up, reading, and
posting to Internet newsgroups.
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 2 OF 6
October 5th, 1999
If you're brand new to the world of newsgroups, your first step is
to set up your Outlook Express news account. Before you get started,
you need the name of the news server you want to connect to, your
account name, and password. You should be able to get all this
information from your ISP. 1. Choose Tools + Accounts and click the
News tab. 2. Click Add and select News. The Internet Connection Wizard
appears. 3. Enter your name as you want it to appear on outgoing posts
and click Next. 4. Type your e-mail address and click Next. 5. Type
the name of your ISP's news server and click Next. 6. If necessary,
enter your news account name and password and click Next. 7. Click
Finish. Voila! You're now the proud owner of a newsgroup account.
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 3 OF 6
October 6th, 1999
In the last tip, we showed you how to add a News account to Outlook
Express so that you can access Internet newsgroups. Now comes the
Herculean task of finding the newsgroups you're actually interested
in. Thousands and thousands of newsgroups are out there--from
alt.activism to misc.kids.pregnancy. You just need to search for the
right groups. 1. Click on your newsgroup server in the Folder List. 2.
Click the Newsgroups button. 3. Type the words you want to search for
in the Display Newsgroups Which Contain box. For example, typing
"bridge" (without the quotes) brings up a list of newsgroups
containing the word bridge, one of which is rec.games.bridge. If
that's what you're interested in, bingo! Note: If you cannot find a
specific newsgroup in the list, your news server might not carry it.
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 4 OF 6
October 7th, 1999
In the last tip, we told you how to weed through the thousands of
useless, weird, and downright offensive newsgroups out there. Now that
you've found a few you like, subscribe to them: 1. Click on your
newsgroup server in the Folder List. 2. Click the Newsgroups button.
3. Find the newsgroup you want to subscribe to and select it. 4. Click
the Subscribe button. (You can also unsubscribe here.) Tip-in-a-tip:
You can also automatically generate a subscription by just
double-clicking the name in the Newsgroup list. Congratulations,
you're now subscribed to the Internet newsgroup of your choice. Get
ready to join the party!
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 5 OF 6
October 8th, 1999
In the last two tips, we showed you how to find and subscribe to a
newsgroup. Now the fun begins. You're ready to download new newsgroup
messages and read them. 1. Click on your newsgroup server in the
Folder List. 2. Click on the newsgroup you want to download and then
click Send and Receive. 3. After all the message headers appear in the
Message List, find one you want to read (you may have to scroll down).
4. To view the message in the Preview pane, click the message once; to
view it in a separate window, double-click the message.
TIP: ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO DOWNLOAD--PART 6 OF 6
October 11th, 1999
In the last tip, we told you how to read your newsgroup messages.
Now it's time to get in on the action and post your own new message to
your newsgroup. 1. Click on your newsgroup server in the Folder List.
2. Click on the newsgroup you want to post a message to. 3. On the
toolbar, click the New Post button. 4. Type the Subject of your
message (Outlook Express won't post a message without a subject). 5.
Compose your message and then click Send.
If you share your computer and e-mail with another person, there's
no reason that one of you has to masquerade as the other (as in "My
name isn't really Helen--this is my wife's e-mail address"). Just add
a new identity to Outlook Express. When each of you has your own
identities, you can set up your own accounts and subfolders and
organize your contacts any way you want. To add an identity: 1. Choose
File + Identities and select Add New Identity. 2. Type the name you
want to use with the new identity. 3. Enter a password, if you want to
use one, and click OK. Remember: Although creating a new identity lets
you create you own folders and contacts, your contacts are not
private.
In the last tip, we explained how to add a new identity to Outlook
Express, which is handy if you share your computer with another
person. But say you sit down to get e-mail and need to switch back to
your identity? No problem! 1. Choose File + Switch Identity. 2. Choose
the identity you want to switch to. It's that simple.
In the last two tips, we showed you how to create a new identity
and then how to switch to it. But what if you need to get rid of one
of those identities? Who knows, maybe you bought your kids their own
computer, and they won't be using yours any more (you big softie). To
get rid of an identity, follow these steps: 1. Choose File +
Identities and select Manage Identities. 2. Select the identity you
want to delete and click Remove.
In this series of tips, we've been explaining all about
identities--how to set them up, switch between them, and delete them.
You can also go in and change settings. So if you set an identity up
with a password that you now want to change, for example, you can. 1.
Choose File + Identities and select Manage Identities. 2. To change
the name or password, click Properties. 3. Make your changes and click
OK. 4. To change which identity Outlook Express starts with, select it
from the Start Up Using box.
A reader asks, "How do I send mail from my second e-mail account if
it's not the default?" Good question, and luckily, one that has a
simple answer. 1. Create a new message. 2. If you have more than one
mail account installed, a drop-down menu appears near the From field.
Click the arrow and choose which e-mail address you want to send from.
3. Compose your message as usual and click Send.
If you're including a list in an e-mail, whether it's the grocery
list or next quarter's key objectives, you probably want to format it
nicely. Did you know creating numbered or bulleted lists in Outlook
Express is easy? Well, it is. 1. Create a new message. 2. Make sure
HTML formatting is turned on--choose Format + Rich Text (HTML). If
this option is already selected, a black dot appears next to it. 3. In
your message, click where you want the list to start. 4. Choose Format
+ Style and then select either Numbered List or Bulleted List. 5.
Start typing your list. When you press Enter, another list entry
starts on the next line. 6. To stop typing the list and go back to
regular formatting, press Enter twice.
Is your spacious hard drive starting to feel like a cramped studio
apartment? If so, you'll love this series. In the next five tips, we
tell you how you can free up some much-needed space. The first step is
to compact your mail folders: * To compact one folder, select the
folder and choose File + Folder + Compact. * To compact all your
folders at once, choose File + Folder + Compact All Folders.
Compacting folders can free up a little space for you hard drive pack
rats.
In the last tip, we showed you how to save space by compacting your
mail folders. Today, we help you get rid of all those old newsgroup
messages hogging up space. 1. Choose Tools + Options and click the
Maintenance tab. 2. Select Delete Read Message Bodies In Newsgroups.
3. Select Delete News Messages X Days After Being Downloaded and enter
a number of days in the box. 4. Click the Clean Up Now button to get a
jumpstart on your new maintenance regimen.
In the last two tips, we covered how to save space on your hard
drive by compacting your mail folders and getting rid of your old
newsgroup messages. Today, we explain how to get rid of the copies of
outgoing messages (which Outlook Express automatically stores). And
really, what are you keeping them for? 1. Choose Tools + Options and
click the Send tab. 2. Deselect Save Copy Of Sent Messages In The
'Sent Items' Folder. 3. Click OK. If you do want to save specific
outgoing messages, move them into a folder before clearing the Sent
Items folder or CC yourself on the message.
In the last three tips, we've shown you several methods for
reducing the amount of hard drive space eaten up by mail and news
messages. Another way to clear your hard drive is to let your mail
messages clutter up someone else's server! Storing messages on a
server is also useful if you need to read mail from more than one
computer. 1. Choose Tools + Accounts and click the Mail tab. 2. Select
the correct mail account and click Properties. 3. On the Advanced tab,
select Leave a Copy of Messages on Server. 4. Click OK.
Have you ever used Outlook Express's communications troubleshooters
to figure out an e-mail problem? If so, the program has been keeping
log files every time you send and receive e-mail messages. Those log
files can get pretty hefty. Time to get rid of them. 1. Choose Tools +
Options and select the Maintenance tab. 2. Clear any selected check
boxes in the Troubleshooting section. 3. Close Outlook Express; then
choose Start + Find + Files or Folders. 4. In the Named box, enter the
log file. (Log files are named by server type and have a .log
extension (for example, pop3.log, smtp.log). If you don't know the
exact name of the log file, type *.log.) 5. In the Find results list,
select the server log file and choose File + Delete.
In newsgroups, as in life, there are conversations you'd just
rather avoid. Luckily, you can easily ignore--and even hide--mail and
newsgroup messages and all the replies that don't interest you. 1. In
your Inbox or newsgroup message list, select the conversation you want
to ignore. 2. Choose Message + Ignore Conversation. If your message
list's Watch/Ignore column is turned on, an ignore icon appears next
to all the messages of an ignored conversation. If you'd rather just
not see the messages you're ignoring, choose View + Current View and
then select Hide Read or Ignored Messages.
In yesterday's tip, we explained how to keep undesirable messages
out of sight. But the option to hide those messages also hides the
messages you've read. What if you want to hide the ignored messages
but keep your read messages visible? No problem! 1. Choose View +
Current View and then select Hide Read or Ignored Messages. 2. Choose
View + Current View and select Define Views. 3. In the Define Views
dialog box, click New. 4. In box 1, select the Where The Message Has
Been Read box. 5. In box 2, select Show/Hide and then select Show
Messages. 6. In box 3, give this view a name (like Show Me The Read
Messages) and then click OK.
A reader asks, "I can connect to my ISP, but I get a timeout
message when I download e-mail. What's up?" A server only waits so
long for you to download your e-mail. If it hasn't accomplished the
download in a specified time period, it disconnects. The solution?
Increase the timeout period. 1. Choose Tools + Accounts. 2. Select the
mail account and then click Properties. 3. On the Advanced tab, drag
the slider bar in the Server Timeouts area to the right. Set it to at
least two minutes. Now you should have plenty of time.
Protect yourself from losing your friends. If your Personal Folders
are damaged on your hard drive, you might not have any of the personal
information you saved, including the e-mail addresses of friends and
colleagues. Export your information to a backup file, preferably on a
separate or removable drive, this way:
1. Choose File + Export Address Book. 2. In the Address Book Export
Tool dialog box, click on Text file and then on Export. 3. In the CSV
Export dialog box, specify a directory and drive for the file. 4.
Click Next. 5. Click next to the fields you want to export. (We
suggest checking them all.) 6. Click on Finish. Repeat this process
every week or so to add another layer of safety to your regular backup
procedures.
Just as with e-mail, newsgroup operations require a password. And
as with e-mail, you can use Outlook's Options to store that password
on your computer so that you never have to type it again. Otherwise,
you'll be asked for it each time you rev up the newsgroups.
When you save this password, someone other than you could start up
your computer, open Outlook Express, join newsgroups, and post
messages posing as you. You're also at increased risk that someone
could filch through your computer looking for your passwords.
Here's how you can set the password:
1. Open the Tools menu and choose Accounts. 2. Click on the News
tab in the Internet Accounts dialog ox. 3. Choose the news account
you're using and click on it. 4. Click on Properties. 5. Click on the
Server tab in the Properties dialog box. 6. Click to select "Log on
using" and then type your account name and password in the following
lines. 7. Click on OK and then on Close.
If you don't know someone's e-mail address, you can try looking
that person up in one of the online guides. Outlook has several of
these guides ready for your query:
1. Click on the Address Book button. 2. Click the Find button. 3.
Click on the pull down menu triangle for the "Look In" line. 4. Choose
a guide from the list on the left. 5. In the Search for Name text box,
type the name of the person you're looking up. 6. Click on Find Now.
All the listed names that match your query appear in a new list.
You have to decide which is the real McCoy by looking at the domain
names (the part of the e-mail address that comes after the person's
name) and sending trial notes to the most likely suspects.
Where did that message go? Weren't there, in fact, several messages
about the important meeting? How can you find them? Do the following:
1. Open the Edit menu. 2. Choose Find Message. 3. In the Find
Message dialog box, type the keywords to search on in the areas where
they might be found: From, Sent to, Subject, Message Body. 4. Click on
Find Now.
If you want to send a message to several people, and you don't want
to take the time to build a mailing list of those people to use over
and over, simply type their e-mail addresses on the header lines.
Don't forget to put a comma after each.
When something isn't kosher in the e-mail you try to send--for
example, you make a mistake when you enter a recipient's address--you
see an error message, and Outlook doesn't send the mail. Instead, it
shuffles it to the Outbox where you can find and fix it. To fix a
message that's in the Outbox and then send it on its way, follow these
steps:
1. Click the Outbox icon. 2. Double-click the e-mail message that
gave you trouble. 3. Fix the error. 4. Click the Send button.
Until you set a default connection, each time you start Outlook
Express you'll get asked what to do. An Outlook Express dialog box
will offer a drop-down menu with "Don't dial a connection" and each
Internet or LAN connection available on your PC. If you want to read
messages already on your hard drive, work on writing new messages
without sending them immediately, and check your address book, just
choose the "Don't dial" line. Otherwise you can select your connection
to the net and click on OK. Notice that there's a "Set as the default
startup connection" box you can check to avoid this question in the
future. The choice is permanently set. You can always change it:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click on
the Dial Up tab. 3. In the upper part of the Dial Up display, choose
the startup connection type you want. 4. Click on OK.
If you read your e-mail when you're away from your computer (you're
using Outlook Express on some other computer, for example), you can't
save that e-mail to the personalized set of folders on your hard
drive. What to do? How can you both keep up with your mail and not
lose your mail trail? Keep a copy of each message on the server.
Here's how:
1. Open the Tools menu and choose Accounts. 2. Click on the Mail
tab in the Internet Accounts dialog box. 3. Choose the email account
you're using and click on it. 4. Click on Properties. 5. Click on the
Advanced tab in the Properties dialog box. 6. Put a checkmark into the
"Leave a copy of message on server" box in the Delivery section. You
can specify how many days the messages should stay there. 7. Click on
OK and then on Close.
The Find command gets its marching orders from the Options
settings. It tells them what resource to use in looking up email
addresses. You can dictate which directories are considered. You open
the Tools menu and then the Accounts, choose the Directory Service
tab, and then add, change or delete any of the services listed.
The newsgroups you can reach are those your newsgroup servers
offer. Which servers are those? Open the Tools menu and choose
Accounts. Then click on the News tab and you'll see the news servers
you're set up to use. You'll also see the commands you can use to add
more servers, if you know their addresses and have permission to join
them. For now, though, even your single server of your current ISP
probably offers more than ten-thousand newsgroups.
You can compose Outlook Express messages in plain text-just the
letters and numerals, Maam-or in Rich Text-which adds bold and italic,
color, bullets and alignment. You make this choice:
1. With a message editing window open, choose Format. 2. Select
Rich Text (HTML) or Plain Text. A dot will sit beside the menu choice
that is now active.
If you change a Rich Text message to Plain Text, it will lose any
formatting, and you'll see a warning dialog box that you're about to
give away any information that might contain. Not that words or
letters will leave, but the indenting, coloring and other style cues
will no longer exist, and that may disrupt the meaning of your
message.
When you create messages in Rich Text format (you choose this in
the Format menu while composing or editing a message), you can add
Hyperlinks. That is, you can make an Internet address more than simply
a bunch of characters. Here's how:
1. Type the address wherever makes sense in your message, such as
www.yahoo.com or somebody@earthlink.net or just Amazon when you're
telling someone where to look on the web or where to write for
information. 2. If the address doesn't highlight automatically, drag
the mouse across the address, holding down the left mouse button as
you do. 3. Click on the Insert Hyperlink button-the small Globe symbol
with a chain link below it, on the far left of the toolbar. 4. In the
Hyperlink dialog box, click on the Type menu to choose what sort of
address this is: mailto: (for e-mail), http: (for web addresses) or
other. 5. Type the full link address on the URL line, if it wasn't
part of the text. For the Amazon.com bookstore, for example, you might
have just written "Amazon" in the message, but on the URL line you'll
want "http://www.amazon.com". 6. Click on OK.
Now when the message recipient views this message in any email
program that supports Rich Text, they'll be able to simply click on
the address to send it email or view it in a web browser.
With a click, you can sort the messages listed in your boxes and
folders. For example, click the word "Subject" at the top of the
messages, and Outlook sorts your messages alphabetically by subject,
from A to Z. Click Subject again, and Outlook sorts your messages from
Z to A. The other columns--To, From, and Date Sent--work the same.
For each message in your lists, you can see the Subject, the From
line, the To line, and other details of the header, organized into
columns. You get to decide which columns appear at any time. Do this:
1. Choose View + Columns. 2. Select each column you want to appear:
Priority, Attachment, Subject, From, Date Sent, Size, To, and Account
(a check mark should appear beside the selected columns). 3. To
deselect the columns you don't want to appear, remove the check mark
by clicking it.
When you delete a message from Outlook, it goes to the Deleted
Messages folder, where it stays until you delete it--again. "What's
the purpose of saving deleted messages?" you ask. So that you can
recover a message you deleted by mistake. (Don't think this'll ever
happen? You've probably never rummaged through your garbage looking
for a letter or note you threw out, either.)
Periodically, you need to empty the messages that collect in your
Deleted Messages folder because, after a while, they take up a lot of
disk space. You can remove these messages manually, or you can tell
Outlook to do it for you. To have Outlook remove your deleted
messages:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click to
put a checkmark in the "Empty messages from the Deleted Items folder
on Exit" box. 3. Click on Apply and then on OK. Be careful, though.
Your deleted messages will now permanently disappear as soon as you
quit Outlook Express. Be sure that's what you want.
Tell Outlook where to go. Or where to put your mail, at least. You
can do it with the Inbox Assistant under the Tools menu. You can set
up all the rules you want, and Outlook will automatically route
incoming and outgoing messages to the places you say. For example, you
could dictate that all messages arriving from "annoying@nowhere.com"
go straight to the Deleted Items wastebasket. Here's how: 1. Choose
Tools + Inbox Assistant. 2. In the Inbox Assistant dialog box, click
on Add. 3. Type "annoying@nowhere.com" in the From line. 4. Click to
put a checkmark beside Move To: and then click on the Folder button.
5. In the Move dialog box, click on the Deleted Items icon and then on
OK. 6. In the Properties dialog box, click on OK. 7. In the Inbox
Assistant dialog box, click on OK.
Messages in Rich Text format are in the same code as web pages:
HTML or Hypertext Markup Language. In Outlook Express 5 you can even
use HTML features that aren't listed in Outlook Express's menus or
buttons. Here's how:
1. In the message editing window, choose View + Source Edit. 2.
Click on the Source tab at the bottom of the message. 3. Enter any
HTML codes you like right on the message editing display.
When you're writing to recipients who can view Rich Text
messages-with formatting and styles, not just plain text-you should
consider using Stationery style collections. These can automatically
give a message a complete set of complementary design choices. Instead
of starting your new message by clicking on the Compose button:
1. Open Compose + New Message using. 2. From the menu that appears,
choose a Stationery by name.
You can set a priority for each outgoing message: High, Normal, or
Low. To set a priority, use the pop-up menu above the To line in a new
message or choose Tools + Set Priority.
Here are a couple of suggestions you may want to heed when
assigning a priority to a message: - Don't make every message a high
priority. In fact, save that designation for really, really important
stuff--not the "Has anyone seen my car keys?" type of message.
Otherwise, you'll just succeed in annoying your recipients who won't
see the message in the same light. - On the other hand, you probably
don't want to use the Low priority option much either. After all, why
bother sending at all if it isn't important?
Outlook helps you arrange meetings. When you use Outlook e-mail to
invite people to a meeting, they'll be able to compare your suggested
time to their own Outlook calendar. To use Outlook e-mail to schedule
a meeting:
1. Open your Contacts list and double-click the name of the person
you want to meet. 2. Choose Contact + New Meeting with Contact. 3. In
the Meeting window, type a subject for the meeting invitation. 4.
Enter a location for the meeting (or choose the location from the
drop-down list). 5. Set the meeting time. If you expect the meeting to
last All Day, select that option instead. 6. Click Send.
If your modem is connected to the same line as your voice phone,
you can use Outlook to dial. Follow these steps:
1. Choose Tools + Dial. 2. Select New Call. 3. In the New Call
window, either choose the contact from the Contact drop-down list or
enter the number you want to dial (you can also choose recently dialed
numbers from the Recently-Dialed drop-down list). 4. If you want to
keep track of having made this call, select Create New Journal Entry.
5. Click Start Call.
When the call goes through, pick up your telephone handset and
talk.
You can set up Outlook to use a credit card or calling card number
when you dial out on the modem. Although using a credit card number
for dialing a local Internet access number doesn't make much sense, it
can make a good deal of sense when you have to dial long-distance for
Internet access or when you're using Outlook's Dialing tool to
automatically dial your voice calls. Instead of punching your fingers
at phone buttons twenty times or more for every call, you can have
Windows and Outlook do the punching for you. Here's how:
1. In Outlook, choose Tools + Dial and select New Call. 2. In the
New Call dialog box, click Dialing Properties. 3. In the Dialing
Properties dialog box, select Calling Card. 4. In the Calling Card
dialog box, enter details for each card you own and click OK to go
back to the Dialing Properties dialog box. 5. Select For Long Distance
Calls, Use This Calling Card option and then choose the card you want
to use from the drop-down list. 6. Click OK.
TIP: WHERE'S THAT WORD? I KNOW I MAILED IT HERE SOMEWHERE
December 8th, 1999
When Outlook Express has a message displayed, you can search
through that message for any word or phrase:
1. Select the message you want to search. 2. Choose Edit + Find
Text. 3. In the Find dialog box, type the word or phrase you want to
find. 4. Select whatever options you want to restrict the search. 5.
Click Find Next.
The Outlook calendar can take you far into the future. For example,
you may be entering a conference scheduled for two months from today.
Or maybe you're entering the vacation getaway you've planned for next
year. That sounds nice, eh?--as long as you have other vacations in
between. Back to today . . . which is, in fact, the point. When you're
that far off in the calendar, here's a quick way back to the moment,
without having to scroll through the months:
You don't have to scroll and scroll to find some long ago and far
away date in Outlook's calendar. Just do the following:
1. Open the calendar. 2. Choose Go + Go To Date. 3. In the Go To
Date dialog box, choose a date and then specify what kind of calendar
you want to see it in: Day, Week, or Month. 4. Click OK.
When you want to look something up on the Web, Outlook Express
saves you the trouble of finding and starting your Web browser. Just
choose Go + Search The Web. Your browser starts in its own window.
In Outlook's Calendar, you can right-click any date in the calendar
to access a menu that lets you do any of the following: - Jump to
another date - Create a new appointment, event, or meeting request -
Create a recurring appointment, event, or meeting - Change the View
format
Outlook Express isn't just an e-mail program and contact manager.
It's also a newsgroup reader. It can show you the messages posted to
newsgroups--also known as the USENET. And it lets you post your own
messages to those discussion groups. To make Outlook Express your
default newsgroup reader:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click the
General tab. 3. Select Make Outlook Express My Default News Reader. 4.
Click OK.
Outlook can print your calendar in a variety of ways, showing
different ranges of dates and data. Avoid wasted paper and time by
previewing that print before you send it off. Either click the Preview
button or choose File + Print Preview.
Outlook Express and Outlook can use Microsoft's NetMeeting software
for collaborative Internet conference calls. All the people in the
meeting can see what others are typing, as well as some of the program
information. They can also hear the other's voices. When you first
want to use this feature, you have to configure NetMeeting: 1. Open
the Address Book. 2. Choose Tools + Internet Call (or in Outlook,
choose Tools + Place a NetMeeting Call). 3. In the Microsoft
NetMeeting dialog box, click Next to stick with the default meeting
server (the remote computer that keeps track of who is online to join
meetings). 4. Enter your own information--such as name and address
(you only need to enter the very basics) and click Next. 5. Select a
use category for your information on the directory--personal,
business, or adults-only (personal is fine for most of us)--and click
Next. 6. Specify your modem speed and click Next. 7. In the Audio
Tuning Wizard dialog box, click Next to set up your sound hardware.
You need earphones (or speakers) and a microphone plugged in. (Note:
You have to re-tune this if someone else wants to use your PC for a
NetMeeting.) 8. Click Finish.
Outlook can perform several "services" on your folders. For
example, it can compress them so that they take up less space and
perform more efficiently. To compress your folders:
1. Choose Tools + Services. 2. In the Services dialog box, select
Personal Folders. 3. Click Properties. 4. In the Properties dialog
box, select Compact Now and click OK. 5. Click OK again.
Right-click on a task in Outlook, and you see a pop-up menu. Choose
Send Status Report, and you open a new message window containing an
e-mail with the details on this task--name, description, percentage
complete, date completed, hours of work--all filled into the body of
the message. Just enter a recipient's name and click Send.
Set Outlook's mail to organize messages the way you want. In fact,
each and every folder can sort your messages a different way:
1. Click the Mail bar. 2. Right-click a folder you want to sort and
choose Properties from the pop-up menu. 3. In the Properties dialog
box, click the Administration tab. 4. In the Initial View on Folder
drop-down list, choose one of the following: Normal, Group by From,
Group by Subject, Group by Conversation Topic, or Unread by
Conversation. 5. Click OK.
What do you need to know about an item listed in Outlook?
Percentage complete, due date, subject for a task, size, and so on?
You can't show it all, because each has about 20 different fields of
information. So you can either live with the defaults, or you can
choose a more personal set by following these steps:
1. Choose View + Show Fields. 2. In the Show Fields dialog box,
from the Available Fields list, click a field you want to see and then
click Add. 3. Repeat Step 2 for all the fields you need. 4. In the
list on the right, click any field you don't need and then click
Remove. 5. If there's a field you don't see and do want, first make
sure it's not in any other group. If it's not, click New Field and
create the field. 6. To rearrange the order of a field, in the Show
These Fields List, click the field you want to move and then click
either the Move Up or the Move Down button to position it properly. 7.
Click OK.
The Outlook Express toolbar is a wide swath of your screen and the
easy way to quick action. Make it your own, with the tools that fit
your needs:
1. Right-click the toolbar and choose Buttons from the pop-up menu.
The Customize Toolbar dialog box shows a list of available buttons on
the left and a list of the actual buttons in the bar on the right. 2.
From the list on the left, click any buttons you want to add; then
click Add. 3. From the list on the right, click any button you want to
remove and click Remove. 4. To move the buttons around, click a button
you want in a different position on the bar and then click the Move Up
or Move Down button. 5. Click Close.
Or the fourth, for that matter. Outlook has Properties dialog boxes
that you can use to fine-tune the look of your Outlook window. With
these dialog boxes, you can show just the details you want on messages
or tasks and get rid of the rest. But you can forego the dialog boxes
and make a quick fix by right-clicking the title of any column and
then choosing Remove This Column.
Are you still computing this close to the wild holiday weekend?
Then get ready to save your past. Use Outlook's Archive command to
store away mailbox items you no longer need but don't want to throw
away forever.
1. Choose File + Archive. 2. In the Archive dialog box, select
Archive All Folders. 3. Using a date, indicate what files you want to
archive. For example, if you want to archive everything up to December
of this year, you'd enter November 30, 1999. For a completely clean
break, you might wait until January 1, 2000, to archive and then use
December 31, 1999, as the archive date. 4. Choose a folder for the
archive. Stick with the default My Documents folder unless you have
some specific area where you keep such things and can remember where
to find it. 5. Click OK.
Outlook can archive--remove from the active lists and put away in a
special file--all the e-mails, messages, and journal records you like.
But you don't have to always remember to take the loads to the attic
yourself. You can automate the process. Following the rules you
set--or some defaults of its own, if you don't make any changes--the
AutoArchive takes place when you start Outlook. Here's how to make
AutoArchive work the way you want:
1. Choose Tools + Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click the
AutoArchive tab. 3. In the AutoArchive display, make sure AutoArchive
is selected. 4. Set a different schedule if the default (every 14
days) isn't often enough to keep your Outlook folders skinny. 5. Leave
Prompt before AutoArchive selected so that you can choose to skip the
process if necessary. 6. Click on OK.
Now you need to go to each folder you want to AutoArchive--from the
Calendar, Tasks, Journal, Sent Items, Delete Items, Inbox, Notes, and
Contacts--and check (or set) the AutoArchive schedule. Each folder has
its own AutoArchive timing: - Calendar, Tasks, and Journal: 6 months -
Sent Items, Delete Items: 2 months - Inbox, Notes, Contacts: Not
AutoArchived
To set the timing on any of these folders, click the Properties
option, click the AutoArchive tab, and set the timing.
Until you tell it to do otherwise, Outlook Express 5 neatly
organizes and displays the status of your messages in its opening
display. Each time you start the program, you find a vertical list of
the following: - E-mail: With buttons you can click to access unread
messages, create a new message, and review messages you've already
read. - Newsgroups: With buttons you can click to access both unread
and read postings. - Contacts: With buttons that let you open your
address book or find people.
Below all these items is a check box labeled When Outlook Express
Starts, Go Directly to My Inbox. Select this option and, naturally,
the next time you run Outlook Express, you see the Inbox instead of
the overall list.
The Windows Dial-up Connection actually turns on the Internet juice
for Outlook Express to squeeze. When you set up your Internet
software, you can have Dial-up Connect connect you automatically to
the Internet whenever you start Outlook, or you can leave it on manual
(the default). If you leave Windows Dial-up Connection on manual, a
dialog box appears when you start Outlook, asking whether you want to
connect or to work offline.
This same dialog box can also save your password so you don't have
to type it each time. (For added security, you can choose not to save
your password; then you have to type it each time you connect.)
Outlook Express 5 makes getting (and sending) the latest mail a
piece of cake. Just click the Send/Recv button on the toolbar, and
Outlook goes out to the Internet to grab your latest incoming
messages. In the same operation, it also sends any waiting outgoing
messages.
The Forward command--and its handy button--can be a fine thing,
enabling you to easily move a message to some more appropriate reader.
Receive something that wasn't really meant for you but for your boss
or your secretary or your spouse? Forward it. With the message open:
1. Click the Forward button. 2. Enter the person's address. 3.
Click Send.
But don't forward much. Some people think the word "Forward" means
"Hey, everybody that might get an ounce of information from this
message ought to see it too." It doesn't. Remember: The road to spam
is paved with well-intentioned Forwards.
As you read an e-mail, you may have noticed that you have two
buttons you can use to reply: - Reply: Create a new message, addressed
only to the message sender. - Reply All (or Reply To All, depending on
what version of Outlook Express you have): Create a new message but
address it to everyone listed as a recipient of the message.
Be frugal with Reply All; you don't want to fill people's inboxes
with trivial mail.
When you start Outlook Express 5 the first time, you set up an
Identity. After that, whenever you run OE, you see the messages and
contacts for that Identity. If you let others use your computer and
they run OE, they also see your messages and contacts. When they whine
that they want to receive and send their own e-mail, just set up an
Identity for them:
1. Choose File + Identities + Add New Identity. 2. In the New
Identity dialog box, type a name for the new user and click OK. 3. In
the Identity Added dialog box, answer No to the question "Do you want
to switch now?" 4. In the Manage Identities dialog box, click Close.
Now when your friend wants to e-mail, start OE and choose File +
Switch Identity.
When you're writing a message, and try to close it without saving,
Outlook Express asks whether you want to save it to the Drafts folder.
You can resurrect the messages in this folder:
1. Click the Drafts folder. 2. Double-click the message you're
interested in. 3. Edit the message as you like; then click Send.
In Outlook Express 5, you may have noticed the little blue number
that sometimes sits to the right of your Inbox icon. That number tells
you how many unread messages are in the Inbox--or, more precisely, how
many of your Inbox messages have never been clicked. (OE assumes that
anything clicked has been read. It can't actually follow your eyes to
see whether you clicked by accident and didn't even notice the message
text.)
Want to liven up that outgoing message? Why not give it a theme
song? In Outlook Express 5:
1. In the New Message window, choose Format + Background + Sound.
2. In the Background Sound dialog box, click the Browse button and
find the tune you want. Phillip: Don't they have to do something else
(like select the tune/click OK) to get back to the Background Sound
dialog box (next step)? Thanks. tlb 3. Back in the Background Sound
dialog box, select either of these two options: Play the Sound for a
set number of repeats or Continuously--if you want to drive your
recipient crazy. (The lucky ones without sound hardware won't hear
your handiwork.) Phillip: Re highlighted: What's the actual option
name? Thanks. tlb 4. Click OK. 5. Complete your message and send it.
With Outlook Express 5, you can pretty up an e-mail by putting a
background image on it:
1. In the New Message window, choose Format + Background + Picture.
2. In the Background Picture dialog box, click Browse and choose a
picture from your disk drive. 3. Click OK.
Outlook Express 5 can slap a background color across the entire
window of an e-mail. When would you want to color your e-mail
background? Generally, you wouldn't. Colorful e-mails are mainly
useful to entertain friends and to convince strangers that you're a
spammer. But if you are in the market for a hue:
1. In the New Message window, choose Format + Background. 2. From
the menu that appears, select a color (click it).
When you attach a text file to an e-mail message, you may sometimes
want to check that the file you're sending is the one you wanted to
send. Why not peek at it?
1. In the New Message window, right-click an Attachment file (in
the Attach line of the header). Phillip: I don't think I know what the
Attach line of the header is. I don't seem to have that in my version
of Outlook. Just verifying here: Sandy 2. Choose Quick View from the
pop-up menu.
A small window opens, showing what's in that text file.
TIP: HEY, BLOCK SENDER, BLOCK A FEW MESSAGES FROM THEE
January 19th, 2000
Spam can get you down. Of course, so can messages from your boss or
your mom. In any case, if you think you can afford to do without all
mail from some particular correspondent, use the Block Sender command.
In Outlook Express 5:
1. Click a message from the sender you want to block. 2. Choose
Message + Block Sender. An Outlook Express dialog box appears, telling
you that the sender of this message has been added to your Blocked
Senders list. You won't be seeing any more mail from that person: It's
liquidated before it reaches your Inbox. 3. Click Yes in this box if
you want to delete all current messages from this sender; click No if
you want a last look at them.
Outlook Express 5 lets you block any messages sent from a
particular sender. If you make a mistake, though, and start blocking
messages from someone you still need to contact, you can edit the
Blocked Senders list.
1. Choose Tools + Message Rules + Blocked Senders List. 2. In the
Message Rules dialog box, with the Blocked Senders tab showing, click
the address you need. 3. Click Remove and then click OK.
Now you'll receive any messages sent from that address.
Outlook Express 5 includes a "New Account Signup Wizard" for
Hotmail. A "wizard" is an automated helper that steps you through some
computer operation. Hotmail is Microsoft's web-based e-mail system.
Once you sign up--and it's free--you will be able to get your Hotmail
email from any computer with a web browser. You can also use this
Hotmail account for anonymous messages; many people choose web-based
email as a second, personal email account. To get yours:
1. Connect to the Internet. 2. In Outlook Express, open Tools + New
Account Signup + Hotmail. 3. Follow the on-screen signup instructions.
As you view your Outlook Express 5 display, you may say to
yourself: "Self, I can't see enough information about the sender of
each message, and I'm seeing too much about the date received." Then
again, maybe you aren't saying that to yourself.
But if you are, let it be known that you can control what is seen,
and just how much of it shows. There are two ways:
* Move the mouse cursor to the labels above the columns of
information and drag the column widths to show more or less
information.
Or
* Open View + Columns, then in the Columns dialog box click on the
column you want to adjust, and below type in the pixel width you want
for it. Click on OK.
No matter what you choose to print from Outlook Express--a single
address book listing, an email message, something else--you use either
the Printer icon or the File menu's Print command. When you do, you'll
see the Print dialog box. A particular printer will appear in the Name
line. That's the Windows default printer. But it isn't the only one
you can use (unless, naturally, there's only a single printer
connected to your computer or network). You can click on the drop-down
menu triangle at the end of the Name line and choose any of the other
printers listed there. Then check on all your options settings within
the Print dialog box, and click on OK.
Outlook Express 5 doesn't have to be connected to the Internet--nor
do you. You and your OE can work "offline," just running on the
computer without a live Internet feed. If you're connected to a
high-speed office network, working offline may not be so important,
but if you use a slow dial-up modem from home, offline can mean that
your phone line is free for other uses and that any dial-up charges
aren't piling up. If you use a portable computer, being able to work
offline is essential. After all, you aren't even tethered to an
Internet line at all. - Right after you start OE, you can indicate
that you want to work offline: Click the Work Offline button in the
Dial-up Connection dialog box. - You can also change to working
offline at any time in OE 5: Just choose File + Work Offline.
Newsgroup messages don't always download fully. And, believe it or
not, this is a feature, not a bug! To save you the time and memory
that downloading lots of unread newsgroup stuff can eat up, Outlook
Express can simply download the message headers, which tell you where
the messages came from and what they're about. You can tell whether
you've downloaded a complete message or just the message header:
Headers have a torn paper icon; full messages have a whole paper icon.
If Outlook Express doesn't get to completely sign on or work
through its tasks, you see a dialog box telling you so. To see the
current status of your tasks, click the Tasks tab. To see a list of
the errors that occurred, click the Errors tab. If you don't see
either of these tabs on the dialog box, click the Details button,
which expands the dialog box to show the tabs (and to show the details
of the tasks / errors themselves). When you're done looking at the
tasks or errors, click the Details button again, and the details go
away. Click the Hide button to make the whole dialog box go away.
Outlook Express 4 for Windows has an Inbox Assistant for email,
which lets you filter out email you don't want to read, such as spam.
There's a similar feature for newsgroup postings, called the Newsgroup
Filters, appropriately enough. 1. Open Tools + Newsgroup Filters. 2.
In the Newsgroup Filters dialog box, click on the Add button. 3. In
the Properties dialog box that appears, choose the Newsgroups you want
to filter--or leave it on the default of All Servers (all Newsgroups).
4. Below that, still in the Properties dialog box, dictate which
messages you don't want to see, by specifying: 5. From: in this line
you can type an individual's email address or you can select someone
from your address book. 6. Subject: in this line you can type a
subject that doesn't interest you (don't try to type them all, you can
make other rules for other subjects) 7. Message length: you can check
this box and then set a line limit for the messages you want to see.
Anything longer won't show up in your inbox. 8. Message age: check
this box and you can then specify a number of days--anything older
won't show. Then click on OK and on OK again. You can make a number of
such Filters to fine-tune your Newsgroup reading.
There are key combinations I remember, all my life, though some
have changed. Here are the quick commands using the Ctrl key for
Outlook Express 4 for Windows: * Ctrl+I switches to the Inbox. *
Ctrl+Q marks the selected message as read. * Ctrl+R replies to just
the sender. * Ctrl+Shift+R replies to all in the address lines. *
Ctrl+Shift+B opens the Address Book * Ctrl+N starts a new message. *
Ctrl+M sends and receives all waiting messages.
We just had and fixed this problem. After setting up Outlook
Express 4 for Windows the first time on a new computer, we clicked on
our Newsgroup icon to join and read some messages. The system asked us
if we'd like to see the latest list of newsgroups available, and after
we said yes, it tried to connect to the newsgroup server to download
that list. However, it quickly broke off, telling us that it couldn't
connect. The solution: 1. Open Tools + Accounts. 2. In the Internet
Accounts dialog box, click on the News tab. 3. Now click on the
newsgroup server you're using--there will probably be only one in the
list, though if there are more you should click on the main one for
the Internet Service Provider you want to use. 4. Click on Properties.
5. In the Properties dialog box, click on the Server tab. 6. Click in
the "This server requires me to log on" box. 7. Click in the Log on
using button and then type your account name and password (which
typically will be the same as for your email from this Internet
Service Provider). 8. Click on Apply and then on OK and then on Close.
Now try downloading that newsgroup list again. It worked for us.
Apparently the automatic setup didn't catch that our newsgroup server
needed our account name and password for a connection. Now it has
both.
Newsgroups can be bursting with postings. Amidst the noise and
haste of so many messages, how do you find responses to your own
little postings? In Outlook Express 4 for Windows, you can simply: 1.
Open View + Current View. 2. Choose Replies to my posts. Naturally we
tend to be most interested in our own ripples in the pond.
The Address Book is fair game for other Windows applications to
use, but only if you've made it Sharable. If you'd rather keep it to
Outlook Express use only, use its Tools + Options choice and specify
Do Not Share.
The Address Book in Outlook Express lets you keep many email
addresses for any contact. That's a big leg up over some competing
programs that only hold one or two email addresses, especially in this
age when some people have a half-dozen. You'll see when you:
1. Open the Address Book (click on its icon). 2. Click on the New
Contact button. 3. Type an email address into the E-Mail Addresses
line, then click on Add.
When you delete a contact group--one of those named address groups
for sending mail--you only delete the name of the group, not any of
the individual contacts that make up the group. They'll still be in
your address book. Think of it this way: when a club is disbanded, the
members still keep breathing.
Pictures generally travel the Internet as attachments to email
messages. And you can do this with Outlook Express, sending them
yourself or viewing attachments that others send to you.
If you create HTML messages though--email that isn't just plain
text but is in the Web-page format of HTML--you can embed pictures
right within the message.
Here's how:
1. Click within the message you're creating, click where you want
the picture to be. 2. Open Insert + Picture. 3. Click on Browse and
then choose a picture--find its file name on your hard drive. 4. Click
on OK.
If your recipient's email program doesn't understand HTML, they
won't see the image. Unless you're sure, it's safer to send a plain
text message with an attached picture.
It means knowing who sent a message. Not just what address is in
the From line, but who really sent it.
Outlook Express has Digital IDs that can authenticate.
If both you and your recipient have a digital ID, they'll know you
sent a message, and vice versa.
To get one:
1. Open Tools + Options. 2. In the Options dialog box, click on the
Security tab. 3. Click on the Get Digital ID button. Internet Explorer
5 will start and show a Microsoft web page. 4. Click on the
VeriSign
link and follow the instructions to get the ID.
The free Hotmail service is a popular way to get an anonymous,
web-only email account. Outlook Express can direct you to Hotmail--no
big surprise since both come from Microsoft. But it doesn't integrate
your Hotmail messages or address book with your regular Inbox and
book. 1. Open Go + Hotmail. 2. Your web browser will open, right to
the Hotmail page. Here you can sign up and then later check your
messages.
Digital IDs--also known as Digital Signatures--let you prove to
recipients that you're actually the one sending a message. It protects
them from receiving faked messages that use your email address.
Not that this happens often, but it is a possibility. IDs can make
serious sense for sensitive messages, obviously.
You can use digital IDs with all messages, or just use it when you
need it. To stamp your ID on one message:
1. Open the message. 2. Click on the Sign button (the little
envelope with a red certificate seal in its upper left corner). 3.
Send it.
If you have a bunch of text you want to put into a message, you
can:
* Open the file with the text and copy it, then paste it into your
new message. * Attach the file with the text. * Insert the text file
into the message.
For this last:
1. Click where you want the text. 2. Open Insert + Text from File.
3. Choose the file. 4. Click Open.
Do you often send one message to many recipients? Are they the same
recipients each time?
You could be ripe for the pleasures of mailing lists, also known in
other email programs as address or contact groups.
1. Open File + New + Mailing List. 2. On the left of the Contacts
window that opens, click on this new list's icon and then type a name
for the list (better than Untitled). 3. Now it's time to add some
members to this list. Open your main contact list and drag every
member you want over to this new mailing list. Only copies will
move--the original contacts will remain in the main list.
Now you can address an email with the name of the list, and
everyone in the list will get the message.
TODAY'S TIP: OE DOESN'T AOL Outlook Express won't work with America
Online. You can't do your email or your newsgroups with OE if you use
AOL as your connection to the Internet.
TODAY'S TIP: OUTLOOK CAN USE THE SAME ADDRESS BOOK The Address Book
you build in Outlook Express can share its contacts with some other
Windows programs. The most obvious is Outlook, which Outlook Express
users may use for its scheduling abilities. This also makes it easy to
switch entirely from Outlook Express to Outlook, without losing your
addresses.
Outlook Express can "encrypt" your messages so that they're harder
to intercept and read. To use this secret code:
1. Make sure that both you and your recipient have your digital ID
setup. 2. Open the message you want kept secret. 3. Click on the
Encrypt button (an envelope with a small lock hanging from it, on the
far right of the toolbar) or open Tools + Encrypt. 4. Click on the
Send button.
"For some reason I am not being alerted (by sound) to newly arrived
mail even though I have the "Play sound when messages arrive" box
checked. I remember (maybe in a previous version of O.E.) there was a
"browse" button next to the checkbox that would allow me to choose
which sound I wanted played when mail arrived."
Are you in this mime-box too? The first thing to do, after checking
that "Play sound" option, is to see if Windows itself is mute.
1. Double-click on the speaker icon in the tray of the taskbar. 2.
See if there's a check in the Mute All box on the far left, near the
bottom. If there is, click on it to remove the check.
"For some reason I am not being alerted (by sound) to newly arrived
mail even though I have the "Play sound when messages arrive" box
checked. I remember (maybe in a previous version of O.E.) there was a
"browse" button next to the checkbox that would allow me to choose
which sound I wanted played when mail arrived."
Are you in this mime-box too? The first thing to do, after checking
that "Play sound" option, is to see if Windows itself is mute.
1. Double-click on the speaker icon in the tray of the taskbar. 2.
See if there's a check in the Mute All box on the far left, near the
bottom. If there is, click on it to remove the check.
After you get a Digital ID, you can attach it to any message. When
the recipient has Digital IDs set up too, they'll know that the
message came from you.
To put the ID on all messages:
1. Open that message. 2. Open Tools + Options. 3. In the Options
dialog box, click on the Security tab. 4. Check the box for Digitally
sign all outgoing messages. 5. Click on OK.
Having a digital ID on a message won't hurt if the message is sent
to someone not equipped for them.
What do you do if you send a vCard business card to someone? If
they open their email and see that you've sent a vCard, but their
email software doesn't automatically open it?
Just tell them that vCards are text files, so they can open it in
any word processor and then copy the results into their own Address
Book.
Some of the data most of us exchange again and again is contact
data: Name, Address, Phone, Fax, Email, Web, and so on. In the world
of paper these are neatly organized and summarized on a Business Card.
In the world of email there are also Business Cards. Outlook Express
4's Address Book is basically a computerized stack of these e Business
Cards. Or to be more precise, vCards, for that's the name of the
standard format for electronic contact information. The first time you
open Outlook Express 4's Address Book, you'll be asked if you want to
make it your default vCard viewer. That is, do you want this Address
Book to launch every time Windows needs to handle a vCard? Unless you
have some other viewer in mind--perhaps in some other email program
that you use more regularly, or in some contact- management software
that you employ--you should answer Yes to this dialog box.
You can only import and export business cards from the Address Book
when the book data isn't shared. If sharing is enabled, business card
in and out isn't. Weird, isn't it. To check on the status: 1. Open the
Address Book. 2. Open Tools + Options. 3. Notice the Do not share
line. 4. Click on OK.
This tip topic has been guilty of confusing a few readers. First,
Outlook is a complicated program. Yeah, that's right, we'll blame it
on the program. No, really, it was us. We were trying to cover all of
the versions of Outlook Express in one topic. Bad idea #1. Then we
tried to add Outlook to the topic. Bad idea #2. So today we're trying
Good idea #1: separate the versions. This topic will cover Outlook
Express 4 for Windows. We will start separate topics for Outlook
Express 5 for Windows, Outlook Express 4.5 for Macintosh, and Outlook
Express 5 for Macintosh. After that we plan to add Outlook 98 for
Windows and Outlook 2000 for Windows. The tips in those other topics
will be similar, but tuned to the real differences among the versions.
GIF and JPEG images that are attached to incoming email messages
will show up, right in the Preview Pane where you see the message
text. You can also open them in a separate viewer if you want.
Upper and Lower case don't matter in email addresses. Most people,
therefore, take the easy road and just type names entirely in
lowercase. The exception is in names that are more easily read with
some "intercaps", such as "DummiesDailyOutlook@somewhere.net" instead
of "dummiesdailyoutlook@somewhere.net". (Those are just made-up
addresses.)
When an email or newsgroup postings arrive with an attachment--a
file traveling along with the main message--you can choose to save
those attachments to your hard drive. 1. Click on the paperclip icon
that comes with the email or posting. 2. From the pop-up menu, choose
Save Attachments. 3. In the Save dialog box, choose a location on disk
for saving the attachment. 4. Click on OK.
Outlook Express 4 for Windows uses the MIME (Multipurpose Internet
Mail Extensions) format for encoding attachments. If you send a
message with an attachment, and the person on the other end complains
that they can't read the attachment, it could be that their email
program doesn't support MIME.
Outlook Express lets you set up multiple mail accounts. You could
use that to let one person get their mail from several systems. Or you
could use it so several people could each get their mail on the one
computer. Problem is, Outlook Express doesn't block anyone from
switching accounts, and then reading someone else's mail. And sending
mail in that someone else's name. If you want that kind of security,
you'll need to work with Windows' own security settings.
While reading a newsgroup posting in Outlook Express 4 for Windows,
you'll notice that you have two reply options: * Reply to Group--which
sends the message you write to the newsgroup itself, for all newsgroup
subscribers to see. * Reply to Author--which sends the message only to
the author of the newsgroup message, for only their eyes to see.
Periodically you may want to dip into the Sent Items folder. You'll
see quite a collection--all those emails you've zipped off. If you
don't need them here any more, select them and drag them to the trash.
If you don't need any of them, open Edit + Select All. Then Delete
them all by clicking on the Delete key.
If you're not a simple "few words and a quick send click" emailer,
if you create more complex email documents full of formatting and
layout style, and especially if you use different complex email looks
for different purposes, then Outlook Express 4's templates should be
your thing. Open each of those complex layouts in turn and then save
them to the desktop. 1. Open the example email message you made with
the layout you like. 2. Open File + Save As. 3. In the Save As dialog
box, type a name that will remind you of just what this email is good
for. 4. Let the Save As box use the .EML extension for this email. 5.
Choose the Desktop as the place to save the email. 6. Click on Save.
Now you'll be able to see your example emails as templates on the
desktop. Any time you're running Windows you can just double-click on
any of these templates to have it spring to life, ready for your
customization for a particular recipient.
Even putting items into the Trash isn't enough to truly get rid of
them. They can sit in the trash, which is nice if you regularly make
mistakes and maybe want to recover a dumped email. But at some point
you'll want to throw out the trash. 1. Right-click on the Deleted
Items folder. 2. Choose Empty Folder from the pop-up menu. 3. Click on
Yes to truly take out the trash.
When you click on the Send & Receive button, Outlook Express 4 for
Windows starts pushing out and grabbing in all of your mail. What if
you don't want it to? What? Not want your mail? How could that be?
Well, for instance, Outlook Express can be set up for multiple email
accounts. Perhaps you use one computer at home for a personal account
most of the time, but do want the option of receiving business mail on
it too. Both of those accounts must be set up in the Tools + Accounts
area. However, you can set one of them--the business account in this
example--to not automatically get its mail. On those rare occasions
when you do want that home personal computer to grab the latest in
your business box. Here's how you set up an account without automatic
Send & Receive. 1. Open Tools + Accounts. 2. In the Internet Accounts
dialog box, click to select the account, then click on Properties. 3.
In the Properties dialog box, click on the General tab. 4. Near the
bottom of the dialog box, click to remove the checkmark from Include
this account when doing a full Send and Receive. 5. Click on OK and
then on Close.
Your electronic Business Card--with your basic contact address
information, stored in the vCard format--can save you some time. You
can attach it to your messages, so you don't have to type in phone
number, web site, and other such details. To make your own vCard
Business Card in Outlook Express 4 for Windows: 1. Open the Address
Book. 2. Create an entry for yourself (click on the New Contact
button, then type your contact info, and click on OK.) 3. Open the
Address Book's File menu. 4. Choose Export + Business Card (vCard). 5.
In the Export dialog box, choose a name for your vCard (or just keep
the default of your name as it was in the Address Book). 6. Choose a
place to put the card. The default of the My Documents folder is OK.
7. Click on Save. Now, when composing a message, you can add this
vCard by using the Insert menu.
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