ONLINE HELP FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS 5.0
CONTENTS
Introducing Outlook Express
Getting started with Outlook Express
To read your messages
To send an e-mail message
What are newsgroups?
Viewing only certain messages
Reading mail messages offline
Customizing the Outlook Express window
Outlook Express Troubleshooter
Accessibility for people with disabilities
Introducing the Address Book
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Introducing Outlook Express
Microsoft Outlook Express puts the world of online communication
on your desktop. Whether you want to exchange e-mail with
colleagues and friends or join newsgroups to trade ideas and
information, the tools are here.
Manage multiple mail and news accounts
If you have several mail or news accounts, you can use them all
from one window. You can also create multiple users, or
identities, for the same computer. Each identity gets its own
mail folders and Address Book. The ability to create multiple
accounts and identities makes it easy for you to keep work
separate from personal mail and also between individual users.
Browse through messages quickly and easily
Using the message list and preview pane, you can view a list of
messages and read individual messages at the same time. The
Folders list contains mail folders, news servers, and
newsgroups, and you can easily switch between them. You can also
create new folders to organize and sort messages, and then set
up message rules so that incoming mail that meets your criteria
automatically goes to a specific folder. You can also create
your own views to customize the way you look at your mail.
Keep your mail on a server so you can view it from more than one
computer
If your ISP uses an IMAP mail server for incoming mail, you can
read, store, and organize your messages in folders on the server
without downloading the messages to your computer. That way, you
can view messages from any computer that can connect to that
server.
Use the Address Book to store and retrieve e-mail addresses
You can save names and addresses in your Address Book
automatically by simply replying to a message or by importing
them from other programs, by typing them in, by adding them from
e-mail messages you receive, or by searching popular Internet
directory services (white pages). The Address Book supports
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for accessing
Internet directory services.
Add a personal signature or stationery to your messages
You can insert essential information into outgoing messages as
part of your personal signature, and you can create multiple
signatures to use for different purposes. For more detailed
information, you can include a business card. To make your
messages look more attractive, you can add stationery patterns
and backgrounds, and you can change the color and style of the
text.
Send and receive secure messages
You can digitally sign and encrypt messages by using digital
IDs. Digitally signing your message assures recipients that the
message is really from you. Encryption ensures that only
intended recipients can read a message.
Find newsgroups that interest you
Looking for a newsgroup that matches your interests? You can
search for newsgroups that contain keywords or browse through
all of the newsgroups available from your Usenet provider. When
you find a newsgroup you want to view regularly, add it to your
Subscribed list so you can find it again easily.
View newsgroup conversations efficiently
You can view a newsgroup message and all of the responses
without reading an entire message list. When you view the list
of messages, you can expand and collapse conversations to make
it easier to find what interests you. You can also use views to
display only the messages you want to read.
Download newsgroup messages for offline reading
To use your online time efficiently, you can download messages
or entire newsgroups, so you don't have to be connected to your
ISP to read messages. You can also download message headers only
for offline viewing and then mark the headers of the messages
you want to read; then the next time you are connected, Outlook
Express downloads the message text. You can also compose
messages offline and send them the next time you reconnect.
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Getting started with Outlook Express
With an Internet connection and Microsoft Outlook Express, you
can exchange e-mail messages with anyone on the Internet and
join any number of newsgroups.
The Internet Connection Wizard helps you connect to one or more
mail or news servers. You will need the following information
from your Internet service provider (ISP) or local area network
(LAN) administrator:
* To add a mail account, you need your account name and
password, and the names of an incoming and an outgoing mail
server.
* For newsreading, you need the name of the news server you
want to connect to and, if required, your account name and
password.
The following topics tell you how to start receiving and sending
e-mail, in addition to how to view and join newsgroups. After
you get started, you'll find there are many ways to tailor
Outlook Express to your needs. Look in Help Contents for ideas.
Basic setup
Add a mail or news account
Switch between mail and newsreading
Setting up multiple identities
Getting started with e-mail
Import messages from other mail programs
Import an address book from another program
Send an e-mail message
Read your messages
Getting started with newsreading
What are newsgroups?
View a newsgroup without subscribing to it
Subscribe to a newsgroup
Post a message to a newsgroup
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To read your messages
After Outlook Express downloads your messages, or after you
click the Send/Recv button on the toolbar, you can read messages
either in a separate window or in the preview pane.
* Click the Inbox icon on either the Outlook bar or the
Folders list.
* To view the message in the preview pane, click the message
in the message list.
To view the message in a separate window, double-click the
message in the message list.
Tips
* To view all the information about a message, such as when it
was sent, click the File menu, and then click Properties.
* To save the message in your file system, click Save as and
then select a format (mail, text or HTML) and location.
Related Topics
Specify what you want to download
View a file attachment
Read international messages
Group messages and their replies together
Forward a mail message
Delete a mail message
Organizing mail messages
To use your online time efficiently, you can use Outlook Express
to find messages, automatically sort incoming messages into
different folders, keep messages on a mail server, or delete
them entirely.
The following topics provide more information:
Delete a message
Find mail messages in your message folders
Managing mail messages with rules
Add, delete, or switch folders
Move or copy a message to another folder
Store messages on mail servers
Blocking unwanted messages
You can control the mail and news messages you get in Outlook
Express in several ways. You can block certain people from
sending you mail, you can hide conversations that don't interest
you, and you can guard against being sent damaging code in mail
by setting security levels.
The following topics provide more information:
Block messages from a sender or a domain
Manage the blocked senders list
Set up security zones
Ignore conversations
Importing items into Outlook Express
You can easily import items from other programs into Outlook
Express. These items include:
* Address books, from both Microsoft products and other
products, such as Netscape Communicator and Eudora. You can
also import address book data that uses the CSV (comma
separated values) format.
* Messages from other e-mail programs, including Netscape and
Eudora. You can also import messages from many Microsoft
products, such as Outlook or older versions of Outlook
Express.
* Mail account settings from an existing e-mail account. When
you import your mail account settings, your Outlook Express
account will have many, if not all, of the customizations
and information details from your previous account.
* New account settings from an existing e-mail account. When
you import your news account settings into Outlook Express,
your subscription records and other data, such as which
messages you've seen, is placed into your Outlook Express
news account. You can immediately pick up reading your
newsgroups.
The following topics provide more information:
Import an address book
Import messages from another mail program
Import mail account settings
Import news account settings
Exporting items from Outlook Express
You can export items in Outlook Express to use in other
programs, including Microsoft programs as well as other software
programs. These items include:
* Address Book. You can export your address book from Outlook
Express so that it can be used in other Microsoft mail
programs, such as Outlook.
* Messages. You can export messages in one or more of your
folders
The following topics provide more information:
Export an address book
Export messages
Using server-based mail accounts
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and HTTP (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol) are Internet protocols for accessing messages
that are stored on a server. Using IMAP or HTTP, you can access
your e-mail from any computer with an Internet connection. Once
you set up your IMAP account, you can specify the folders you
want to show and the ones you want to hide. HTTP accounts always
show all the available folders.
Having a server-based account allows you to save time by
downloading only your message headers so that you can choose
which messages you want to later download and view in their
entirety. When you are working offline, you can read and respond
to e-mail messages just as you would when working online. The
next time you work online, your server-based mail account will
synchronize the mail on your computer with the server. During
the synchronization process, the actions you performed in your
account are carried out on the server.
The following topics provide more information:
Add a mail or news account
Show and hide IMAP folders
Specify what you want to download
Read and reply to IMAP or HTTP mail messages
Delete a message from an IMAP account
Reading mail messages offline
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To send an e-mail message
* On the toolbar, click the New Mail button.
* In the To and/or Cc boxes, type the e-mail name of each
recipient, separating names with a comma or semicolon ( ; ).
To add e-mail names from the Address Book, click the book icon
in the New Message window next to To, Cc, and Bcc, and then
select names.
To use the Bcc box, click the View menu, and then select All
Headers.
* In the Subject box, type a message title.
* Type your message, and then click the Send button on the New
Message toolbar.
Tips
* If you have multiple mail accounts set up and you want to
use one other than your default account, click in the From
box, and then click the mail account you want.
* If you are composing a message offline, your message will be
saved in the Outbox. It will be sent automatically when you
go back online.
* To save a draft of your message to work on later, click the
File menu, and then click Save. You can also click Save as
to save a mail message in your file system in mail (.eml),
text (.txt), or HTML (.htm) format.
Related Topics
Use stationery with outgoing messages
Inserting items in a message
Change the priority of an outgoing mail message
Check the spelling in messages
Set up directory services to check for e-mail addresses
Formatting message text
When you want to add special emphasis or structure to message
text--such as bold, color, or bulleted lists--you can use
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the standard for formatting
text for the Internet. Using HTML formatting also enables you to
add graphics and links to Web sites in your messages.
When you use HTML formatting and the recipient's mail or news
program does not read HTML, the message appears as plain text
with an HTML file attached. Only e-mail programs that support
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) can read HTML
formatting.
The following topics provide more information:
Use HTML formatting
Change the font, style, or size of text
Format a paragraph
Create a numbered or bulleted list
To use stationery with outgoing messages
With Outlook Express stationery, you can create attractive
messages for both e-mail and newsgroups. Stationery is a
template that can include a background image, unique text font
colors, and custom margins.
* To apply stationery to all your outgoing messages, click the
Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Compose tab.
In the Stationery area, select the Mail and/or News check
box, and then click Select.
* To apply stationery to an individual message, click the
Message menu, point to New Message Using, and then select a
stationery.
* To apply or change stationery after you start a message,
click the Format menu, point to Apply Stationery, and then
select a stationery.
Related Topics
Create stationery for outgoing messages
Insert a business card in all messages
Inserting items in a message
Use the following topics to learn how to add items to your mail
messages:
Add a signature to outgoing messages
Insert a file
Insert a business card in all messages
Include a sound
Insert a picture
Insert a hyperlink or HTML page
Sending secure messages
As more people send confidential information by e-mail, it is
increasingly important to be sure that documents sent in e-mail
are not forged, and to be certain that messages you send cannot
be intercepted and read by anyone other than your intended
recipient.
By using "digital IDs" with Outlook Express, you can prove your
identity in electronic transactions in a way similar to showing
your driver's license when you cash a check. You can also use
your digital ID to encrypt messages, keeping them private.
Digital IDs incorporate the S/MIME specification for secure
electronic mail.
How do digital IDs work?
A digital ID is composed of a "public key," a "private key," and
a "digital signature." When you digitally sign your messages,
you are adding your digital signature and public key to the
message. The combination of a digital signature and public key
is called a "certificate."
Recipients can use your digital signature to verify your
identity and use your public key to send you encrypted mail that
only you can read by using your private key. In order to send
encrypted messages, your address book must contain digital IDs
for the recipients. That way, you can their public keys to
encrypt the messages. When a recipient gets an encrypted
message, their private key is used to decrypt the message for
reading.
Before you can start sending digitally signed messages, you must
obtain a digital ID and set up your mail account to use it. If
you are sending encrypted messages, your address book must
contain a digital ID for each recipient.
Where do you get digital IDs?
Digital IDs are issued by independent certification authorities.
When you apply for a digital ID at a certification authority's
Web site, they verify your identity before issuing an ID. There
are different classes of digital IDs, each certifying to a
different level of trustworthiness. For more information, use
the Help at the certification authority's Web site.
In order to obtain someone else's digital ID, you can request
they send you digitally signed mail, or you can search the
digital ID database on a certification authority's Web site. You
can also search Internet directory services that list digital
IDs along with other properties.
How do you verify a digital signature?
With "revocation checking," you can verify the validity of a
digitally signed message. When you make such a check, Outlook
Express requests information on the digital ID from the
appropriate certification authority. The certification authority
sends back information on the status of the digital ID,
including whether the ID has been revoked. Certification
authorities keep track of certificates that have been revoked
due to loss or termination.
Related Topics
Obtain a digital ID and add it to your mail account
Add a contact's digital ID to your Address Book
Send a digitally signed and/or encrypted message
Use revocation checking
Advanced security information
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What are newsgroups?
A newsgroup is a collection of messages posted by individuals to
a news server, a computer that can host thousands of newsgroups.
You can find newsgroups on practically any subject. Although
some newsgroups are moderated, most are not. Moderated
newsgroups are "owned" by someone who reviews the postings, can
answer questions, delete inappropriate messages, and so forth.
Anyone can post messages to a newsgroup. Newsgroups do not
require any kind of membership or joining fees.
To use newsgroups in Outlook Express, your Internet service
provider must offer links to one or more news servers. After you
set up an account for each server you want in Outlook Express,
you can read and post messages in any of the newsgroups stored
on that news server.
When you find a newsgroup you like, you can "subscribe" to it so
that it is displayed in your Outlook Express Folders list.
Subscribing provides easy access to your favorite newsgroups,
eliminating the need to scroll through the long list on the
server each time you want to visit a favorite newsgroup.
Newsgroups can contain thousands of messages, which can be
time-consuming to sort through. Outlook Express has a variety of
features that make it easier to find the information you want in
newsgroups.
The following topics describe how to use Outlook Express to
participate in newsgroups:
Add a mail or news account
Find newsgroups of interest
Subscribe to a newsgroup
Read newsgroup messages
Post a message
Block messages from a sender or domain
To subscribe to a newsgroup
The benefit of subscribing is that the newsgroup is included in
your Folders list for easy access. You can subscribe to a
newsgroup in any of the following ways:
* When you add a news server, Outlook Express prompts you to
subscribe to newsgroups on that server.
* Click a news server name in your Folders list, and then
click the Newsgroups button. Select the newsgroup that you
want to subscribe to, and then click the Subscribe button.
You can also unsubscribe here.
Note: When you double-click a name in the Newsgroup list, a
subscription is automatically generated.
* When you view a newsgroup without subscribing to it (see
Related Topic below), its name appears in your Folders list.
Right-click the name and then click Subscribe.
Tips
* To view a newsgroup you subscribe to, click it in the
Folders list.
* To cancel your subscription to a newsgroup, click the
Newsgroups button, click the Subscribed tab, select the
group you want, and then click the Unsubscribe button. You
can also right-click the newsgroup in your Folders list and
then click Unsubscribe.
Related Topics
View a newsgroup without subscribing to it
Find newsgroups of interest
Posting messages to newsgroups
There are several ways that you can post messages, depending on
whether you are posting a new message or replying to one and how
widely you want it distributed. You can also format messages,
and add your signature, business card, or links to files. Note
that some of these options require that the recipient's
newsreader can read HTML--be aware that many newsreaders cannot.
The following topics give you more information about posting
messages:
Post a message
Reply to a newsgroup message
Send large messages
Set the line length in outgoing newsgroup messages
Organizing newsgroup messages
Newsgroup messages can become unwieldy if you do not sort them
in an order that you can use. The following topics describe
several ways to manage a large newsgroup and customize the
Outlook Epxress window to your needs.
Delete a news message
Find messages in a newsgroup
Managing news messages with rules
Viewing only certain messages
Group messages and their replies together
Customizing the Outlook Express window
To prevent newsgroup messages from automatically downloading
* On the Tools menu, click Options.
* On the Read tab, clear the following check box:
Automatically download messages when viewing in the Preview
Pane.
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Viewing only certain messages
If you receive lots of messages, you may find it difficult to
work with a full Inbox. Newsgroups, some of which have a high
volume of messages, can be difficult to read as well. Outlook
Express comes with a set of views that make it easier to work
with your mail and news messages. You use these views to see
only the messages you want to see. You can also create your own
custom views using the View Manager.
The following topics provide more information:
Use views to read messages
Create and use custom views
Managing mail messages with rules
When you have large volumes of incoming e-mail, Outlook Express
can help you process it more efficiently. You can use rules in
Outlook Express to automatically sort incoming messages into
different folders, highlight certain messages in color,
automatically reply to or forward certain messages, and much
more.
The following topics provide more information:
Create a rule for mail messages
Change a rule
Apply a rule to downloaded messages
Managing news messages with rules
When you subscribe to newsgroups, it can be difficult to keep up
with the large volume of news messages. You can use rules to
flag particular messages, highlight messages in color, have
certain messages downloaded, or even delete unwanted messages
before you see them.
The following topics provide more information:
Create a rule for newsgroup messages
Change a rule
Apply a rule to downloaded messages
To watch a conversation
In both mail and news, you can watch a conversation that is of
particular interest you. A conversation is an original message
and all its replies.
* In your Inbox or newsgroup message list, select the
conversation you wish to watch, and on the Message menu,
click Watch Conversation.
If your message list's Watch/Ignore column is turned on, the
watch icon will appear next to all the messages of a watched
conversation.
Tip
* You can customize the color of your watched messages to make
them stand out better. Click the Tools menu, and then click
Options. On the Read tab, at the end of the Highlight
watched messages with the color line, select the color you
want, and then click OK.
Related Topics
Group messages and their replies together
Change the columns displayed in the message list
Ignore a conversation
To group messages and their replies together
When many people participate in e-mail and newsgroup
conversations, the replies to a given message can be hard to
track. You can set up Outlook Express so that message replies
are grouped under the original message. You can then choose to
view only the original message, or the message and all its
replies.
* When you are in either your Inbox or a newsgroup, click the
View menu, point to Current View, and then select Group
Messages by Conversation.
* To display expanded conversations for all messages, click
the Tools menu, click Options, click the Read tab, and then
select the Automatically expand grouped messages check box.
Tips
* To display the original message and all replies to it, click
the plus sign ( + ) to the left of the original message. To
display only the original message, click the minus sign ( -
) next to the message.
* Conversations are grouped according to the title of the
original message. For example, if the message that starts a
conversation is titled "Tips for using Outlook Express," all
replies to that message will be titled "RE: Tips for using
Outlook Express."
Increasing your disk space
There are several things you can do to reduce the amount of
space that mail and news messages take up on your hard disk:
Compact and back up mail folders
Increase disk space by deleting stored newsgroup messages
Remove copies of outgoing mail messages
Store messages on a mail server
Delete log files used for troubleshooting
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Reading mail messages offline
When you work offline, Outlook Express downloads mail messages
to your local computer. When you choose to work online again,
messages you marked for deletion are removed, messages in your
Outbox are sent, and all other actions taken offline are
completed.
There are two situations where it is beneficial to use Outlook
Express offline:
* If your ISP charges you by the hour or if you have only one
phone line. Under these conditions, you might want to reduce
time spent online.
* If you use a laptop to read your messages while you are
traveling or any other time you are not connected to the
Internet.
Use one of these topics to set up Outlook Express for your
requirements:
Set up Outlook Express to reduce online time
Read messages while you are away from your Internet connection
Note
* Working offline is different from being disconnected. When
you are disconnected, Outlook Express takes action to
reconnect you. When working offline, Outlook Express knows
that you want to remain offline until you choose to work
online, when it will initiate all actions taken while
offline.
Reading newsgroup messages offline
Offline newsreading enables you to read newsgroup messages
without being connected to the Internet, saving connection
costs. To do this you must subscribe to the newsgroup whose
messages you want to read offline, mark it to specify whether
you want to see headers or whole messages, and then transfer
them to your computer (synchronize). Once this is done, you can
log off from the Internet and then read the messages at your
leisure.
You can choose to read message headers only, which tell you the
subject, author, and size of the message. Or you can select
complete messages, including attached files. Synchronizing to
read only the message headers in a newsgroup is much faster than
synchronizing to read the messages, and it can still give you an
idea of the current discussions. While you are offline, you can
mark the headers that look interesting and then download only
those messages when you reconnect.
Related Topics
Set up newsgroups for offline newsreading
Download individual messages
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Customizing the Outlook Express window
There are a number of ways that you can arrange the Outlook
Express window to suit your working style:
Change the display of the preview pane
Change the Outlook Express Folders list, status bar, or toolbars
Customize the toolbar
Change the columns displayed in the message list
Change the font used to display messages
To add contacts to your address book from Outlook Express
When you receive e-mail, you can add the sender's name and
e-mail address to your address book from within Outlook Express.
* Open the message. On the Tools menu, point to Add to Address
Book and then select the user you want to add.
You can also set up Outlook Express so that people whose
messages you reply to are automatically added to your Address
Book.
* In Outlook Express, click the Tools menu, and then click
Options. On the Send tab, click Automatically put people I
reply to in my Address Book.
To open Internet Explorer from Outlook Express
* On the Help menu, point to Microsoft on the Web, and then
click the Web option you want.
For example, click Search the Web to look for a Web site, a
person, a company, or an organization. Or, click Best of the Web
to open the MSN.COM page that lists some of the best sites on
the Web.
To view newsgroups efficiently
Use these tips to view newsgroup messages efficiently.
To find newsgroups on specific topics
* Select a news server in the Folders list, and then click the
Newsgroups button.
* In the Display newsgroups which contain box, type the topic
or words describing it.
Use the preview pane to view messages
* On the Tools menu, click Options.
* Click the Read tab, and then select the following check box:
Automatically download message when viewing in the Preview
Pane.
View only unread news messages in a newsgroup
* Open the newsgroup, click the View menu, point to Current
View, and then click Hide Read Messages.
View the replies to a particular message in a newsgroup
* Click the plus sign ( + ) next to the message. The replies
to that message appear below it. A message with its replies
is called a "conversation."
To use Outlook Express from your Web browser
You can set Outlook Express to be your default e-mail program,
so that whenever you click an e-mail link on a Web page or
choose the mail command in your Web browser or newsreader,
Outlook Express opens.
Likewise, you can set Outlook Express to be your default
newsreader, so that when you click a newsgroup link on a Web
page or choose the newsreader command in your Web browser,
Outlook Express opens.
* On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General
tab.
* In the Default Messaging Programs area, click Make Default
for news or mail.
Outlook Express keyboard shortcuts
You can use shortcut keys to select commands and navigate
through the preview pane and the message list. Except where
indicated, shortcuts apply to both mail and newsgroups.
Main window, view message window, and send message window
To | Press
Open Help topics | F1
Select all messages | CTRL+A
Main window and view message window
To | Press
Print the selected message | CTRL+P
Send and receive mail | CTRL+M
Delete a mail message | DEL or CTRL+D
Open or post a new message | CTRL+N
Open the Address Book | CTRL+SHIFT+B
Reply to the message author | CTRL+R
Forward a message | CTRL+F
Reply to all | CTRL+SHIFT+R or CTRL+G (news only)
Go to your Inbox | CTRL+I
Go to the next message in the list | CTRL+> or CTRL+SHIFT+>
Go to the previous message in the list | CTRL+< or CTRL+SHIFT+<
View properties of a selected message | ALT+ENTER
Refresh news messages and headers | F5
Go to next unread mail message | CTRL+U
Go to next unread news conversation | CTRL+SHIFT+U
Go to folder | CTRL+Y
Main window
To | Press
Open a selected message | CTRL+O or ENTER
Mark a message as read | CTRL+ENTER or CTRL+Q
Move between the Folders list (if on), message list, preview
pane, and Contacts list (if on). | TAB
Mark all news messages as read | CTRL+SHIFT+A
Go to a newsgroup | CTRL+W
Expand a news conversation (show all responses) | LEFT ARROW or
PLUS SIGN (+)
Collapse a news conversation (hide messages) | RIGHT ARROW or
MINUS SIGN (-)
Go to next unread newsgroup or folder | CTRL+J
Download news for offline reading | CTRL+SHIFT+M
Message window--viewing or sending
To | Press
Close a message | ESC
Find text | F3
Find a message | CTRL+SHIFT+F
Switch among Edit, Source, and Preview tabs | CTRL+TAB
Message window--sending only
To | Press
Check names | CTRL+K or ALT+K
Check spelling | F7
Insert signature | CTRL+SHIFT+S
Send (post) a message | CTRL+ENTER or ALT+S
Outlook Express message list icons
Mail message icons
The following icons indicate message priority, whether messages
have files attached, and whether messages are marked as read or
unread.
This icon | Indicates this
The message has one or more files attached.
The message has been marked high priority by the sender.
The message has been marked low priority by the sender.
The message has been read. The message heading appears in light
type.
The message has not been read. The message heading appears in
bold type.
The message has been replied to.
The message has been forwarded.
The message is in progress in the Drafts folder.
The message is digitally signed and unopened.
The message is encrypted and unopened.
The message is digitally signed, encrypted and unopened.
The message is digitally signed and has been opened.
The message is encrypted and has been opened.
The message is digitally signed and encrypted, and has been
opened.
The message has responses that are collapsed. Click the icon to
show all the responses (expand the conversation).
The message and all of its responses are expanded. Click the
icon to hide all the responses (collapse the conversation).
The unread message header is on an IMAP server.
The opened message is marked for deletion on an IMAP server.
The message is flagged.
The IMAP message is marked to be downloaded.
The IMAP message and all conversations are marked to be
downloaded.
The individual IMAP message (without conversations) is marked to
be downloaded.
News message icons
The following icons indicate whether a conversation (a topic and
all of its responses) is expanded or collapsed, and whether
messages and headers are marked as read or unread.
This icon | Indicates this
This level of the conversation is collapsed. Click the icon to
show all the responses (expand the conversation).
This level of the conversation is expanded. Click the icon to
hide all the responses (collapse the conversation).
The message has not been not opened. The heading appears in bold
type.
The message header has been marked read.
The message has been marked read, and is stored in a message
file on your computer.
The message has not been marked as read, and the header and body
are stored in a message file on your computer.
The message is no longer available on the server.
The news message is marked to be downloaded.
The news message and all conversations are marked to be
downloaded.
The individual news message (without conversations) is marked to
be downloaded.
The news message has been replied to.
The news message has been forwarded.
The newsgroup is new on the server.
The message is in progress in the Drafts folder.
The message is flagged.
The conversation is watched.
The conversation is ignored.
----------
Outlook Express Troubleshooter
Use this troubleshooter to identify and solve problems related
to using Microsoft Outlook Express. Click the statement that
best describes the problem, and then try the suggested steps.
What's wrong?
When I start Outlook Express, it does not connect to my Internet
service provider (ISP).
I can connect to my ISP, but I get a timeout message when I
download e-mail.
I can connect to my ISP, but I can't send or receive e-mail.
I can connect to my ISP, but I cannot view any newsgroups.
I get a news connection error message on a specific server, and
I cannot connect to one or more news servers.
----------
Accessibility for people with disabilities
Microsoft is committed to making its products and services
easier for everyone to use. This section provides information on
the following features, products, and services that make
Microsoft Windows operating systems more accessible for people
with disabilities:
Customizing Windows Operating Systems
Microsoft Services for People Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
Microsoft Documentation in Alternative Formats
Third-Party Utilities to Enhance Accessibility
Getting More Accessibility Information
Note
* This information applies only if you acquired this Microsoft
product in the United States. If you obtained this product
outside the United States, your package contains a
subsidiary information card, Help file, or other
documentation listing Microsoft support services, telephone
numbers, and addresses. You can contact your subsidiary to
find out whether the type of products and services described
in these Help topics are available in your area.
Using Microsoft Outlook Express accessibility features
In addition to Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and Windows 95
accessibility products and services, the following features make
Microsoft Outlook Express more accessible for people with
disabilities.
Sound notification of new messages
You can choose to be notified by a sound when new mail messages
arrive.
Resizable message and folder lists
You can customize how messages and message lists are displayed.
You can display messages in a preview pane, and split the window
horizontally or vertically between the message list and the
preview pane. Or you can display only the message list.
Customizable toolbars
You can change the way the text appears on the toolbar, the size
of the icons, and you can change the toolbar to display the
buttons you use most.
Keyboard access
All features in Microsoft Outlook Express are accessible by the
keyboard or the mouse. Outlook Express supports Dvorak keyboard
layouts, which make the most frequently typed characters more
accessible.
Related Topics
Receive sound notification of new messages
Change the display of the preview pane
Customize the toolbar
Outlook Express keyboard shortcuts
----------
Introducing the Address Book
The Address Book provides a convenient place to store contact
information for easy retrieval by programs such as Microsoft
Outlook Express. It also features access to Internet directory
services, which you can use to look up people and businesses on
the Internet. You'll find that the following features help you
organize all your contact information into the most usable form
for you.
Store important information about the people and groups who are
important to you
With your address book, you have a place to store e-mail
addresses, home and work addresses, phone and fax numbers,
digital IDs, conferencing information, instant messaging
addresses, and personal information such as birthdays,
anniversaries, and family members. You can also store individual
and business Internet addresses, and link directly to them from
your address book. For extra information that doesn't fit in
these categories, there's a generous section for notes.
Find people and businesses by using LDAP directory services
Directory services are powerful search tools that enable you to
look up names and addresses on the Internet. The Address Book
supports Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for using
Internet directory services. You can use these services when
addressing e-mail messages.
Create groups of contacts for mailing lists
You can create groups of contacts to make it easy to send e-mail
to a set of people, such as business associates, relatives, or
sports friends. Any time you want to send e-mail to everyone in
the group, just use the group name instead of entering each
contact individually. Creating groups is also a good way to
organize a large address book.
Share your address book with other users
By creating an identity, each person who uses the Address Book
can organize contacts into their own folders. If they want, they
can put contacts into a Shared Contacts folder so that other
identities can use them.
Import names from your other address books
Moving forward with Outlook Express doesn't mean leaving your
old address book information behind. You can import your
personal address books from numerous popular e-mail programs
including Microsoft Exchange, Eudora Light and Eudora Pro,
Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Internet Mail for Windows 3.1,
and any program that exports comma-separated values (CSV) text
files, such as Microsoft Outlook.
You can also use your Address Book files with either Microsoft
Exchange or any other program that imports files in CSV format.
Send and receive business cards
Business cards are the new way to send contact information
electronically. When you create a business card in the Address
Book, your contact information is stored in vCard format, so it
can be exchanged between different programs (such as e-mail,
address books, and personal planners), and between different
digital devices (such as desktop computers, laptops or portable
computers, personal digital assistants, and telephony
equipment).
Print all or part of your address book and take it with you
Now you can print your address book to add to your personal
planner. With three page styles to choose from, you can print
all contact information, only business information, or only
phone numbers, for any or all contacts.
To open the Address Book
* To open the Address Book from Outlook Express, click the
Addresses button on the toolbar, or click the Tools menu and
select Address Book.
* To open the Address Book from within a message window, click
the To, Cc, or Bcc icon.
Tip
* To use the Address Book directory services from the Windows
Start menu, click the Start button, point to Find, and then
click People.
Adding contacts to your address book
There are several ways to add e-mail addresses and other contact
information to your address book:
Add names directly from e-mail messages
Import an address book from another program
Add a contact to your address book by typing it in
Find people and businesses on the Internet to add to your
address book
Import a business card (vCard) you have received in e-mail
To change contact information
* In the Address Book list, locate and double-click the name
you want, and then change the information as needed. Click
the tabs to access different information sections.
Tip
* To delete a contact, select the contact name in the Address
Book list, and then click the Delete button on the toolbar.
If the contact is a member of a group, the name will also be
removed from the group.
Related Topics
Add a contact to your address book
Deleting contacts from your address book
To create a group
You can send a message to a group of people by creating a
mailing group (or "alias") containing their names. Then, you
just type the group name in the To box when you send messages.
You can create multiple groups, and contacts can belong to more
than one group.
* In the Address Book, select the folder in which you want to
create a group, click the New button on the toolbar, and
then click New Group. The Properties dialog box opens.
* In the Group Name box, type the name of the group.
* You can add people in several ways to the group--and in some
cases to your address book as well.
* To add a person from your address book list, click Select
Members, and then click a name from the address book list.
* To use a directory service, click Select Members, and then
click the Find button. Select a directory service from the
drop-down list at the end of the text box.
After finding and selecting an address, it is
automatically added to your address book.
* To add a person directly to the group without adding the
name to your address book, type the person's name and
e-mail address in the lower half of the Properties dialog
box, and then click Add.
* To add a person to both the group and your address book,
click New Contact and fill in the appropriate information.
* Repeat for each addition until your group is defined.
Note
* To view a list of your groups separately from the address
book listings, in the Address Book, click the View menu, and
then make sure that Folders and Groups has a check mark
beside it.
To add a contact to an existing group
* In the Address Book list, double-click the group you want.
The group's Properties dialog box opens.
* You can add people in several ways to the group--and in some
cases to your address book as well.
* To add a person from your address book list, click Select
Members, and then click a name from the address book list.
Click Select, and then click OK.
* To use a directory service (use the drop-down list at the
end of the text box to see directories you have added to
Outlook Express), click Select Members, and then click the
Find button. Select a directory service to search, enter
your search criteria, and when you find the person, click
Select, and then click OK.
This person's name and e-mail address is added to your
address book.
* To add a person directly to the group without adding the
name to your address book, type the person's name and
e-mail address in the boxes provided in the lower half of
the dialog box, and then click Add.
* To add a person to both the group and your address book,
click New Contact, fill in the appropriate information,
and click OK.
Related Topics
Deleting contacts from your address book
Create a group
To create a business card
The easiest way to exchange contact information with people over
the Internet is by attaching a business card to e-mail messages.
A business card is your contact information from the Address
Book in vCard format. The vCard format can be used with a wide
variety of digital devices and operating systems.
You must have your contact information in your address book
before you can create a business card.
* In the Address Book, create an entry for yourself, and then
select your name from the Address Book list.
* On the File menu, point to Export, and then click Business
Card (vCard).
* Select a location in which to store the file, and then click
Save.
Note
* To add your business card to an e-mail message, click the
Insert menu, and then click My Business Card.
Related Topics
Import a business card
Adding contacts to your address book
To add a contact's digital ID to your address book
To send someone encrypted mail, you must have the recipient's
digital ID, and that ID must be associated with their name in
your address book. Outlook Express automatically adds digital
IDs to your address book when you receive digitally signed mail.
If you have turned off this option, you will need to manually
add a contact's digital ID.
* Open the digitally signed message.
* On the File menu, click Properties.
* Click the Security tab, and then click Add digital ID to the
address book.
When a contact has a digital ID, a red ribbon is added to their
card in your address book.
To add a digital ID to your address book from another source
* In the Address Book, create a new entry for the contact, or
double-click an existing one in the Address Book list.
* On the Digital IDs tab, click Import.
* Find the digital ID file, and then click Open.
Notes
* To automatically add a contact's digital ID to your address
book, on the Tools menu, click Options. Then on the Security
tab, click the Advanced button, and select the Add senders'
certificates to my address book check box.
* You can also get someone's digital ID by downloading it from
a certification authority's Web site. (See the Microsoft
Internet Explorer Digital ID site for links to certification
authorities.)
To organize names in your address book
When you have a large address book, you can organize it in
several ways to make it easy to retrieve contacts and groups.
You can sort names alphabetically by first name, last name, or
e-mail address, and you can order the list in ascending or
descending order. You can also change the order of the columns
so the information that's most important to you is listed in a
way that's useful. In addition, you can view a list of groups
separately from the contacts list.
* To sort contacts by name, e-mail address, or phone number,
click the appropriate column heading above the name list.
* To switch columns between ascending and descending sort
order, click the column heading.
* To change the order of the columns, point to a column
heading (Name, E-mail Address, Home Phone, etc.), and then
while holding down the right mouse button, drag the column
to the left or right until it's located where you want it.
Release the mouse button.
* To view a list of your mailing groups, click the View menu,
and then make sure that Folders and Groups is selected.
What are identities?
You can create a different "identity" in Outlook Express (or
other applications that use identities) for each person who uses
the program. For example, you and a family member may share
Outlook Express. Each of you can view your own mail and your own
contacts by creating an identity for yourself.
Once your identity is established, you can create subfolders and
organize your contacts the way you want them.
Note
* Your contacts are not private. From the File menu, you can
click Show All Contents to see all the contacts for every
identity.
* If you cannot see the Shared Contacts folder on the left of
the Address Book, point to the View menu and select Folders
and Groups.
Related Topics
Organizing contacts and subfolders
Organizing contacts and subfolders
You can keep contacts in your main folder, as well as organize
them into subfolders. If you have contacts you would like to
share with the other people with whom you share Outlook Express,
you can move contacts into the Shared Contact's folder, where
other identities can view them when they use the address book.
Subfolders are always in alphabetical order; you cannot
reorganize them.
If you cannot see the folders on the left, point to the View
menu and select Folders and Groups.
The following topics provide more information:
Create a subfolder
Share contacts
Move a contact or a group
Related Topics
What are identities?
Deleting contacts from your address book
You can easily remove contacts and groups from your address
book. When you delete a contact from a group, the name is
removed from the group but the entries for both the group and
the individual remain in your address book. Likewise, deleting
an entire group does not remove the entries for the individual
members who made up the group.
The following topics provide more information:
Delete a single contact
Delete a contact from a group
Delete a group
To print address book information
* In the Address Book, select the contact(s) you want to
print.
To select a block of names, press and hold down the SHIFT key
while you click the names.
To select individual names, press and hold down the CTRL key
while you click the names.
* Click the Print button on the toolbar, and then in the Print
Style area of the Print dialog box, select a printing style:
* To print all address book information about the
contact(s), click Memo.
* To print business-related information about the
contact(s), click Business Card.
* To print a list of phone numbers for the selected
contact(s), click Phone List.
Tip
* You may be able to customize the size and orientation of
your printed address book pages. To view your printer's
options, click the Properties button in the Print dialog box.
What are directory services?
A directory service is a powerful search tool that you can use
to find people and businesses around the world. The Address Book
supports LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) for
accessing directory services, and it comes with built-in access
to several popular directory services. You can also add
additional directory services from your Internet service
provider.
Like Internet search tools, directory services use different
methods for collecting data, so when you are trying to find
people or businesses online, you might try more than one service.
Related Topic
Find people and businesses on the Internet
To add a directory service
You will need the server name to add a directory service to your
address book. You obtain this information from the directory
service provider.
* In either the Address Book or Outlook Express, click the
Tools menu, and then click Accounts.
* In Outlook Express, select the Directory Service tab, click
Add, click Directory Service, and then follow the
instructions in the Internet Directory Server Name wizard.
In the Address Book, click Add, and follow the instructions in
the Internet Directory Server Name wizard.
Related Topics
What is a directory service?
Find people and businesses on the Internet
To find people and businesses on the Internet
* In the Address Book, click the Find People button on the
toolbar.
-or-
In Windows, click the Start button, point to Find, and then
click People.
* Select the directory you want to search from the Look in
drop-down list.
* On the People tab, type the name or e-mail address of the
person you want to look for, and then click Find Now.
-or-
On the Advanced tab, define the search criteria you want by
filling in the top three boxes, clicking Add, and then clicking
Find Now. (To remove a search criterion you added, select the
item you want to delete from the Define Criteria list box, and
then click the Remove button. Or, if you want to delete all
criteria and start over, click the Clear All button.)
Tip
* If your search is too broad, the number of matches might
exceed the server's limits, or your directory service
settings might not be set up to handle all of the returned
matches.
Related Topics
What are directory services?
Add a directory service
Refine search criteria for a directory service
To set up a directory service to check for e-mail addresses
When you can't remember someone's complete e-mail address, you
can enter a partial name and then use the Check Names command on
the Tools menu to search for matches. Outlook Express first
searches your address book and if no matches are found, searches
the directory services you have set up to check e-mail
addresses.
* In the Address Book or Outlook Express, click the Tools
menu, and then click Accounts.
* If you are in Outlook Express, click the Directory Service
tab.
* Select a directory service, and then click Properties.
* On the General tab, select the Check names against this
server when sending mail check box.
Related Topic
Change the order in which directory services are checked
To export your address book contacts to other programs
You can export your address book contacts to other Windows
Address Book files (WAB), as well as to Netscape Communicator,
Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book, or any text (CSV)
file.
To export your address book files to another Windows Address
Book:
* In Address Book, click the File menu, point to Export, and
then click Address Book (WAB).
* Locate and select the Windows Address Book file you want to
export to, and then click Open.
For all other address book formats:
* In the Address Book, click the File menu, point to Export,
and then click Other Address Book.
* Click the address book or file type you want to export to,
and then click Export.
To set up a conference call from the Address Book
If you use Microsoft NetMeeting or other conferencing software,
you can store conferencing account information (such as e-mail
and server addresses) along with other contact information and
then make a conferencing call directly from the Address Book.
* In the Address Book, double-click the contact name.
* On the NetMeeting tab, type the Conferencing Server address.
(If NetMeeting is not installed, this tab is named
Conferencing).
* Type the Conferencing Address for the contact. This address
must be the one used for conferencing, which could be
different from the contact's e-mail address.
* Click Add to add this information to the contact's
properties.
Now, whenever you want to initiate a conference call, you can
click Call Now on the NetMeeting (or Conferencing) tab of the
contact's properties.
Note
* You can have multiple e-mail addresses and directory servers
listed for one contact.
Related Topic
Adding contacts to your address book
----------
End of Document
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