Windows 98 Installation & Configuration Handbook

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- 21 -

Configuring Outlook Express


by Rob Tidrow

Viewing and Modifying the Outlook Express Window

New in Windows 98 is Outlook Express, software you can use for your messaging needs, including sending and receiving Internet email messages, participating in newsgroups, managing address books, and performing other communications needs. Outlook Express replaces the Windows Messaging and Microsoft Exchange clients available with Windows 95.

When you initially launch Outlook Express, the Internet Connection Wizard appears. If you've already set up an Internet connection, Windows 98 does not display the wizard; instead, Outlook Express appears. If you need to set up a connection, however, work through the Internet Connection Wizard, which also helps you fill out critical Outlook Express information, including your Internet email and newsgroup information.

After you run the Internet Connection Wizard, you can usually start using Outlook Express without any other setup required. If you bypass the Connection Wizard or want to reconfigure Outlook Express, you do so within Outlook Express itself.

One of the first configuration options you encounter with Outlook Express is setting your connection option. As Outlook Express launches, you see the dialog box shown in Figure 21.1. Here you can select the default connection you want Outlook Express to use upon startup. If you want to start Outlook Express so that it does not dial a connection, select Don't Dial A Connection from the Select the Connection You Would Like To Dial drop-down list. If you want to specify a connection method, such as a Dial-Up Networking connection, select the connection from the drop-down list.

FIG. 21.1 You can select a connection for Outlook Express to use during startup.

To make your selection the default connection, click the Set As the Default Startup Connection option.

For now, click Cancel to start Outlook Express to work offline.

The Outlook Express window then appears (see Figure 21.2). It is divided into three panes (you may need to click the Inbox folder to display all three panes). The folder list pane includes your mail folders, newsgroup server names, and newsgroups. You can use this pane to navigate quickly among these items and open them in the message list pane. In this pane, you can view email message headers and newsgroups to which you're subscribed. In the preview pane, you can read the body of email or newsgroup messages.

FIG. 21.2 The main window of Outlook Express contains three panes.


NOTE: Showing you how to use Outlook Express is beyond the scope of this book. Consult Special Edition Windows 98 for more information on using Outlook Express.

You can customize the Outlook Express window in a number of ways, as shown in the following sections.

Changing the Position of the Preview Pane

The preview pane enables you to view a message quickly without opening a separate window. This pane is located below the message list pane by default. You can, however, change it so that the preview pane appears next to the message list pane.

To change the preview pane position, follow these steps:

1. Select View, Layout. The Window Layout Properties dialog box appears( see Figure 21.3).

2.
In the Preview Pane area, select Beside Message to have the pane appear to the right of the message list pane.

3.
Click OK. The preview pane then changes its position.

To return the preview pane back to its original position, select the Below Messages option in step 2.


TIP: To resize an individual pane, grab the separator and move it left or right, or up and down.

FIG. 21.3 Use the Window Layout Properties dialog box to reposition the preview pane.

Turning Off the Preview Pane

If you want to view the body of your messages only in a separate window, you can turn off the preview pane. When you do so, the message list pane expands to fill the entire right side of the Outlook Express window.

To turn off the preview pane, do the following:

1. Select View, Layout.

2.
In the Preview Pane area, deselect the Use Preview Pane option. The other preview pane options dim, making them unavailable until you turn the preview pane back on again.

3.
Click OK. The preview pane is now gone, and any time you want to view a message, you need to double-click its subject in the message list pane.

Moving and Customizing the Toolbar

By default, the Outlook Express toolbar appears at the top of the window, just below the menu bar. If you want to move the toolbar, you can using the Window Layout Properties dialog box (select View, Layout).

From this dialog box, select Left, Bottom, or Right, to change the toolbar position (Top is the default).

If you don't have the Window Layout Properties dialog box open, right-click the toolbar and select Align and the alignment option (Left, Right, Top, or Bottom).

Another toolbar customization chore you can perform from the Window Layout Properties dialog box is to turn off text for each button by deselecting the Show Text On Toolbar Buttons option. You also can right-click the toolbar and select Text Labels.

You also can change the buttons that appear on your toolbar. Click the Customize Toolbar button to display the Customize Toolbar dialog box (see Figure 21.4). Select a button in the Available Buttons list to add to your toolbar and then click Add. Doing so places this button on your toolbar. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to arrange the button where you want it. You also can select a button in the Toolbar Buttons list and click Remove to delete the button from the toolbar. To add a separate bar between buttons, select the Separator item in the Available Buttons list. Click Close when finished. Finally, if you want to return the toolbar to its original state, click Reset.

FIG. 21.4 The Customize Toolbar dialog box provides a set of buttons you can use on the Outlook Express toolbar.


TIP: To display the Customize Toolbar quickly, right-click the toolbar and select Buttons.

Making Outlook Express Look Like Outlook 97

If you use Outlook 97, which was distributed as part of the Microsoft Office 97 suite, you may have become accustomed to seeing and using the Outlook Bar that sits on the far left of the Outlook window. You can display the Outlook Bar on the Outlook Express window as well. Open the Window Layout Properties dialog box, and select the Outlook Bar option in the Basic area. If you turn on the Outlook Bar, the folder list pane is no longer needed. Turn it off by selecting Folder List.

Finally, to round out the transformation to Outlook 97, add the Folder Bar to the window so that it sits above the top of the message pane. Do so by selecting Folder Bar. Then click OK. The results of your changes are shown in Figure 21.5.

Configuring Outlook Express

Not only can you modify the appearance of Outlook Express, but you also can change its configuration settings. Next, select Tools, Options to display the Options dialog box (see Figure 21.6) for Outlook Express. This dialog box provides access to properties you can set for Outlook Express. The following sections discuss each of the tabs and their options.

FIG. 21.5 The Outlook Bar and Folder Bar make Outlook Express look more like Outlook 97.

FIG. 21.6 Use the Options dialog box to configure Outlook Express features and preferences.

Modifying General Options

The following options are available on the General tab:

Modifying Send Options

The Send tab (see Figure 21.7) includes options that let you control how email and newsgroup messages are sent. On the Send page, you have the following options:

FIG. 21.7 Among other Send tab options, you can set up your email and newsgroup messages to be composed in HTML or text file format.

FIG. 21.8 Within the HTML Settings dialog box, you can set whether your HTML-formatted email messages will include embedded images.

FIG. 21.9 The Plain Text Settings dialog box provides options for modifying the way Outlook Express creates plain text-formatted messages.

Modifying Read Options

On the Read tab (see Figure 21.10), you can set the way Outlook Express shows read and unread messages, how many newsgroup headers are downloaded at once, and other message viewing options. These options include the following:

FIG. 21.10 You may find the default Read options are fine for most situations.

Setting Spelling Options

The Spelling tab provides options for setting the Outlook Express spell-check feature. The following are the options you can set:

Setting Security Properties

The Security tab (see Figure 21.11) includes the following settings:

FIG. 21.11 You should set security options to encrypt your messages.

Modifying Dial Up Options

On the Dial Up page (see Figure 21.12), you can configure how Outlook Express dials your online service, such as an Internet service provider, to download email and newsgroup data. You also can set some of the following options when you first launch Outlook Express:

FIG. 21.12 Dial Up settings are available when you have designated a dial-up connection to an online or Internet provider.

Setting Advanced Options

The options available on the Advanced tab (see Figure 21.13) relate to how messages are stored on your hard drive, as well as if log files are to be created. The following are the options for this tab:

FIG. 21.13 You may want to change some of the Advanced tab options after you have some experience with Outlook Express.

Setting Advanced Security Settings

If you send confidential information in your email messages, you should consider acquiring a digital ID, or digital certificate. Digital IDs enable you to "sign" your messages electronically so that recipients are confident that the messages they receive from you have not been intercepted and tampered with.

In Outlook Express, you use the Advanced Security Settings dialog box to set up your digital IDs. You must, however, obtain a digital ID from a certificate authority, which is a business that sells IDs to different users. One of these businesses is VeriSign and can be accessed via the Web at http://www.verisign.com. If you click the Advanced Settings button on the Advanced Security Settings page (select Tools, Options), you can attach to the Where To Get Your Digital ID page at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/oe/certpage.html .

After you set up an ID, you can associate it with other email accounts for which you want to use it. Use these steps to do so:

1. From Outlook Express, select Tools, Accounts. The Internet Accounts dialog box appears (see Figure 21.14).

FIG. 21.14 You must first associate your digital ID with a mail account.

2. Select the account and click Properties. The Properties page for that account appears.

3.
Click the Security tab (see Figure 21.15).

FIG. 21.15 The Properties page for the email account enables you to set with which account you want to associate an ID.

4. Click Use a Digital ID When Sending Secure Messages From option. The Digital ID button becomes available.

5.
Click the Digital ID button. The Select Default Account Digital ID dialog box appears.

6.
Select an ID and click OK.

7.
Click OK to save your setting, and click Close to close the Internet Accounts dialog box.

Setting Internet Accounts

In Chapter 19, "Configuring an Internet Connection," you learned how to set up an Internet account. If you need to change this account or change it for your email or newsgroup settings, you can do so from Outlook Express. You also can set up or change properties for a directory service account. Directory services are Internet directories (LDAP) that your ISP or LAN uses to verify email addresses. These services are analogous to telephone yellow or white pages, but they contain email addresses. When you install Windows 98, a list of directory services is already set up for you.

To set or change Internet accounts, use the following steps:

1. From Outlook Express, select Tools, Accounts. The Internet Accounts dialog box appears. This dialog box includes tabs called All, News, Mail, and Directory Service.

2.
Click the All tab (see Figure 21.16).

FIG. 21.16 The All page enables you to work with news, mail, or directory service accounts.

3. Select Add and choose the account you want to set up. If you choose Mail or News, the Internet Connection Wizard then appears. Work through this wizard as detailed in Chapter 19, "Configuring an Internet Connection."

If you choose Directory Service, the Internet Directory Server Name screen of the Internet Connection Wizard appears. The following steps show how to work through this wizard.

4.
Enter the Internet directory server address in the field provided. An example is ldap.bigfoot.com, for the Bigfoot directory. You may need to request this information from your ISP or from your system administrator.

5.
Select the My LDAP Server Requires Me To Log On option if you must log on to the directory service.

6.
Click Next. The Internet Directory Server Logon screen appears (see Figure 21.17). This screen appears only if you select the logon option in step 5. Otherwise, you see the Check E-mail Addresses screen, as described in step 7. Fill in the LDAP Account Name and Password fields with your login information.

Click the Log On Using Secure Password Authentication option if your ISP uses SPA password authentication. You need to get this information from your ISP.

FIG. 21.17 Use this screen to enter logon and password information for your LDAP server.

7. Click Next. The Check E-mail Addresses screen appears. Here, you choose whether you want Outlook Express to check the new directory service to verify an email address. Click Yes if you want to; click No if you choose not to. Note that you can change this setting later.


TIP: If you choose to have Outlook Express check email addresses against a directory service, you will greatly increase the time it takes to send a message. This is due to the overhead required for Outlook Express to attach to the directory service, look for the email address, and then send the message. If an address cannot be found in the directory, you are informed of this situation. Your message, however, can still be sent. Your recipient just may not be registered in the same directory (or any directory) you are using.
8. Click Next. Enter a name for the directory. By default, the address is used.

9.
Click Next. Then click Finish to save your settings. Your new directory service is added to the Internet Accounts dialog box.

To modify an account, select it and choose Properties. The Properties page for that account appears, such as the directory account page shown in Figure 21.18. The settings available here are the same ones you set up using the Internet Connection Wizard. You also have advanced options, which enable you to set port settings and search configurations.

If you select a news server account and choose Properties, the Advanced tab (see Figure 21.19) provides access to the following items:

FIG. 21.18 The Bigfoot Properties page provides access to settings for the Bigfoot directory service.

FIG. 21.19 You can set advanced settings for your news service account from this tab.

Finally, if you select an email server account to modify, the Advanced tab (see Figure 21.20) includes settings you're already familiar with, such as configuring port and timeout settings, and instructing Outlook Express to break apart messages larger than a specific size. You also can specify to have Outlook Express retain a copy of email messages you've sent and received on the mail server. This capability is handy if you want to have a backup of your messages stored on the server. Some servers don't offer this feature. If this is the case with your email server, you receive a message telling you that messages can't be saved on the server after they've been received by the recipient.

FIG. 21.20 The Advanced tab on the email properties account is similar to the news server Advanced tab.

On the Internet Accounts dialog box, you also can set the order in which directory services are checked. Click the Set Order button to display the Directory Services Order dialog box. This capability is handy if you have several directory services and you want to have Outlook Express hit a specific one for the majority of your email messages. This service might be an LDAP server on your LAN that contains a list of employees in your company to whom you send mail often. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to set the checking order. Click OK to close the Directory Services Order dialog box.

Click Close on the Internet Accounts dialog box when you finish setting Internet account properties.

Configuring Your Inbox Assistant

Managing your email can be daunting at times. If you receive a great number of messages every day or every week, important messages can get buried underneath mail that is not so important, such as junk mail (spam). To help manage your incoming mail, you can set up rules that help you file messages that adhere to certain criteria you set up.

To do so, you use the Inbox Assistant. The Inbox Assistant is like having your own secretary organize your email into nice little stacks for you. You can, for example, specify that all mail coming from a certain user be stored in a specific folder. The key to using the Inbox Assistant is to pick up on trends in your email so that you can parse the messages as they are received.

Use the following steps to set up the Inbox Assistant:

1. Select Tools, Inbox Assistant. The Inbox Assistant window then appears. Until you add rules to the Assistant, the window is empty.

2. Click Add to display the Properties dialog box (see Figure 21.21). Here, you set up rules for your Inbox Assistant to follow.

FIG. 21.21 You must first set up properties for each rule in the Inbox Assistant.

3. Specify the criteria for each of the properties listed on the Properties dialog box. If you want to parse all messages arriving from a user named Abby Lane, for example, place that name in the From text field. Click the contact icon next to the To:, CC:, and From: fields to access your Address Book, from which you can specify names stored there.

You also can specify a subject that Inbox Assistant uses to parse messages. This capability is handy if you and others have standardized a subject line for specific documents. And, if you want to set up a rule for messages that are larger than a specific size, click the Larg_er Than option and set a size.

4.
Select the action you want to be performed on the message that conforms to the preceding criteria. Actions include moving or copying to a specific folder, forwarding to another user(s), replying to a specific file, leaving the message on the server, or deleting it from the server without even downloading it.


TIP: Click the Folder buttons to display the Move or Copy dialog boxes. From here, you can select a folder (such as the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Drafts folders) or create a new one by clicking the New Folder button.
5. Click OK to return to the Inbox Assistant window and to see the new rule you've just set up (see Figure 21.22).

FIG. 21.22 Periodically check to make sure the rules you apply are correct after you start receiving email.

6. Continue creating as many rules as necessary by following steps 2 through 5.

7.
Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to determine priority of each rule.


TIP: If messages conform to more than one rule, the rule closest to the top of the list in the Inbox Assistant window takes precedence.
To see the properties of a rule, select the rule and click Properties. Clicking this button opens the Properties dialog box, enabling you to modify rules if needed.
8. Use the Remove button to delete selected rules from the Inbox Assistant window.

9.
Click OK to save your settings.

After you set a new rule, you should keep a close eye on your incoming messages to make sure that they adhere to the rules you have set up. If you notice action being done to messages other than what you originally intended, return to the Inbox Assistant and modify the properties of the rule to correct the action. l


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