| When you register with theopenworld, we'll
set up your email account automatically, meaning you're ready to
send and receive emails. You can do this using a program called
Outlook Express. This guide tells you how to use Outlook Express
to send an email. Relevant to: Windows
95/98/2000/Me/XP, Outlook Express 4/5/6
Open Outlook Express
Click on the Start button in the bottom left corner of the
screen. Now move the mouse up so that the cursor rests on the
word Programs, or All Programs if you're using Windows XP. Then
move the cursor along the new list that appears until it rests
on the words Outlook Express. Keep it there and click the left
mouse button once.
Enter the recipient's email address
When Outlook Express appears, look at the top left corner of
the screen and you'll see a button called Create Mail. (If you
have an earlier version of the program, it may be called New
Mail). Click on this, and a window will pop up in which you can
type your message.
Make sure you pick the right box...
There are three narrow white boxes at the top, labelled
"To:", "Cc:" and "Subject:". A vertical line will be flashing in
the "To" box. This means it's ready for you to type the email
address of the person you want to email. This person is called
the "recipient".
Then tap in the address and subject
carefully
Type the recipient's email address carefully, making sure
it's exactly right. There's always an ?at? sign like this @
somewhere in the address, and be careful to make sure any full
stops appear in the right place (Tip: they never appear at the
end of an email address).
If you want to send the message to more than one person, press
the Return key on the keyboard when you finish the first email
address, and type the next one. If you want to send a copy of
the message to someone else, but don't expect a reply from them,
click in the "Cc" box and type their address there.
Click in the "Subject" box to put the text cursor there. This is
where you give your email a title. It should briefly describe
what the email is about. For example, if you're emailing someone
to tell them about your new email address, the subject might be
?My new email address?
Write your message
Now click in the large white box below the 'Subject' box.
This is where you type your message. Before you start, check
whether a small white box has appeared, below the subject,
containing the word ?Arial?. This allows you to choose a font
for your message. Buttons next to it provide other formatting
controls. However, applying formatting to an email message isn't
always a good idea, as it may mean some people won't receive it
correctly.
If there's not enough space - make some
more!
Your message can be as long or short as you like. If you fill
up all the space, the grey arrows to the right of your message
will turn black, and you can use them to move up and down the
text. If you like, you can make the space bigger. Move the
pointer onto the diagonal lines at the bottom right of the
window, so that it turns into a double-headed arrow. Then click
the left mouse button and hold it down while moving the mouse
down and to the right. Let go of the button when the window is
the size you want.
Emails usually begin ?Hi John?, or whatever the recipient's name
is, and finish with an informal greeting, such as ?Best wishes?,
followed by your own first name. You don't have to include your
email address, because it will appear automatically along with
your message.
Send your email
When you've finished your message, you can send it. Click on
the Send button at the top left of the message window, just
above the ?To? box. If you're not already connected to the
Internet at the moment, Outlook Express will try to connect to
send your message. A box will pop up for you to confirm this by
clicking Connect.
Your email is on its way!
It will take only a few seconds to make the connection and
send the message. The message will go to your ISP 'mail server'
? the computer that delivers email ? and from there it will be
transferred across the Internet. Your recipient's mail server
will pick it up and store it. The next time the recipient
connects to the Internet and checks their email, the message
will be 'delivered' to their computer.
After it leaves your PC, the message may be delivered within a
few seconds, or it may take longer. It depends on the general
performance of the Internet at the time. If the message can't be
delivered, you'll receive an error report, in the form of an
email message, within a few hours. This usually only happens if
the recipient's address was incorrect.
If Outlook Express made a connection to the Internet, you may
want to check that you're disconnected. Look at the Taskbar ?
the grey bar at the bottom of the screen with the Start button
at the left-hand end. At the right-hand end is a time display.
Next to this, if you're connected, is a picture of two
computers, flashing blue and black.
Double-click this to show a box that confirms the connection and
shows how long you have been online. To disconnect, simply click
Disconnect.
Congratulations! You have sent your first email message with
Outlook Express.
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