Using MS Windows 98 to Communicate with Others: Advanced Tips & Tricks

Using more than one e-mail account

Do you and your partner have separate e-mail accounts, but share the same computer? Or do you have two different e-mail accounts for yourself, such as one for home and one for work? With Outlook Express, you can manage multiple e-mail accounts from the same place. You can even have the e-mail from the different accounts delivered to different inboxes. Here's how:

To set up different e-mail accounts

1. On the Tools menu in Outlook Express, click Accounts.

2. Click the Add button, and then click Mail.

3. Follow the instructions in the wizard to set up the new account.

   

To choose which account you want to use

• On the Tools menu, click Send and Receive, and then click the account you want to use, or click All Accounts to deliver e-mail to and from all of the accounts you have set up.

To deliver e-mail to separate inboxes

1. If you need to create a new folder for the new mail account, on the File menu, click Folder, and then click New Folder. For example, you could create a folder named "Dave's Account."

2. On the Tools menu, click Inbox Assistant, and then click the Add button.

3. Click the Account option, and then select the name of the account whose mail you want to deliver to a different inbox.

4. Click the Move To option, and then click the Folder button to specify the name of the folder where you want the mail delivered.

Sorting your incoming e-mail messages

If you get a lot of e-mail messages, you may want to use automatic sorting to make it easier for you to manage your messages. With Outlook Express, you can use the Inbox Assistant to send messages to different folders, depending on certain criteria you specify. For example, you can have all messages with a certain subject line be put into a separate folder. Here's how:

1. On the Tools menu in Outlook Express, click Inbox Assistant.

2. Click Add.

3. Specify the criteria you want to sort messages by. If you want all messages from a certain person to be sorted, specify that person's address in the From box. If you want to sort messages with a particular subject line, specify that subject in the Subject box.

4. Specify what should happen to these messages. If you want to move them to a particular folder, click Move To, and then specify the folder you want to use.

You can set up multiple rules for sorting incoming messages. To set your priorities, you can use the Move Up and Move Down buttons in the Inbox Assistant dialog box.

Dragging a Web page shortcut into a message

If you want to let a friend know about a Web page, you can send a shortcut to the page via e-mail. And with Outlook Express, you can easily send the shortcut by dragging and dropping. Here's how:

• Drag the Internet shortcut into the e-mail message. You can drag a link from the page you're viewing, the page icon from the Address bar, or any other Internet shortcu - for example, if you've saved one to your desktop or a folder.

  

If the message is behind other windows, drag the shortcut to the message's button on the taskbar, and pause momentarily. The message window opens up and you can drag the shortcut into the message.

Creating groups in your Address Book

Do you find yourself sending e-mail to the same group of people often? Tired of adding each name to the To line in your messages? With the Outlook Express Address Book, you can create a "group" of people. Then, you just type the group name in the To box, and your e-mail message is sent to each person in the group. Here's how to create a group:

1. On the Tools menu in Outlook Express, click Address Book.

2. Click the New Group button on the toolbar.

3. In the Group Name box, type a name for the group.

4. To add names to the group, click Select Members, and then select names from the Address Book list.

If you want to add someone who is not in your Address Book, click New Contact, and then complete the form.

Customizing the Outlook Express toolbar

Is there a menu command that you always use in Outlook Express, such as Find or Print? Want to add this command to the toolbar? It's easy! Here's how:

1. Right-click the toolbar, and then click Buttons.

2. To add a button, select the button on the left, and then click Add.

   To remove a button, select it on the right, and then click Remove.

   To separate toolbar buttons with a thin vertical line, add a separator.

   To rearrange the toolbar buttons, select one on the right, and then click the Move Up or Move Down button.

3. When you have finished, click Close.

Choosing how often to check for new mail

How often does Outlook Express check for e-mail while you are connected to the Internet? It's up to you! You can choose to check for new mail as often as once a minute. Here's how:

1. On the Tools menu in Outlook Express, click Options.

2. On the General tab, make sure the Check for new messages every check box is selected.

3. Specify the number of minutes that you want.

   

Note: If you clear the check box, Outlook Express will not check for new messages automatically. It will check only when you click Check for new messages on the Tools menu.

Creating a SpeedDial shortcut to your own computer

If you use an electronic scheduling tool or e-mail to organize a conference in NetMeeting, why not create a SpeedDial shortcut to your computer and add it to the meeting notice? This makes it easy for all of the meeting participants to call your computer. Here's how:

1. Select your own name in the directory.

2. On the SpeedDial menu, click Add SpeedDial.

3. Click Save on the desktop.

You can then right-click the shortcut on your desktop and click Send To, or you can drag the shortcut icon into an e-mail message.

Running NetMeeting in the background

Waiting for a call in NetMeeting? If you don't want the NetMeeting window taking up space on your desktop, you can close it and run NetMeeting in the background. You'll still be logged on to your directory server and you'll receive incoming calls just as you would if the NetMeeting window was open. Here's how:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

2. On the General tab, select the following check box: Run when Windows starts and notify me of incoming calls.

3. Close NetMeeting.

When you receive an incoming call, the NetMeeting window opens automatically. Or you can open NetMeeting by right-clicking the NetMeeting icon on the taskbar and then clicking Open.

Working together in a program in NetMeeting

Using NetMeeting collaboration, you can share a program with other people in your meeting and allow them to work in your program. For successful collaboration, try out these tips:

• Open the program, click Share on the toolbar, and then click Collaborate on the toolbar. If someone wants to work in the program, they must also click Collaborate and then double-click in the program window to take control of the cursor.

• To stop someone from working in your program, press ESC.

• Only one person can work in the program at a time. Encourage attendees to let other meeting participants know when they want to take control of the cursor. This can prevent misunderstandings and "mouse wars."

Reading newsgroups offline with Outlook Express

Some newsgroups contain so many messages that you could spend hours reading them! But why tie up your phone line for that long? With Outlook Express, you can download newsgroup messages and then read them offline, without being connected to the Internet. You can save time by downloading only the message headers and then choosing which messages you are interested in downloading. Here's how:

To set up newsgroups for offline reading

1. In the folder list in Outlook Express, select a newsgroup.

2. On the File menu, click Properties.

3. Click the Download tab.

4. Select the When downloading this newsgroup retrieve check box, and then click the option you want.

   

To download messages

• On the Tools menu, click Download All.

To download specific messages after you've downloaded headers

1. Click the message header that looks interesting.

2. On the Tools menu, click Mark for Retrieval, and then click Mark Message. Repeat for other messages.

3. On the Tools menu, click Download All.