How to Set Up Outlook Express
Before
you can use Outlook Express to send and receive e-mail, you need to set
up an account. You can have more than one account—for
business,
online
shopping, and so on—and each person who uses your computer
may have
their own, completely separate account. Outlook Express gracefully
handles it all.
Start Outlook Express
There are many ways to start Outlook Express, but
here's a sure-fire way to find and start it.
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1.
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Click the Start button.
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2.
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Point to All Programs.
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3.
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Click Outlook Express.
These first three steps are shown in the
image below:
Opening
Outlook Express from the Start menu
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4.
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If asked whether you'd like to open this
particular account automatically every time you start Outlook Express,
click Yes (if you do) or No (if
you don't).
If you don't want to be asked this question
again, click to check the Always perform this check...
box.
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5.
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Check When Outlook Express starts,
go directly to my Inbox.
Outlook Express directs all incoming mail to
the Inbox, so it makes sense to bypass this opening page.
If you don't see the list of folders and
contacts on the left, click Layout on the View
menu. Click Contacts and Folder List
to check them, and then click OK.
Outlook
Express list of folders
 Quick start.
You'll notice that when you use Outlook Express regularly, Windows XP
will put the Outlook Express icon on the Start menu
(along with other
programs you've used recently). In that case, just click the Outlook Express
icon in the Start menu to open the program.
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Set Up an Outlook Express E-Mail Account
The
Internet Connection Wizard makes short work of setting up your online
mailbox by walking you through each step for every e-mail account you
set up.
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1.
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Before
you get going, make sure you know your email address along with the
following information. (You may need to contact your ISP, Internet
Service Provider, to get it.)
First, information about the e-mail
servers:
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The type of e-mail server you use:
POP3 (most e-mail accounts), HTTP (such as Hotmail), or IMAP
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The name of the incoming e-mail server
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For POP3 and IMAP servers, the name of
the outgoing e-mail server (generally SMTP)
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Second, information about your
account:
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Your account name and password
(For some solid advice about making a
secure password, read the Create
strong passwords article.)
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Find
out if your ISP requires you to use Secure Password Authentication
(SPA) to access your e-mail account—yes or no is all that's
required.
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2.
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Start Outlook Express, and on the Tools
menu, click Accounts.
If the Internet Connection Wizard starts up
automatically, skip ahead to step 4.
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3.
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Click Add, and then
click Mail to open the Internet Connection Wizard.
Mail option
from the Add button
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4.
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On the Your Name page of
the wizard, type your name as you want it to appear to everyone who
gets e-mail from you, and then click Next.
Most people use their full name, but you can
use any name—even a nickname—that people will
recognize.
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5.
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On the Internet Explorer Address
page, type your e-mail address, and then click Next.
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6.
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On the E-mail Server Names
page, fill in the first block of information that you gathered from
your ISP in step 1, and then click Next.
Internet
Connection Wizard's E-mail Server Names
Note:
If you chose HTTP as your incoming e-mail server—as for a
Hotmail or
MSN account—this wizard page changes slightly so you can
identify your
HTTP mail service provider.
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7.
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On the Internet Mail Logon
page, type your account name and password.
Internet
Connection Wizard's Internet Mail Logon
Note: If you're concerned
about break-ins to your e-mail, click to clear the check in the Remember
Password box.
You'll then be prompted for the password each
time you send or retrieve mail.
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8.
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Click Next, and then
click Finish.
You're ready to send your first e-mail!
Unsure
if your new e-mail account is working?
Send an e-mail message to a friend. If they get the message, your
account is ready to roll!
But if you run into problems setting up your
account, Outlook Express offers help. Search for troubleshooting topics
from Contents and Index on the
Help
menu.
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Set Up a Web-based E-Mail Account
The
e-mail that you get in a Hotmail account and other Web-based accounts
is not stored on your hard disk, but is kept on the account-provider's
computer.
That's what makes it possible to access your account from any
computer in the world over the Internet. Here's how you set yourself up.
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1.
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Go to the Web site and follow the setup
instructions—for example, http://www.hotmail.com/
for Hotmail.
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2.
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Set up Outlook Express to use the account,
by following the instructions above in Set up an Outlook Express e-mail
account.
If
you share your computer with someone else,
take advantage of Fast User Switching. A feature of Windows XP, it
lives up to its name by
enabling you to switch among users on a single
computer without closing any programs you are running or logging off.
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To turn Fast User Switching on, open User
Accounts in Control Panel. Click Change the way
users log on or off. Make sure the Use Fast User
Switching box is checked.
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Then, to switch users, click Start,
click Log off and then click Switch User.
On the Welcome screen, click the user account you want to switch to.
That's it!
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Close Outlook Express
In closing, Outlook Express works just as all
other Windows programs do.
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On the File menu, click Exit.
Tip:
For a fast way out, press ALT+F4.
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