Introduction

Outlook Express is Microsoft’s email program that can be easily configured to use Neo, Texas A&M University’s IMAP email system. Outlook Express includes an address book, and can provide better folder management and much faster service than the Neo Web interface.

Adding the Neo Email Service

Once you have opened Outlook Express, choose Tools > Accounts.  A dialog box similar to Figure 1 opens.

Figure 1. Internet Accounts dialog box

Do the following to add a new email account:

1. Choose Add > Mail from the Internet Accounts dialog box. The Internet Connection Wizard opens.
2. Enter your first and last name. Press Next.
3. Select I already have an email address that I’d like to use. For Email Address, enter your complete Neo email address. Press Next.
4. On the third screen, choose IMAP from the pull-down menu that reads My incoming mail server is a ___ server. 
5. In the next box of this same screen, type neo.tamu.edu as the Incoming mail (IMAP) server. 
6. In the last box, enter smtp-relay.tamu.edu as the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server. Your screen should look like Figure 2. Click Next when finished. 



Figure 2. Internet Connection Wizard

Note: If you are not using Texas A&M as your internet provider, you need to refer to your ISP for the SMTP setting.

7. Now enter your Neo email alias and Neo password. Press Next.

Note:  If you check the box next to Remember password, Outlook Express will not ask you for your password again before checking your mail.  Use this setting only if you are confident your computer is secure.

8. To conclude the setup process, press Finish.
9. When back to the Internet Accounts dialog box, press Close.

Multiple Accounts

You can configure Outlook Express to check multiple email accounts. To add additional email accounts, again choose Accounts from the Tools menu and repeat the above procedure for adding an account. 

Once completed, Outlook Express logs in to all your email accounts and checks for messages from each.

Receiving Mail

When using Windows, Outlook Express checks for new mail when it is first opened.  If you would like to check for new messages after the program has started, or if you are using a Macintosh, you have two options:

1. Send/Recv

The Send/Recv button (Figure 3) sends any messages you have composed and checks your account for new messages at the same time. You can also choose sending options in the Send and Receive section under the Tools menu.



Figure 3. Send/Recv button

2. Autochecking

Outlook Express checks your mail for you while you are online. You can disable this option by choosing Options under the Tools menu, clicking the General tab, and unchecking the box next to Check for new messages every __ minutes. 

You can also use this section to change how often Outlook Express checks for messages (the default is 30 minutes). Change this by clicking the arrows to the right of the number.

Note: If you do not want Outlook Express to check for mail at the program start, choose Options from the Tools menu, click the General tab, and uncheck the box next to Send and receive messages at startup.

Receiving Attachments

When you receive a message with an attachment, the name of the attached file is listed below the subject line. Double-clicking the file name gives you two options: A) save the file locally to your computer, or B) open it directly within Outlook Express.

Be extremely wary of email attachments, perhaps the most common way of spreading viruses and Trojans. Never open any file emailed by a stranger, and if a friend sends an unexpected attachment, confirm that they sent it before opening it.

Sending Email

Click New Mail at the top left of the screen.   

The book icon next to TO: and CC: allows you to choose addresses from your address book. Click Send when you have finished composing your message. 

To reply to a message you have received, click Reply and compose your message.  When finished, press Send.  Reply All replies to everyone who got the message, including those in the CC: field.

To forward a message, click Forward.

Optional Features of Sending Email

Attachments

To attach a file, click the paper clip at the top of your new message. Browse to the file you want to attach and double-click it. You can do this more than once on a single message. The names of your attached files appear in a box just below the subject line of your message.

Spell Check

Outlook Express has a spell check feature similar to Microsoft Word. When you have finished typing your message, click Spelling at the top of the message window.

Signatures

Choose Tools > Options. Click the Signatures tab. Click New and type your signature into the text box under Edit Signature. Press OK.

Alternatively, you may use an existing file by clicking the button next to File and browsing to the file you want. 

To set signatures to go on all outgoing messages, check the box at the top next to Add signatures to all outgoing messages.

Address Book

The Outlook Express address book can include groups and individual contacts. It can also create folders that you can use to organize your contacts. 

By default, every email address to which you reply is added to your address book. If you want to disable this option, choose Tools > Options and press the Send tab. Uncheck the box next to Automatically put people I reply to in my address book.

You can also add people to your address book by right-clicking a message in your Inbox and choosing Add sender to address book from the menu that appears.

To add someone who has not sent you email, click New and choose New Contact. Enter the information in the fields and click OK.

To create a list of addresses (or contacts), click New and choose New Group. Give the list a name. To add people to the list who are already in your address book, click Select Members and double-click on the desired names. Press OK. If the person you want to add is not already in your address book, type in their name and email address in the fields below the Selected Members section and press Add.

To create folders, click New and choose New Folder. Name the folder. You can move an address from your main list to the folder by clicking the address you want and dragging it to the folder. This does not change how your address book works; it is intended to make your address book easier to work with by organizing the names within it.

Configuring TAMU Directory Services

Outlook Express has several built-in Internet directory services. You can use these services to find email addresses. However, you can also configure Outlook Express to use Texas A&M’s directory service (called LDAP).

1. Choose Tools > Accounts.
2. From the Internet Account dialog box, choose Add > Directory Service.
3. When the Internet Connection Wizard opens, beside Internet Directory  (LDAP) server: enter operator.tamu.edu. Click Next.
4. In the Check E-mail Addresses dialog box, select Yes. Press Next.
5. Click Finish. This returns you to the Internet Accounts dialog box.
6. Click the Directory Service tab.
7. Double-click the operator.tamu.edu directory service.
8. When the operator.tamu.edu Properties dialog box opens, click the Advanced tab.
9. In the Search base box, enter dc=tamu,dc=edu  (see Figure 4).
10. Click OK and then click Close.

Figure 4. Properties dialog box, Advanced tab

Do the following to use the TAMU Directory service:

1. Select Tools > Address Book and click Find People. Press the down arrow to locate the operator.tamu.edu (the TAMU Directory Service) service. Type in the Last and First name of the person you are trying to locate (e.g., Bush George) and click Find Now.
2. If the person you are looking for appears in the list, highlight the name and click Add to Address Book.

Importing Address Books

Outlook Express can automatically import address books from Eudora Light/Pro, Netscape Mail, and Microsoft Internet Mail.

Do the following to import an address book:

1. In the main Outlook Express window, select Tools > Address Book.
2. Choose File.
3. Click Import > Other Address Book.
4. Choose the mail program from which you are importing.
5. Click Import. 
6. Browse and double-click the address book file you wish to import.
7. Press Import again.

Importing a Pegasus Mail Address Book

Unfortunately, importing an address book from Pegasus Mail into Outlook Express is not quite as easy as the procedure listed above. If you have fewer than 10 to 15 addresses in your Pegasus address book, CIS recommends simply retyping the information into Outlook Express’s address book. However, importing the address book can be worthwhile for larger amounts of information. 

Outlook Express cannot directly read address books in the formats Pegasus uses. Because of the complexity of the procedure, CIS encourages that you allow CIS Support Staff to assist you with the migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am over quota on my home drive. How can I delete messages and attachments?

Use a program on the Start menu under Utilities > OAL Utilities > Outlook Help. This program will move your files to another drive. Once completed, you can delete old messages and attachments, then move your Outlook Express files back to your home drive. 

What is the difference between IMAP and POP?  

Using POP, an email program has to download all new messages and, by default, remove the messages from the server. When a message is read, it opens the local message on the users’ personal computer. When messages are saved or moved into folders, they are actually being stored in folders on the user's personal computer.

IMAP, on the other hand, synchronizes the messages between the server and the email program by downloading just the subject and header information from any new messages received (instead of the entire message). When a message is read, the body of the message is then sent to the email program but the message remains on the IMAP server. If a user moves messages into folders, the messages are saved on the server, not on the user's computer.

By downloading only the subject/header information, IMAP speeds up the email process.  By keeping messages and folders on the mail server, your email maintains the same look and layout even if you use an IMAP email program somewhere else (such as an Open Access Lab or a home computer).

My friends say they cannot read the messages I send them. Why?  

They might be using a program that is unable to read messages in HTML or MIME format. To send individual messages in plain text, choose Format from the menu at the top of your new message, and click Plain Text. To send all your messages in plain text by default, choose Options from the Tools menu. Under the Send tab, you should see two options at the bottom of the window. Under Mail Sending Format, click Plain Text. 

For More Help

If you need more assistance, please feel free to ask any CIS Support Staff in any Open Access Lab or call Help Desk Central at (979) 845-8300.