/ Setting Up E-mail on Computer

Setting Up E-mail on Computer

I am setting up a new computer and I cannot find e-mail. Help? Kat Delong

Creating a new email account on a computer isn’t difficult, but there are steps you need to follow in order to be able to access your mail. Without knowing your operating system or how you are getting your email, I’m going to walk you through the steps for using Outlook Express on Windows XP. From there, I’ll touch on Windows Vista and Microsoft Mail.

Set Up Web-Based Email

The first thing you need to do is to set up a web-based email account using a service such as Hotmail or through your provider such as Comcast. Go to the website and follow the instructions for setting up an email account. Through them, you will get an email address such as yourname.comcast.net. Write this down somewhere. By setting it up on the web, you can access your email from any computer anywhere in the world.

ISP Information

You will also need some information from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may find this information in your set-up paperwork, or you may have to get in touch with them. You will need:

What kind of email server you use: POP3 (most), HTTP (Hotmail) or IMAP.
The name of the incoming email server.
The name of the outgoing email server (usually SMTP).
Your account name and password.
You also need to know if you need to use Secure Password Authentication.

Set Up Outlook Express

First, you need to set up Outlook Express on Windows. Follow these steps:

Start Outlook Express by going to Start and then All Programs and Outlook Express.
You will be asked if you want to open this account automatically when you start OE. Check Yes if you do.
Click on Always Perform the Check to stop this from being asked again.
Put a check by When Outlook Express Starts, Go Directly to my Inbox.
You should see a list of folders on the left. If not, click on View then Layout and then Contacts and Folder List. Click on Ok.
If you want, you can right click on Outlook Express to create a shortcut that will put an icon on your desktop.
Now, start OE and click on Tools and Accounts.
The Internet Wizard should start. If not, click on Add and then Mail.
Type in your name as you want it to appear to others on the Your Name page. Click Next.
On the Internet Explorer Address page type in your email address from the first step. Click Next.
You will see the Email Server Names page. This is where you fill in the information that you got from your ISP. Click Next.
You will see the Internet Mail Logon. Type in the account name and password.
Click Next and Finish.

You should be done! Now, when you start Outlook Express on your desktop, it will go to the web-based account and download everything in your Inbox and put it in OE.

Windows Vista and Windows Mail

If your new computer is Windows Vista, you won’t find Outlook Express at all. It’s been replaced by Windows Mail and then by Windows Live Mail. Don’t worry; Windows Mail is quite similar to Outlook Express, so the steps outlines above are the same. To find Windows Mail, go to Start> All Programs> Windows Mail. If you can’t find it there, go to Start > All Programs > Windows Live> Windows Live Mail. Once launched, set up your e-mail account.