A Early versions of Netscape Messenger donÆt provide very many options when it comes to forwarding an e-mail message. In Netscape Messenger 4.08 and lower, the message to be forwarded is treated as an attachment when you click on the Forward button, and doesnÆt appear in the message area at all, making it difficult to edit. To make things worse, you canÆt open the attachment to edit it either. The solution to this problem lies in avoiding the Forward button altogether. Open the message you want to forward, then select File-Edit Message to open a new composition window that contains the message. Next, make your changes to the message, enter the recipientÆs e-mail address in the To: box, and hit the Send button.

You can also edit a message before forwarding it by using the Reply button. Open the message, click the Reply button, and select Edit-Select All. Next, click the Decrease Indent button on the toolbar to remove the quote formatting. Then enter the recipientÆs e-mail address and click the Send button.

Netscape Communicator 4.5x and 4.6 give you more options for controlling the forwarding process, including formatting. So if you regularly edit e-mail before forwarding it on, it may be worth your while to upgrade.