Outlook Express:

Is a mail program that is installed on your computer.

If it is not your main (default) mail program, it's because you have chosen to make something else your main program such as Yahoo or Incredimail.

My default mail program is Outlook Express and I also have Yahoo mail (for internet business) and Gmail (run by Google) for my large received mail.

I particularly like Outlook Express because it is very versatile. I have a lot of fun with it, when I feel like.

Ok, so much for my opinion; I know I'm biased. However, I know the program well and I will try here to pass along what I know.

Open Outlook Express. Follow along as I show you  how to use it. You can switch back and forth from reading my page and going to OE by clicking on the  2 icons in your taskbar at the bottom of your screen.

 (From now on I will refer to it as OE).

When you open OE for the first time, your screen  will be in presentation mode. That’s ok but you don’t have to leave it like that.

On the left hand side, click on Local Folders…just have a look.

Ok now click on Inbox.

Now you have 4 mini screens----On the left, you have at the top, your folder section; at the bottom, you have your contacts (the names in your address book) We’ll come back to these later.

In the right top panel, you have the names of the received messages, and in the bottom right you have the messages themselves. We’ll explain all that eventually. First, let’s have a look at what each button  at the top of your window can do:

Click on file at the top. What have we here? In this list, you can perform all sorts of operations such as start a new message, send your addresses to another place, or bring in your addresses from another place.

Click on Edit now. With these buttons you can do things like copy a message or part of a message and paste it somewhere else. There are other functions that can be done from here too.

Click on View now. Under this button are all the operations you need to change the look of OE. You can add or remove or move all the items found in here. We may have to go there some day; keep it in mind.

Moving on, click on tools. These ar4e more advanced functions of OE. You won’t be needing them in the beginning, but the day will come when you will want to do  some of this.

Click on Message. Here the first 6 functions are the ones you would use often. The others are more advanced.

And finally, the Help section contains all you need to know about OE. I don’t know if it is as simple as I make it, or simpler or more difficult, but I know one thing, no one wants to read it….

Next time, we will write and send a message.