To copy the Windows Address Book from one computer to another

[You will need a blank, formatted floppy disk.]

To copy the Windows Address Book from one computer to another, use the following steps:

1. Start Outlook Express on the computer that has the Windows Address Book you want to copy, point to Export on the File menu, and then click Address Book.

2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export.

3. Type a descriptive name in the Save Exported File As box, click Browse, click a floppy drive in the Save In box, and then click Save.

4. Click Next, click the appropriate check boxes to select the fields you want to export in the "Select the fields you wish to export" box, and then click Finish.

5. Quit Outlook Express, and then insert the floppy disk in the computer you want to copy the Windows Address Book to.

6. Start Outlook Express on the computer you want to copy the Windows Address Book to, point to Import on the File menu, and then click Address Book.

NOTE: To import a comma-separated file in Outlook Express 5, point to Import on the File menu, click Other Address Book, click "Text File (Comma Separated Values)," and then click Import. Skip to step 8.

7. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import.

8. Click Browse, click the appropriate floppy drive in the Look In box, click the file name you typed in step 3, click Open, and then Next.

9. Click the appropriate check boxes to select the fields you want to import in the "Map the fields you wish to import" box, and then click Finish.

10. If you receive a message "Would you like to replace the existing entry with the import entry?," click Yes To All to replace all duplicate entries, and then quit Outlook Express. Reopen outlook Express and the address book will function normally.

An easy method of attaching files to your emails

Instead of using the traditional method of attaching files to your emails, here's a quicker way of getting it done:

Open up a New email, then minimize it to the taskbar. Browse for the file you wish to attach and drag & drop it in to the email sitting on the taskbar.

Note: You will have to hold the mouse over the email until the email opens up, then drop it in.

Delete the attachment without deleting the email

There are a few methods you can use for this action:

1. If it is a new message, you can remove the attachment by opening the email message, right-clicking the attachment icon and selecting "Delete". This operation will not work once the email has been moved to another folder as the "Delete" option will be grayed out.

2. Open the email, click File/Save As and save the eml file on your Desktop. Then open it there with Notepad or Wordpad and delete all info below the text in the body of the message all the way to the end. Then in Notepad or Wordpad, click File/Save (NOT Save As) and you can then drag and drop it into a local mail folder in Outlook Express.

3. Open the folder with the message(s) from which you would like to delete the attachment. Right click on the message in the message list and chose "Save message(s) to file(s)...". Save the message to your "New mail folder" which is nothing but your mail directory and give the file containing the message the extension ".cnm". A few seconds later you might be informed that new mail had arrived .... Proceed with method "deleting attachments, when mails are still in the new mail folder".

File Attachment Considerations you should make before sending an attachment.

If the file is larger than 2mb (2,048K), check with the recipient before sending to ensure that he/she will be able to receive it. Some Internet Service Providers place restrictions on message sizes.

Do not change the extension of the file. This extension (for example, .doc for Word documents, .xls for Excel spreadsheets) is used by Windows 95 to determine what program was used to create the file, and it also makes it easier for the recipient to know what type of file you have sent.

When sending an attachment, be specific when indicating what type of document is attached. If you know the software program and its version, include that in the message

Note: You may find it necessary to zip or compress the files.

Find yourself emailing the same type of formatted email over and over again

If you find yourself emailing the same type of formatted email over and over again, you can save a template of the email to your hard drive for repeated use.

Here's how:

Once you have the email created to where all you have to do is add a few minor details, go to "File", click on "Save as", the subject line of your email will be the name of your saved mail as default. Choose a destination to store your email and click "OK".

Making Outlook Express prompt for your password before accessing your email

You can keep others that may share Outlook Express with you from accessing your email account by making Outlook Express prompt for your password before accessing your email.

Choose Tools/Accounts/Mail tab, select your account, and click Properties/Server tab.

Disable the Remember Password check box, click OK, then Close.

Before sending an attachment, please scan it to be sure it is virus-free

Before sending an attachment, please scan it to be sure it is virus-free using your favorite virus utility. Refer to the virus utility's manual for instructions on how to do this. Also, limit its size to 1 MB (maximum), to avoid lengthy downloads for the recipient.

You can attach a file to a message you are composing by clicking on the Attach button on the New Message toolbar. Then locate the file you want to attach, double click on the file. This will automatically attach the file.

Outlook Express has the ability to dial a phone number for you

Outlook Express has the ability to dial a phone number for you. You can dial a number for one of the contacts in your address book.

To do this, choose Tools> Address Book, right-click your contact's name, and choose Action> Dial. Enter the phone number (if it isn't listed already), or choose one from the drop-down list and click Call to begin dialing.

Save a great deal of time by creating a signature that you can add to your emails

You can save a great deal of time by creating a signature that you can add to your emails with the click of your mouse button.

In Outlook Express 5, choose Tools> Options> Signatures and click New. Type your signature in the Edit Signature box.

To create an alternate signature, click New and type this second signature. Enable the "Add signatures to all outgoing messages" checkbox and click Apply, then OK.

Your first signature will be the default and will appear automatically at the foot of all new messages.

To use the alternate signature, highlight and delete the default one from the message, choose Insert/Signature, and choose the alternate signature to use.

Change the Default Font used by Outlook Express

To change the Default Font used by Outlook Express (when sending HTML mail/news):

1. From the menu bar select Tools> Stationery

2. Here you can set the Default font for both Mail and News

Outlook Express makes it easy to create several accounts

These days, many people have multiple email accounts, both personal and business-related. Outlook Express makes it easy to create several accounts that you can check independently or all at once.

With Inbox Assistant, you can even combine multiple accounts and put your mail in different folders based on those accounts.

When you first install Outlook Express you create your first account.

To add more

1. Select Tools> Accounts from the Outlook Express main menu.

2. Click the Add button

3. Select the Mail tab to create a new mail account. The Wizard steps you through the process of creating the new account. When the Wizard finishes, click the Close button in the Internet Accounts dialog box.

To check mail in any or all of your accounts

1. Select Tools> Send and Receive from the Outlook Express menu.

2. Choose either All Accounts or an individual account name.

This will check for mail in the accounts you have specified.

Importing your address book in Outlook Express

There is no need to start from scratch with Outlook Express! It's easy to import your existing Netscape or Eudora email messages and address books.

To import messages.

Select File> Import> Messages from the main menu. A Wizard steps you through the process of importing the message.

Importing an address book is even easier.

1. Select File/Import/Address Book from the main menu.

2. Select the email client you want to import from

3. Click the Import button. Done!

Outlook Express lets you create and view email in HTML

Outlook Express lets you create and view email in HTML instead of just in plain text.

To create an HTML message, click the Compose Message button on the main menu. In the New Message menu, select Format/Rich Text (HTML).

A new toolbar appears that contains standard HTML formatting buttons for fonts, lists, images, and lines. You can use these buttons to create slick HTML email that your recipients can view either in HTML-ready email programs or in a Web browser.

NOTE: Not all mail software can read HTML pages, so unless you know the recipient can read this format send the mail in text format.

Automatically Sort Your Mail in Outlook Express

The old Internet Mail in IE 3.0 had an Inbox Assistant to help you sort mail messages as they arrived, but Outlook Express's new Inbox Assistant puts it to shame.

To access the Assistant.

1. Select Tools/Inbox Assistant from the main Outlook Express menu.

2. Click the Add button to create a new sort rule.

3. The old Inbox Assistant let you select only basic To, From, CC, and Subject criteria, and then only let you move corresponding messages to a new folder.

The updated Inbox Assistant gives you many new options, such as deleting messages, autoreplying, leaving copies on the server, or forwarding messages to a different address. You can even use the Inbox Assistant to sort mail that's already in your inbox.

Just set up your sorting rules with the Inbox Assistant, click the Apply To button, and select your inbox.

Outlook Express filters through the existing inbox messages and applies the rules accordingly.

To quickly add a new subfolder to your standard set of mail folders.


1. Right-click the folder you want to use as the parent.

2. Then select New Folder.

3. Enter the new folder's name.

4. Click OK.

Is the mail you're sending actually being read by the recipient

If you would like to know if the mail you're sending is actually being read by the recipient, just activate your read receipt feature.

Here's how:

Click on Tools, choose Options, then click on the Receipts tab. Put a check in the box that reads; "Request a read receipt for all sent messages".

NOTE: Outlook Express only supports the read receipt feature in version 5.01 and later. You can upgrade Internet Explorer to upgrade Outlook Express.