Chapter 22 - Electronic Mail with Outlook Express

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This chapter describes the electronic messaging and mail features in Microsoft Windows 98, which are provided through the Outlook Express client. Outlook Express is a mail and newsgroup reader that provides a simple, consistent user interface that is closely integrated with the Web.

See Also

  • For more information about the Internet Explorer browsing software and connecting to the Internet, see Chapter 20, "Internet Access and Tools." 

  • For more information about Internet security, see* *Chapter 9, "Security." 

Overview of Outlook Express

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Outlook Express is a standards-based Internet messaging application integrated with the Microsoft Internet Explorer browsing software. Outlook Express contains services to read and send e-mail messages, browse and post within newsgroups, sort and store messages on the local drive or e-mail server (for Internet Message Access Protocol [IMAP] servers), and create and edit contacts in the Address Book.

Outlook Express Features

Built on Internet standards, including POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, LDAP, S/MIME, MHTML, and NNTP, Outlook Express offers a set of versatile features that are easy to use.

HTML support. This feature allows users to send and receive messages in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format. HTML messages can incorporate graphics, hyperlinks, and multimedia files. Also, with its support for the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) HTML (MHTML) standard, Outlook Express allows users to embed images in their messages so recipients do not need to be connected to the Internet or intranet to view the embedded images.

Multiple accounts. Users of Outlook Express can easily maintain multiple e-mail and news accounts. When checking for new e-mail, users can specify to check all accounts or just a specific one. Likewise, when composing a message, there is a choice of which account to send the message from.

Stationery. This unique feature of Outlook Express allows you to personalize your e-mail and news messages. Outlook Express stationery makes it easy to create messages with personalized background images, graphics, and fonts. In addition, for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries, Outlook Express includes a variety of stationery designs from Microsoft Greetings Workshop and Hallmark. You can also download additional stationery from the Microsoft Greetings Workshop Web page.

Safe and secure e-mail. Outlook Express uses the Internet Explorer browsing software security zones for HTML messages. The security zones feature of Internet Explorer allows you to control whether scripts and active content can be run in messages you receive.

For more information about the Internet Explorer browsing software security zones, see Chapter 20, "Internet Access and Tools." For more information about Outlook Express, see the Outlook Express Web site at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/images/prodtechnol/win98/reskit/part4/images/wrkjj07.gif .

Outlook Express also supports Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), which allows you to digitally sign and encrypt your messages with digital certificates. Using digital signing and encryption, you can verify the source and integrity of any messages you receive, and protect messages from being read by anyone other than the intended recipients.

Outlook Express Architecture

Table 22.1 shows the main files used for Outlook Express.

Table 22.1 Outlook Express main files 

File name

Definition

Inetcomm.dll

Parses MIME information and communicates with mail servers.

Msimnimp.dll

Internet Mail and News setting importer/exporter.

Msimnui.dll

Dialog boxes and other e-mail and news functions comprising most of the user interface.

Msoeacct.dll

Account manager DLL file.

Msoemapi.dll

Provides Simple MAPI support in Outlook Express.

Msoert.dll

Run-time utility functions.

Wab32.dll

Windows Address Book (WAB) core functionality.

Wabfind.dll

WAB search user interface.

Wabimp.dll

WAB import back end.

Wldap32.dll

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) support file for WAB and LDAP searches.

Msimn.exe

Outlook Express main program; loads Msimnui.dll.

Wab.exe

Windows Address Book; uses Wab32.dll.

Wabmig.exe

WAB import user interface.
Outlook Express Directories

When Outlook Express downloads e-mail messages and news articles, it stores them on the local hard disk. Unless you specify a different location when you first start Outlook Express, it will use the default. The path for the default location varies slightly depending on whether the User Profiles feature is turned on or not. For more information about user profiles, see Chapter 7, "User Profiles."

Without User Profiles: 

Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express

With User Profiles (and on Windows NT): 

<windir>\Profiles\username\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express

Within this directory are folders for mail, and possibly for news and IMAP mail as well. The News folder has a subdirectory for each news account that is in use.

The Mail directory has no subdirectories, only a collection of files used to manage mail accounts. The three types of files in the Mail directory are:

  • MBX files. These files contain the text of all messages stored on the system. 

  • IDX files. These files function as indexes for MBX files. The IDX and MBX files are always paired. 

  • NCH files. These files are used to retain the folder hierarchy and to cache newsgroup and IMAP information. 

Each IDX file has pointers to each message that is stored in its companion MBX file. The MBX files store the content of each message, including the addressing information. For HTML messages, the raw HTML source code is visible in the MBX file.

Inside the News directory, a folder is created for each news account. Two types of files are used to manage newsgroups:

  • NCH files. These files store a cache of articles downloaded from the server. 

  • DAT files. These files store two types of newsgroup lists. The names of all current newsgroups are stored in Grplist.dat, while the names of all subscribed newsgroups are stored in Sublist.dat. 

Outlook Express places data in two registry keys. User accounts and LDAP services are stored in:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager\Accounts 

Setting and configuration options are stored in:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express 

Installing and Configuring Outlook Express

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Outlook Express is the default e-mail client for Windows 98 and is included with a standard installation. You can configure Outlook Express settings from within the product as described in the following sections.

Administrators can configure certain Outlook Express settings, such as default e-mail and news servers, and default views, using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) Profile Manager, which is supplied on the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit* *compact disc. For more information about configuring Outlook Express with the IEAK Profile Manager, see "Configuring with the IEAK Profile Manager" later in this chapter.

Uninstalling Outlook Express

Outlook Express is installed with Windows 98. You can uninstall or reinstall it at any time by double-clicking Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, clicking the Windows Setup tab, and then selecting or clearing the Microsoft Outlook Express check box.

Creating an E-mail Account

The first time you run Outlook Express, it starts the Internet Connection Wizard if you have not previously configured Windows for Internet use in the Internet Explorer browsing software. The wizard guides you through the process of setting up Outlook Express for e-mail (based on POP3 or IMAP4), news (NNTP), and directory service (LDAP) accounts for use with either an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a local area network (LAN). For more information about the Internet Connection Wizard, see "Connecting to the Internet with the Internet Connection Wizard" in Chapter 20, "Internet Access and Tools."

Before creating an e-mail account, you need to know several pieces of information:

  • The name and type (POP3 or IMAP4) of the incoming e-mail server.

  • The name of the outgoing e-mail server. (It is not necessary to specify the type of server as it is always Simple Mail Transfer Protocol [SMTP].) 

  • Logon and security information, such as whether your ISP uses secure password authentication (SPA) for connecting to your accounts. SPA describes any authentication scheme where the actual password is not sent over the network. 

  • The type of Internet connection, including dial-up parameters if not using an existing connection. 

You can access the Internet Connection Wizard at any time from within Outlook Express to modify existing account information or add new accounts.

To create an additional e-mail account

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Click Add, and then click Mail. This launches the Internet Connection Wizard. 

  3. In the Display name box, type the name you want others to see when you send a message, and then click Next. 

  4. In the E-mail address box, type the e-mail address for your account, and then click Next. 

  5. Under E-mail Server Names, select the appropriate incoming e-mail server type, type the names of your incoming and outgoing e-mail servers, and then click Next. 

  6. Depending on your logon type, type your account name and password in the [POP/IMAP] account name and Password boxes. 

    –Or – 

    Click Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA). 

    Note Whether you need your account name and password to log on, or you use SPA, needs to be determined before you can create an e-mail account. Contact your ISP or, if you are connected to the Internet on your corporate network, your network administrator to get this information. 

  7. In the Internet mail account name box, type a friendly name to identify the e-mail account you are configuring, and then click Next. 

  8. Select the connection type you use to connect to the Internet, and then click Next. 

  9. If you select Connect using my phone line, you are prompted to either create a new Dial-Up Networking connection or use an existing one. If Dial-Up Networking has been configured for your ISP, select Use an existing dial-up connection, select the name for your Dial-Up Networking connection in the list, and then click Next. If you already have an account set up with one ISP and you are setting up another account with a different ISP, you must create a new Dial-Up Networking connection. 

  10. Click Finish. 

Configuring Outlook Express

You can configure and customize many aspects of Outlook Express, such as default views and e-mail servers, using the Outlook Express interface. As an administrator, you can configure additional settings, control which ones can be changed by your users, and customize certain views and functions of Outlook Express using the IEAK Profile Manager.

Configuring News, E-mail, and Directory Service Accounts

A news account is an account on a news server that you can use to read and post messages on newsgroups. News servers are maintained by ISPs, companies, groups, and individuals, and can host thousands of newsgroups.

You must have an e-mail account to read and send e-mail messages. This account specifies the e-mail servers, connection types, and server logon information for Outlook Express.

A directory service is an account that Outlook Express uses to look up e-mail addresses when you send messages. By default, Outlook Express is configured to connect to directory services provided by Bigfoot, Yahoo!, InfoSpace, SwitchBoard, VeriSign, and WhoWhere.

Creating News Accounts

Creating a news account for Outlook Express is much like creating an e-mail account. To create a news account, you need the server name and, if required, logon information (an account name and password).

To create a news account

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Click Add, and then click News. 

  3. Follow the instructions in the Internet Connection Wizard, supplying your name and e-mail address, the actual and "friendly" names of your news server, and the type of Internet connection you use. 

  4. Click Finish to exit the wizard and create the account. 

  5. Click Close to close the Internet Accounts dialog box. At this point you are asked if you want to download the list of newsgroups. 

  6. Click Yes if you wish to see a list of newsgroups available on the news server. 

To subscribe to a newsgroup

  1. In the Folder List (tree view of folders), click the desired news server. 

  2. Click the Newsgroups icon on the toolbar. A newsgroup window appears, which lists your newsgroup servers and the groups available for subscription. 

    Click the desired newsgroup, and then click the Subscribe button. Outlook Express tags the newsgroup with a subscription icon.

    • Once you subscribe to a newsgroup, you can click Go to for a list of the subjects or headers in that newsgroup. As you click a subject, its content is downloaded and displayed. 

    • To quit downloading, click OK. Outlook Express returns you to the list of newsgroups that appeared in step 1. 

To unsubscribe from a newsgroup

  • Follow steps 1 and 2 in the previous procedure, click the Subscribed tab, select the desired newsgroup, and then click Unsubscribe. 

To view messages in a newsgroup

  • Click on a newsgroup title, and then click Go to. 

Tip It is helpful to use the Display newsgroups which contain box to narrow down the list of newsgroups to just those that interest you. The list narrows down as you type each word.

Adding Directory Services

In addition to the directory services that it provides, Outlook Express allows you to connect to any other LDAP server.

To add a directory service account

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Click Add, and then click Directory Service. 

  3. Follow the instructions in the Internet Connection Wizard, supplying the actual and "friendly" names for your Internet directory server, and specifying whether you want Outlook Express to automatically check addresses using this directory server. 

  4. Click Finish to exit the wizard and create the account. 

  5. Click Close to close the Accounts dialog box. 

To remove a directory service account

  • Follow step 1 in the previous procedure, click the desired directory service, and then click Remove. 
Managing Your Newsgroups

Once you have connected to a news server and subscribed to one or more newsgroups, two files are created on your local machine for each news server:

  • The Grplist.dat file contains a list of all available newsgroups. If the Notify me if there are any new newsgroups option in the General tab, under Options in the Tools menu is selected (this is the default), this list is compared against available newsgroups upon connection, and you are given the opportunity to view the newsgroups that have been added since your last connection.

  • The Sublist.dat file contains a list of the newsgroups to which you have subscribed. 

After newsgroups have been selected, Outlook Express downloads message header and/or body information to a corresponding NCH file. These files are located in a directory that matches the corresponding server name, and there is an NCH file for each newsgroup you subscribe to.

Note The first time you view a newsgroup, it may take several minutes to download the messages. The next time you go to that newsgroup, it downloads faster because Outlook Express downloads only new messages.

Creating Newsgroup Filters

You can filter messages based on the following criteria:

  • The sender's e-mail address. 

  • The contents of the subject line. 

  • The size of the message. 

  • The length of time the message has been on the server. 

You can filter all messages from all servers, only messages from a specific server, or messages from a specific newsgroup on a specific server.

To create a newsgroup filter

  1. In the Folder List, click a news server. 

  2. On the Tools menu, click Newsgroup Filters. 

  3. Click Add. 

  4. In the Group(s) box, click the news server or newsgroups you want to filter. 

  5. Enter the desired criteria for the filter. 

  6. Click OK when you are finished. 

To change the order of a filter

  • Click the filter, and then click Move Up or Move Down. 
Changing Existing E-mail or News Servers

To change an existing e-mail or news server

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. On either the Mail or News tab, click on a server, and then click Properties. 

  3. Change the server information as needed on the appropriate tabs. 

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Managing Multiple E-mail Accounts

It is becoming common for users to have more than one e-mail account. With Outlook Express, you can retrieve messages from multiple accounts and send e-mail from any of these accounts when composing a message.

Note When you have more than one account and you only want to retrieve messages from one, click the Tools menu, point to Send and Receive, and then click the account name.

To add an e-mail or news account

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Click Add, and then click Mail or News. Follow the instructions in the Internet Connection Wizard. 

  3. Click Finish to exit the wizard and create the account. 

Configuring for Multiple Users

Outlook Express uses Windows profiles to handle multiple user scenarios. Users can log on to their respective profile and access their own mail store (file of incoming messages that have been retrieved). The Log Off user name option in the Outlook Express File menu or the Windows Start menu allows you to switch from one user to another. If profiles have not been set up on the user's computer, the Profiles Setup dialog box appears, guiding the user through the process of setting up a new profile.

When the new user logs on and runs Outlook Express, they will have access to all of their own e-mail and newsgroup folders, rules, filters, and preferences.

Important When you use the Log Off user name option in Outlook Express, it is important to realize that you are actually logging off of your Windows 98 session. If you have unsaved work in any other applications you are running, you should save it and then exit those applications correctly before logging off.

For more information about setting up Windows user profiles, see Chapter 7, "User Profiles."

Setting Processing Rules with Inbox Assistant

The Inbox Assistant allows you to configure how messages are processed when they enter the Inbox. You can create rules on a per-account basis to easily sort and filter messages. You can construct rules based on the following criteria:

  • Sender 

  • Addressees on the To: line 

  • Addressees on the Cc: line 

  • Subject 

  • Message size 

At the present time, the Inbox Assistant only works with POP accounts. It does not work with IMAP4 accounts because IMAP4 keeps the e-mail on the server and there is no mechanism for applying rules on an e-mail server.

Tip You can specify multiple filters or rules for incoming messages. If a message matches more than one of your criteria, it is sorted according to the first one it matches. You can also create rules after the fact and apply them to existing folders. For example, if your Inbox gets too large, you can create a rule and apply it to your Inbox even though you have already received the messages.

To create an Inbox rule

  1. On the Tools menu, click Inbox Assistant. 

  2. Click Add. A Properties dialog box for the rule appears. 

  3. In the When a message arrives with the following criteria area, type the criteria you want to apply to the incoming messages. 

  4. In the Perform the following action area, select a check box, and then click the folder, person, or file you want to send the matching incoming messages to. 

  5. Click OK to add the rule. 

  6. To specify the priorities by which rules are applied to incoming messages, click the Move Up or Move Down button in the Inbox Assistant dialog box. 

Important The criteria for rules in Outlook Express are handled differently than for Windows Messaging or Outlook. In the Subject criteria, if more than one word is used as the conditional, the words are "and'ed" together, rather than "or'ed."

Storing Messages on E-mail Servers

If you use more than one computer to retrieve your e-mail, it can be useful to leave a copy of your messages on your mail server. When you log on to your account, Outlook Express downloads your messages according to the options you have set.

Note If your account uses an IMAP4 e-mail server, messages will always be stored on the server. If your account uses a POP3 e-mail server, messages will be downloaded and deleted from the server unless you instruct Outlook Express to leave a copy of them there.

To store messages on an e-mail server

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. On the Mail tab, click the account, and then click Properties. 

  3. Click the Advanced tab. 

  4. Under Delivery, select the Leave a copy of messages on server check box. 

Tip When you configure Outlook Express to leave a copy of messages on the POP3 e-mail server, it is a good idea to select Remove from server when deleted from 'Deleted Items'; this prevents the number of messages on the server from growing without bound.

Security Options

Outlook Express takes advantage of the Internet Explorer browsing software security zones. Security zones provide fine-grained control over scripts and active content in HTML messages. Outlook Express also supports the industry security standard called Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME),which enables users to encrypt and digitally sign messages.

Configuring Security Zones

The Security zones feature of the Internet Explorer browsing software allows for custom security configurations. The default security zone for Outlook Express messages is the Internet zone. This zone allows scripts and active content to be run in HTML messages. To change that, you can choose the Restricted sites zone, or you can customize the settings for the Internet zone to disallow script execution, ActiveX controls, Java applets, and other Web features.

To change security zones

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the Security tab. 

  3. Select a zone from the Zone list. 

To customize security settings

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the Security tab. 

  3. Click Settings. 

  4. Select a High, Medium, or Low security level. 

    – Or – 

    Select Custom, and then click Settings to modify the desired custom settings. 

Note Changing settings for a security zone in Outlook Express also changes them for the Internet Explorer browsing software.

For more information about the Internet Explorer browsing software security zones, see Chapter 20, "Internet Access and Tools," and Chapter 3, "Custom Installations."

Obtaining a Digital Certificate

In order to make full use of the security features included in Outlook Express, you must obtain a digital certificate. Digital certificates, which are also called digital IDs, provide a means for proving your identity on the Internet similar to the way a driver's license does for people on a daily basis.

Digital certificates allow you to sign your e-mail in a way that recipients can be sure the message you send is actually from you and has not been tampered with. Also, digital certificates allow others to send you encrypted messages.

You obtain a digital certificate from a certifying authority, an organization that issues and verifies digital certificates. Microsoft's preferred certificate provider is VeriSign, a leading provider of digital authentication products and services.

Before you can send signed e-mail, you must associate your digital certificate with the e-mail account you want to use. The following procedure lists the steps you would follow to obtain a Class I certificate from VeriSign. Other certificate providers may have different policies and procedures for issuing digital certificates.

To obtain a digital certificate

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the Security tab. 

  3. Click Get Digital ID. 

  4. This will launch the Internet Explorer browsing software and open a site where you will be able to enroll for a digital certificate, through either VeriSign or another certificate provider. 

  5. Once the enrollment is completed and accepted, verification mail is generated and sent to the e-mail name specified on the enrollment form. This e-mail contains instructions for the installation of the digital certificate, a personal identification number (PIN), and a Web location for final certificate validation and installation. 

  6. The final step in the process is validation and installation of the digital certificate. After navigating to the page specified in the verification e-mail, entering the supplied PIN will display the details of the digital certificate. 

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Important The previous process must be completed using the same browser on the same computer as was used during the enrollment process.

Installation is then simply a matter of clicking Install at the bottom of this screen. Final installation status will be displayed in a message box with either success text or an error code.

You must associate your digital certificate with an e-mail account before you can send digitally signed e-mail from that account.

To associate your digital certificate with an e-mail account

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Select the account you want to use your digital certificate with, and click Properties. 

  3. Click the Security tab. 

  4. Select Use a digital ID when sending secure messages from. 

  5. Click Digital ID, and then select the default certificate for this account. 

Sending and Receiving Encrypted Messages

Encrypting a message prevents other people from reading it while it is in transit over a network. To encrypt a message, you need to have a digital certificate, and you need to know the digital certificate of the person you are sending the message to. The digital certificate must be part of the person's entry in the Address Book.

To send an encrypted message

  • Before you send a message, click the Tools menu in the New Message window, and then click Encrypt. 

    – Or – 

    Click the Encrypt message icon on the New Message toolbar. 

To add a digital certificate to your Address Book from a digitally signed message that you receive

  1. Open the digitally signed message. 

  2. On the File menu, click Properties. 

  3. Click the Security tab, and then click Add digital ID to the address book. 

To add a digital certificate to your Address Book from another source

  1. In the Address Book, create a new entry for the contact, or double-click an existing contact. 

  2. In the Properties dialog box for the contact, click the Digital IDs tab, and then click Import. 

  3. Find the digital certificate file, and then click Open. 

Note When a contact has a digital certificate, a red ribbon is added to their card in the Address Book.

Sending and Receiving Digitally Signed Messages

Once you have obtained a digital certificate and associated it with an e-mail account, you can send digitally signed messages. It is not necessary for your recipients to have digital certificates.

To send a digitally signed message

  • Before you send a message, click the Tools menu in the New Message window, and then click Digitally Sign. 

    – Or – 

    Click the Digitally sign message icon on the New Message toolbar. 

For more information about security in Windows 98, see Chapter 9, "Security."

Configuring for Offline Use

You can make more efficient use of your time online by downloading messages or newsgroups and reading them at a later time. You can also download just the message headers to view offline, and mark those you want to read next time you are connected to your ISP. Finally, you can compose messages offline and send them at a later time. After you have composed a message, select Send Later from the File menu, and Outlook Express will store the message in your Outbox until you click Send and Receive. Then it will prompt you to return to the online mode and attempt to establish your Internet connection.

To configure Outlook Express to work offline

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the Dial Up tab. 

  3. Under When Outlook Express starts, select Do not dial a connection. 

  4. Select the Hang up when finished sending, receiving, or downloading check box, and then click OK. 

To set up newsgroups for offline reading

  1. In the Folder List, select a newsgroup. 

  2. On the File menu, click Properties. 

  3. Click the Download tab, select the When downloading this newsgroup, retrieve check box, and then select the option you want.

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for as many newsgroups as you want. 

  5. Whenever you want to download the messages, click the Tools menu, and then click Download All. 

Configuring with the IEAK Profile Manager

The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) Profile Manager, which is supplied on the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit* *compact disc, is a tool that administrators can use to preconfigure some Outlook Express settings. The Profile Manager is also the only way to turn on the Outlook Express InfoPane. This is a window that is displayed at the bottom of the main Outlook Express screen, and can contain a customized welcome message, frequently asked questions (FAQ), and support numbers.

Outlook Express policy settings that can be preset are the ability to send HTML messages, the security zone for HTML messages, and the elements in the default view.

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To install the IEAK Profile Manager

  1. Insert the Windows 98 Resource Kit compact disc into your CD-ROM drive. When the autorun screen appears, click Browse this CD. 

  2. Locate the Netadmin\Profmgr directory. 

  3. Copy the entire contents of this directory and its subdirectories to the desired location on your hard disk, making sure to maintain the directory structure.

To start the IEAK Profile Manager

  1. On the Start menu, click Run. 

  2. Type the path to the location where you installed Profile Manager, and then type Profmgr.exe. 

For more information about the IEAK Profile Manager, see the Microsoft Internet Explorer Resource Kit, which is available from Microsoft Press or can be downloaded from the Internet Explorer browsing software Web site at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/ie/reskit/6/ie6rkit.mspx .

Using Outlook Express

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By default, the Outlook Express Start page is the first page you see after starting Outlook Express. The Start page allows you to move quickly to the tasks you are most interested in performing.

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Directly from the Start page, you can do the following:

  • Compose or read e-mail and newsgroup messages. 

  • Access or set up the Address Book. 

  • Download new e-mail. 

  • Locate people on the Internet through a corporate Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server or built-in LDAP directories, such as Bigfoot, Yahoo!, InfoSpace, SwitchBoard, VeriSign, and WhoWhere. 

  • Read helpful online tips. 

  • See statistics for unread messages and drafts. 

Note You can return to the Start page at any time by clicking the Outlook Express icon in the Folder List.

Using the 3-Pane View

The 3-pane view of the Outlook Express Inbox allows you to see all of your folders and the contents of a selected folder, preview your messages, and drag-and-drop messages all within one window. The three panes are the Folder List, the contents of the selected folder, and the Preview Pane. The Folder List is a tree view of your folders which provides single-click access to different folders and modules, as well as drag-and-drop support. In the Preview Pane, you can view your messages quickly in a Preview mode without opening them.

This default view in Outlook Express can be customized using the Layout option of the View menu. You can select which components of the basic view you want to see, customize the contents and placement of your toolbar, and modify or remove the Preview Pane.

Administrators can preset or change their users' default views using the IEAK Profile Manager. They can do this in the View Customization object under Outlook Express, which is in the System Policies and Restrictions category.

Sending and Receiving Messages

To connect to an e-mail server and check for new messages, or to send current messages from your Outbox, click Send and Receive on the toolbar. Send and Receive uses the account connection data to establish a connection to your e-mail server, validate access to your e-mail account, and then download or upload any new messages. Alternatively, you can use the Send and Receive option on the Tools menu.

Note If you have enabled background polling (check for new messages every n minutes), Outlook Express will automatically send and receive messages upon startup.

Creating Messages

To create a new message, click Compose Message on the toolbar. Enter the recipient data, or click the Address Card icon on the To: line to access recipient data in the Address Book or to create new e-mail contacts.

Using Stationery

You can personalize and enhance your e-mail and news messages by composing them using stationery. Recipients using any e-mail client that supports HTML messages will be able to view your stationery correctly.

Stationery is a combination of background images, graphics, and font styles and colors that appear in a message. When you create stationery, you can designate a default stationery for both e-mail and news messages. This means that it will automatically be used when you compose messages. With the Apply Stationery option, you can also apply any stationery to a message even after you have composed it. This is also true for messages that are replies or messages that you are forwarding.

Note If you are applying stationery to a new message, you need to have your sending format set to HTML. On the Tools menu.click Options, and then click the Send tab to check your sending format. HTML is the default setting.

To compose a message using stationery

  1. On the Compose menu, point to New Message using. 

  2. Click the stationery design you want to use. 

    – Or – 

    Click More Stationery to view more stationery designs. 

To apply stationery to an existing message

  • On the Format menu, point to Apply Stationery, and then click the stationery design you want to use. 

    – Or – 

    Click More Stationery to view more stationery designs. 

    Note When you format a message with the Apply Stationery command, you will only get the background image of the stationery. 

To configure default stationery

  1. On the Tools menu, click Stationery. 

  2. Click the Mail tab to configure the default e-mail stationery. 

    – Or – 

    Click the News tab to configure the default news stationery. 

  3. Under When composing new messages use, select This stationery. 

  4. Click Select to choose the default stationery type. 

Note The stationery you choose will only be used by default if you have HTML selected as your sending format. On the Tools menu click Options, and then click the Send tab to check your sending format. HTML is the default setting.

In addition to the stationery designs it provides, Outlook Express includes a mechanism for downloading additional designs from the Microsoft Greetings Workshop Web page.

To download additional stationery

  1. On the Tools menu, click Stationery. 

  2. Click the Mail tab to configure the default e-mail stationery. 

    – Or – 

    Click the News tab to configure the default news stationery. 

  3. Under When composing new messages use, select This stationery. 

  4. Click Select. 

  5. Click Get More to access the Microsoft Greetings Workshop Web page. 

  6. Select a stationery design to download. This stationery is now available in Outlook Express. 

Creating Stationery

Outlook Express comes with several default stationery templates that can be modified, and you can also create your own custom templates using HTML.

Using a Signature or Business Card (vCard)

You can personalize and enhance your e-mail and news messages by composing them using signatures and electronic business cards (vCards).

If you have a signature or electronic business card, you can add it to your messages as an option. Signatures typically contain contact information and can be as simple as a few lines of text that are appended to the end of your messages. You can also choose to append a file with a text or HTML format as your signature. You can also include a personal business card with your messages as a means of providing your recipients with contact information. Your business card is your personal contact information from the Address Book in vCard format. This standards-based format allows your information to be interpreted by a variety of other software programs. For more information about creating business cards, see "Creating and Importing Business Cards" later in this chapter.

You can add a signature or electronic business card to individual messages, or automatically to all messages.

To add a signature to your messages automatically

  1. On the Tools menu, click Stationery. 

  2. Click Signature, and then select the Add this signature to all outgoing messages check box. 

  3. Type the desired signature in the box.

    – Or – 

    Select File and then enter a file name to use as your signature. 

To add a personal business card to your messages automatically

  1. On the Tools menu, click Stationery. 

  2. Click Signature. 

  3. Under Personal Business Card (vCard), select the Attach card to all outgoing messages check box. 

  4. In the Card box, click the desired contact name. 

    – Or – 

    Click New and enter the desired contact information.

Checking for New E-mail

You can check for new e-mail as you want to see it, or you can have Outlook Express check for new e-mail automatically.

To check for new e-mail messages yourself

  • Click Send and Receive on the toolbar. 

    – Or – 

    On the Tools menu, click Send and Receive. 

To have Outlook Express check for new e-mail messages automatically

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. On the General tab, select Check for new messages every n minute(s). 

  3. Use the arrow buttons to adjust the number of minutes.

Importing Messages from Other E-mail Programs

Outlook Express provides an Import Wizard that allows you to easily import messages from a variety of popular Internet e-mail programs, as well as from Windows Messaging and Microsoft Outlook.

To import messages from another e-mail program

  1. In the Folder List, click the Inbox icon. 

  2. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages. 

  3. Select the e-mail program you want to import messages from, and then click Next. 

  4. Follow the instructions on the screen. 

Deleting Newsgroup Messages and Headers

You can save space on your computer by removing message bodies and headers, removing message bodies only, or compacting wasted space. These options only apply to messages downloaded from newsgroups that are locally stored. The messages on the server are not affected.

To delete messages or headers, or to compact files

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Click the Advanced tab. 

  3. Select the appropriate check box to activate or deactivate it: 

    Delete messages (n) days after being downloaded. 

    n is the number of days. The default value is 5 days. 

    Don't keep read messages. 

    This deletes all read messages when you exit Outlook Express. 

    Compact files when there is (n) percent wasted space. 

    n is the percent of space that is wasted. The default value is 20 percent. 

    Note For any of the three options in this step, it is important to understand that only the message bodies and not the headers are deleted from local storage. If you want to delete the message headers as well, you must select Clean Up Now and choose either Delete or Reset. 

    The Delete option deletes message headers and bodies according to the parameters you have set. The Reset option deletes all message headers and bodies for the newsgroup, effectively allowing you to start from scratch. 

  4. Select Clean Up Now. 

  5. Select the server or newsgroup from which you want to delete the messages. 

  6. Click the appropriate button. 

  7. Click Close. 

HTML Support

Outlook Express fully supports Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Together with the Internet Explorer browsing software, which supports Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) HTML, it provides a new way to share Web content through e-mail. You can send full Web pages or links from the Internet or intranet to another user, even when you and the other user are offline.

You can send a Web page — or a link to that page — to another user while you are browsing it with Internet Explorer. If you know the address, you can also send it while you are composing a message in Outlook Express. If you have selected Plain Text as your default e-mail message format, you must first change it to Rich Text (HTML) from the Format menu in a New Message window.

Administrators can change the default e-mail message format to Plain Text using the IEAK Profile Manager.

Note In order to have the Internet Explorer browsing software use Outlook Express to send Web pages or links, it must be the default e-mail program for the Internet Explorer browsing software. You can verify that it is by clicking Internet Options on the View menu of the Internet Explorer browsing software and checking the mail program on the Programs tab, or by clicking the Internet icon in Control Panel and checking the mail program on the Programs tab.

To send a Web page to another user

  1. Open the page in the Internet Explorer browsing window. 

  2. Click Mail on the toolbar, and then click Send Page. Outlook Express drops the entire page into the e-mail message. 

    – Or – 

    On the File menu, point to Send, and then click Page By Email. 

  3. Fill in an e-mail address, or click the Address Book icon on the To: line. If you cannot find the address you need, click Find in the Select Recipients dialog box. 

  4. When you have located the correct person, click OK, and then click Send. 

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If you decide that you would rather send a link to a Web page than send an entire Web page, you can insert the link into a message directly from the Web page, or you can type the link into the message and Outlook Express will automatically turn it into a hyperlink. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a shortcut into the message.

  1. Open the page in the Internet Explorer browsing window. 

  2. Click Mail on the toolbar, and then click Send a Link. Outlook Express drops the link into the e-mail message. 

    – Or – 

    On the File menu, point to Send, and then click Link By Email. 

  3. Fill in an e-mail address, or click the Address Book icon on the To: line. If you cannot find the address you need, click Find in the Select Recipients dialog box. 

  4. When you have located the correct person, click OK, and then click Send. 

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Sending HTML Messages to People Without HTML Clients

Because not everyone with an e-mail address has a MIME HTML messaging client, Outlook Express makes sure that the appropriate message comes across regardless of the technology on the recipient's side. Here are some examples of how an e-mail message can be displayed to a recipient:

  • If the recipient supports MIME and HTML mail, the full Web page in native format is displayed inside the e-mail message. 

  • If the recipient supports MIME, the message displays the text-based information first and may include the HTML as an attachment, which the recipient can view in their default browser. 

  • If the recipient does not support MIME, the message displays the text-based information first and then, after a separator, the raw HTML follows. 

If you want to make sure that you send e-mail in a format your recipients can view, you can use the Smart Reply feature of Outlook Express (which is on by default). This option automatically responds to a message in the same format it was sent.

To automatically reply to messages in a like format

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. On the Send tab, select the Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent check box. 

You can easily keep track of your contacts' HTML capabilities in the Address Book. That way, when you compose a message, you can format it accordingly. For more information about using the Address Book, see "Using the Address Book" later in this chapter.

LDAP Support

Finding e-mail addresses is easy in Outlook Express because it fully supports the Internet standard Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory services, which provide access to virtual Internet white pages. You can locate people on corporate LDAP servers, and you can also use the built-in support for LDAP directories like Bigfoot, Yahoo!, InfoSpace, SwitchBoard, VeriSign, or WhoWhere to locate an individual on the Internet.

Using the new LDAP-enabled Address Book, you can search popular Internet white page directories using an individual's first name, last name, or e-mail name. You type the name on the To: line in any message, and Outlook Express automatically searches the selected white page directories to fill in the e-mail name. Because this may slow down the performance of Outlook Express, it is not the default behavior.

To use an Internet directory service to check e-mail addresses

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. On the Directory Service tab, select the desired account and then click Properties. 

  3. On the General tab, select Check names against this server when sending mail. 

Finding People on the Internet

The Find People option on the Edit menu in Outlook Express performs the same task as opening the Start menu, pointing to Find, and selecting People. It launches Wabfind.dll and allows you to search the local Address Book or any of the configured Internet Directory Services.

Creating a Search Hierarchy

Outlook Express supports partial name checking against various LDAP servers. The search engine looks for partial names against whatever hierarchy you create. For example, by typing in a partial name, you can tell Outlook Express to search your local Address Book first, then your corporate LDAP servers, and finally, the Internet. Once the information is found, Outlook Express can store the address for later use.

The LDAP search engine implements a form of fuzzy logic to help you find others on the Internet. For example, if you entered Ann Devon, Outlook Express would look for successful matches according to the following:

  • Exact match for Ann Devon. 

  • First name exact match for Ann, last name match beginning with Devon. 

  • First name beginning with Ann, last name exact match for Devon. 

  • First name beginning with Ann, last name beginning with Devon. 

  • The whole e-mail address beginning with Ann Devon. 

To set up a directory service to check for e-mail addresses

  1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts. 

  2. Click the Directory Service tab. 

  3. Select a directory service, and then click Properties. 

  4. On the General tab, make sure the check box Check names against this server when sending mail is selected. 

Using the Address Book

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Windows 98 provides an Address Book for storing contact information such as e-mail addresses and whether a contact can receive HTML messages. Once you create an entry in the Address Book for a contact, you do not need to remember their e-mail address when you send them e-mail. By simply clicking the Address Book icon on the Outlook Express toolbar or in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: line of a message, you can access the Address Book and easily address a message to any of your contacts. The Address Book is also accessible from the Internet Explorer browsing software and from the Start menu.

In Outlook Express, even when you do not explicitly open the Address Book, you benefit from the convenience of its AutoComplete feature. When you begin typing a contact name on the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: line of a message, Outlook Express tries to complete it for you using the names in the Address Book.

Understanding the Address Book

The Address Book, provided by the Wab.exe program, locally stores contact information. When you invoke the Address Book, Wab.exe creates and searches the file named *Username.*wab, which is found in the Application Data directory. The full path varies depending on whether the User Profiles feature is enabled:

%windir%\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\username.wab (without User Profiles)

%windir%\Profiles\user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\username.wab (with User Profiles)

Adding Names from E-mail Messages

When you receive e-mail, you can easily add the sender's name and e-mail address to your Address Book. This can be done by opening the message, right-clicking the person's name, and then clicking Add to Address Book. You can also set up Outlook Express to automatically add contact information to your Address Book whenever you reply to e-mail.

To automatically add the names of people you reply to

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the General tab, and then select the Automatically put people I reply to in my Address Book check box. 

Of course, you can always add contact information to your Address Book manually as well.

Importing an Address Book

You can import Address Book contacts from a variety of Internet e-mail programs, such as Netscape Communicator, as well as from Windows Messaging Personal Address Book and any text (CSV) file. For example, in Microsoft Outlook, you can export your Address Book to text (CSV) file format, and then import it into Outlook Express using the Import option.

To import an Address Book

  1. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Address Book. 

  2. Click the Address Book or file that you want to import, and then click Import. If you select Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Internet Mail, you are prompted for a user profile. For other formats, Outlook Express attempts to auto-detect the existing Address Book, or prompts you for a path to the file's location. 

Note If you do not see listed the program that you want to import address book information from, you can export it to a text (CSV) file using your current mail program, and then import it to Outlook Express using the Text File option.

Creating and Importing Business Cards

The easiest way to exchange contact information with people over the Internet is by attaching an electronic business card to e-mail messages. A business card is your personal 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 own contact information in the Address Book before you can create a business card.

To create a business card

  1. On the Tools menu, click Address Book. 

    – Or – 

    Click the Address Book icon on the toolbar. 

  2. Select your name from the list. 

  3. On the File menu, point to Export, and then click Business Card (vCard). 

  4. Select a location to store the VCF file, and then click Save. 

To import a business card

  1. On the Tools menu, click Address Book. 

    – Or – 

    Click the Address Book icon on the toolbar. 

  2. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Business Card (vCard). 

  3. Point to the location of the VCF file, and then click Open. 

  4. Modify or add to the contact information in the Properties dialog box. 

Using Windows Messaging

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If you have installed Windows 98 on a computer that had any Windows Messaging components on it, they will be left intact. These components, which include Microsoft Exchange, Internet Mail, and Microsoft Fax, will continue to function as they did with your old operating system, and your e-mail icon will remain on the desktop unless you remove it.

The first time you click the Outlook Express icon, Windows detects the presence of any other e-mail programs, and asks if you would like to make Outlook Express your default e-mail client.

Additional Functionality of Windows Messaging

The core of the Windows Messaging subsystem is the messaging application programming interface (MAPI), an industry standard that enables applications to interact with many different messaging systems using a single interface. MAPI is a set of API functions and object linking and embedding (OLE) interfaces that allows messaging clients, such as Microsoft Exchange, to interact with various message service providers, such as Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Fax.

The Exchange and Outlook e-mail clients also provide features like scheduling, groupware applications, and custom application development. If you need this additional functionality, you may want to keep one of these e-mail clients on your system, or if you do not currently have them, you can install them.

Troubleshooting Outlook Express

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For help identifying and solving some common problems, Outlook Express provides an excellent troubleshooting resource called the Outlook Express Troubleshooter. You can access it by opening the Troubleshooting topic in online Help.

Setting Logging Options

Outlook Express provides three different logging options to aid in troubleshooting. When an option is selected, a LOG file that contains all activity within the specified process is created. The following LOG files are created, depending on the options that are selected.

  • Pop3.log 

  • Smtp.log 

  • Inetnews.log 

  • Imap.log 

To configure logging options

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 

  2. Click the Advanced tab, and then select the desired logging options. 

Note The LOG files are created in different directories depending on whether Internet Mail and News existed previously on your computer. If it did, the locations are:

C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\<username>\Mail for mail protocol logs, and \News for news logs

If Internet Mail and News were not previously installed, the file locations will vary slightly depending upon whether the user profiles feature is turned on or not:

C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express\Mail for mail protocol logs, \News for news logs, and \IMAP for IMAP protocol logs (without user profiles)

C:\Windows\Profiles\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express\Mail for mail protocol logs, \News for news logs, and \IMAP for IMAP protocol logs (with user profiles)

Verifying Internet Connection Wizard Files

The Icwconn1.exe file should be located in the C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Connection Wizard folder, and should be version 4.71.465.5.

The following files should be located in the Windows\System folder:

File

Version

Inetcfg.dll

4.71.465.6

Icfg95.dll

4.71.465.5

Inet16.dll

4.71.465.5

If any of these files are missing, reinstall Outlook Express. If any of these files are the wrong version, rename the file, and then reinstall Outlook Express.

Additional Resources 

For more information about

See this resource

IEAK Profile Manager 

Microsoft Internet Explorer Resource Kit

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