------------------------------------------------------------ README for Microsoft Outlook(TM) Express September l997 ------------------------------------------------------------ (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1997 This document provides complementary or late-breaking information to supplement the documentation. ------------------------ HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ------------------------ To view Msimn.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window. To print Msimn.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, then use the Print command on the File menu. CONTENTS ======== MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS KNOWN ISSUES IN THIS RELEASE TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS AND TRICKS SUPPORT FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS ========================= Outlook Express Mail is an Internet standards based e-mail and news reader. To read e-mail with Outlook Express, you must be using a mail system that uses SMTP and POP3 protocols. At this time, you cannot use Microsoft Outlook Express to access your e-mail account with any of the following services: MS Mail, cc:Mail, The Microsoft Network (MSN), with the exception of the MSN "Metro" (MSN 2.5) beta release, CompuServe, America Online (AOL), or Microsoft Exchange Server prior to version 5. If you don't know whether your system uses these services, contact your administrator or your Internet service provider and ask if they support SMTP/POP3 mail clients. KNOWN ISSUES IN THIS RELEASE ============================ - When receiving a message using a GeoCities mail account, you might be unable to view any of the original message, or you may see only the following information: Postage Paid by... [graphic]. - You will not be able to see embedded objects or images sent from people using Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Windows Messaging. File attachments work fine, however. - If you use HTML in your signature, and you send the message before any included images have finished drawing, the text you add to the message may be lost. - Some mail clients send Cyrillic messages with tags indicating that they are in a western European character set. As a result, Outlook Express uses a western-European font to display the message, which then appears garbled. To work around this problem, click the View menu, click Language, and then choose a Russian character set, such as K0I8. The message should display properly using the Russian font. - While sending and retrieving messages, closing Outlook Express and restarting it will cause Outlook Express to crash. - If you send a Rich Text (HTML) message which contains embedded pictures and the option to "Send pictures with message" is turned off, any pictures from a local computer or LAN will not be viewed when receiving and reading the message using Netscape's Messenger. TROUBLESHOOTING =============== - If you run into a problem, try the troubleshooter in online Help or on the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/support/tshooters.htm. To start the online Help troubleshooters, carry out the following steps: 1. In Outlook Express, click the Help menu, and then click Help Topics. 2. Double-click the "Troubleshooting" topic on the Contents tab. - Check your connection to your Internet service provider. - If you are unable to send or receive mail, check the following: - The TCP/IP protocol is installed on your computer. - All cables are properly connected to your computer, modem, or LAN. - You have a PPP or SLIP account with your Internet service provider. - Your Internet service provider or LAN server supports POP3 and SMTP. - Your modem communication parameters (baud rate and type of protocol) are set correctly. TIPS AND TRICKS =============== - Use the Check Names command, available on the Tools menu or on the New Message toolbar, to look up a person's e-mail address when sending mail.  The name will be underlined when the associated address is found. - You can move the toolbar to the bottom edge of your screen by right-clicking it and then choosing Bottom from the Align menu. - To send a mail message in Plain Text only (no HTML formatting), click the Format menu, and then click on Plain Text. To make Plain Text the default setting for new messages, replies, and forwarded messages, click the Tools menu, click Options, click the Send tab, and then select Plain Text under Mail sending format. - You can resize the preview pane or the message list by dragging the divider between the preview pane and the message list. - You can change how the preview pane splits, or turn it off entirely, by clicking the View menu, clicking Layout and changing the options in the dialog box. - You can set messages to automatically download to the preview pane by clicking the Tools menu, clicking Options, clicking the Read tab, then selecting the Automatically Show Messages in the Preview Pane check box. - To view the e-mail address of someone who has sent you a message, double-click the message to open it, then double-click the author's name in the From field. You can also add this person to your Address Book by right-clicking the name, and then clicking Add To Address Book. - In mail, you can leave a copy of your messages on the server. To set this option, click the Tools menu, and then click Accounts. Select the mail account you want to modify, and then click Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and then select the Leave A Copy Of Messages On Server check box. - You can have your signature added to all messages, including those that you reply to or forward. To do this, click the Tools menu, and then click Stationery. On the Mail tab, select the following check box: Add Signature To The End Of All Outgoing messages. - It is possible to use HTML files as signatures as well as plain text files. - To reorder columns, you can drag and drop column headings. Columns can be resized by dragging the right edge of the column header. SUPPORT FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK EXPRESS ===================================== For the latest information about Outlook Express as well as a list of Frequently Asked Questions, see our Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/collab/imn. You may find that your questions can be answered here. A newsgroup is dedicated to the discussion of Microsoft Outlook Express and provides peer support: - news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.inetexplorer.ie4.OutlookExpress This site is the best place to go if you are experiencing a problem, as someone else who experienced the same problem might already have posted the solution.