need help with Mom's Outlook Express...thanks

[doctordoctor]

thanks for any help you can offer....I use an old Netscape email thing and am used to it, but not OE

 

she has OE6....between my visits to her, it seems to have gotten out of the format she was used to....don't know why (!!)....

 

she likes it where the address book is permanently in an upper left window, the list of emails is in the lower left, and the current email open is on the right....I think.....

 

I'm hoping somebody can tell me how to re-set this formatting up...I've tried, of course, with all the options in the tool bar, but am not really familiar with OE.....

 

also, any special hints in general for OE "maintenance" and all that?....

[OneFinger]

Hey Doc,

 

Hope I can help. I LOVE Outlook Express and am using version 6. Here's what I suggest you do.

 

>she likes it where the address book is permanently in an upper left window

 

Right mouse click on the toolbar (the area just below File, Edit, View). When the pop-up menu appears select "...customize". Add, delete, or rearrange her favorite icons.

 

>the list of emails is in the lower left,

 

Not quite sure what you mean here. But on the left of my screen (below the toolbar) I have a list of folders. Assuming that's what you mean, just below the toolbar if an icon called "Inbox". If the folders aren't showing there is a small arrow (like for a pull-down menu). Click that and the folders will appear. You can then push the "pin" to pin it in place.

 

>current email open is on the right

 

With the folders on the left, a list of "current" e-mails is shown on the right. However, that is a split screen. The top is a list of e-mails and below is the text of the e-mail I've selected. The size of the split screen can be adjusted so there is more or less text showing.

 

>also, any special hints in general for OE "maintenance" and all that?....

 

I've created "Local Folders" to store my e-mails on my hard drive. I did that by clicking on "File", "New", "Folder". I routinely drop and drag e-mails from the server folder into my "Local" folder. That way I can always retrieve an e-mail from my hard drive and NOT keep it on someone else's server.

 

I did get an e-mail on April 21, 2008 indicating that Outlook Express will no longer support some e-mail protocols such as DAV, POP 3, or IMAP. This is way beyond my ability to comprehend. But, I suspect it means Outlook Express will stop working for me on 30 June.

 

Below is a copy of that e-mail. Perhaps someone else will be kind enough to explain in very simple terms that I can understand.

 

Dear Microsoft Outlook Express customer,

 

Thank you for using Microsoft® Outlook® Express. Our information indicates that you use Outlook Express to access a Windows Live™ Hotmail® e-mail account via a protocol called DAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol). DAV, like POP3 or IMAP, is the way that a mail client communicates with a web-based mail server.

 

As a valued customer, we want to provide advanced notice that as of June 30, 2008, Microsoft is disabling the DAV protocol and you will no longer be able to access your Hotmail Inbox via Outlook Express. As an alternative, we recommend that you download Windows Live Mail, a free desktop e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This next generation of free e-mail software will allow you to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts—including Windows Live Hotmail, plus other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Better yet, Windows Live Mail integrates well with other Windows Live services, and downloads in minutes. After you provide your user name and password, you will automatically be linked to your Hotmail account, providing continued access to your email and contacts.

 

We encourage you to download Windows Live Mail at http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview.

 

And, to make your transition smoother, we've provided answers to frequently asked questions below.

 

Again, thank you for your use of Outlook Express and we are confident that you'll be just as delighted with the new Windows Live Mail.

 

Your Windows Live Mail team

 

 

Frequently asked questions:

 

Why are we disabling DAV?

 

DAV is a legacy protocol that is not well suited for client access to large inboxes. Over time, as we've provided more e-mail storage to our users—and now offer 5GB inboxes for free—a more efficient access protocol is needed.

 

What are we replacing DAV with?

 

We have developed a new, much more efficient protocol called DeltaSynch that is far superior to DAV especially for large e-mail inboxes. It enables email clients to only download changes since the last time the client polled the email server for changes. This is much more efficient and high performing than having to download all the headers in every folder as is the case with DAV.

 

Is DeltaSynch compatible with Outlook Express?

 

The new protocol unfortunately is NOT supported by Outlook Express and support would require too many changes to the Outlook Express software.

 

Is there a different or new mail client I can try that uses DeltaSynch?

 

Microsoft is providing Windows Live Mail, a free e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This free, next generation email client enables users to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail and other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Windows Live Mail also integrates well with other Windows Live services, is optimized to work with Windows Live Hotmail, and offers:

 

Offline mail

Windows Live Hotmail account aggregation for those users with multiple Hotmail accounts

Account aggregation for POP and IMAP mail accounts

Rich photo-sharing capabilities

Advanced search via integration with Desktop Search

Safety tools (Anti-Virus scanning, anti-phishing, anti-spam features across aggregated accounts for customers who do not have an Anti-Virus product)

Integration with Windows Live services including Windows Live Spaces

RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed aggregation

Ability to send SMS (short message service) text to a mobile phone from Windows Live Mail

Where can I download the new Windows Live Mail client?

 

You can download the new client at http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview.

[+ deej]

Outlook Express was discontinued when Windows Vista was released, but that's completely a different issue from the email you received from Hotmail.

 

Outlook Express will continue to work just fine after June 30. You just won't be able to get to your Hotmail account. Hotmail is dropping support for the communication mechanism used to talk to Outlook Express.

 

Of course, MS has also said that Windows Live Mail (and Windows Mail in Vista) are also discontinued so nobody really knows WTF is going on.

 

PLEASE NOTE: None of this has anything to do with Outlook, which is part of Office and is a completely separate product with no relationship at all to Outlook Express.

[+ deej]

You can get to those settings on the View menu. Choose layout.

 

The dialog itself is a little inscrutable, but if you fiddle with it a bit you should be able to get what you need.

[doctordoctor]

thanks OneFinger and deej.....

 

just had to play a little further with the setup choices in "layout"....

 

lots of options....

 

hey One....will be up in your great state doing some hiking next week....man, I love it up there

[OneFinger]

Hey Doc,

 

Glad you got it fixed. I didn't know there was a way to alter the layout using "View". Guess I'm not too old to learn something.

 

Hope you have a good time in Hatu (the backward state). Lots of good places to hike and hang out. But, it's sure been a very cold and wet spring. Was hoping to get up to my recreation property this weekend (about 1 hour North of SLC) but it's too cold and wet. Most campgrounds received snow on Thursday night.

 

If you're near the SLC area and would like to get together for dinner or drinks, drop me a line. Would love to meet you. Can also provide some local interest info if you need it.

[doctordoctor]

aw, c'mon, One.....Utah is not that "backward" and you know it!....SLC is much more progressive than outsiders think and that legendary plethora of young'uns makes it even more so, I think.....

 

a hip and happenin' downtown, cool pay-to-join bars, good-looking and oh-so-wholesome chicks and dudes....I could go on....I love that state....

 

thanks for the offer to meet up with you...really want to take you up on that someday and hear about the local's point of view (a cousin lives in SLC, but is too talkative to pin down), but will be down in Dixie this trip with a buddy hiking up high in the newly-fallen snow around Cedar, Beaver, Parowan, and all that....

 

will stay in touch.....thanks again for the OE help...she's happy now and that means everybody is happy!

[OneFinger]

Dixie area is beautiful with some great hiking areas. I have a condo in St. George and really enjoy the area around there.

 

Don't know if you've gone to Snow Canyon before but that's something you don't want to miss. Kolob Canyon (part of Zion National Park) is also a place that doesn't seem to get the traffic like other areas. It's like you have the place to yourself.

 

Have fun!!