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IT'S NOT THE SIZE OF THE WINDOW
Well, then again, it is. In a tip some time ago, we brought up this annoying problem with Outlook Express: When you compose a new message or open an existing one in the message list, there's no way to set the program to automatically open the ensuing message window maximized (so that it fills the screen). But we hate to admit complete and utter defeat at the hands of OE, so we've come up with this partial solution:

1. Press Ctrl + N to compose a new message or double-click a message in the message list to open it.
2. Place the pointer over the upper-left corner of the message window so that the cursor turns into a diagonal double arrow; then click and drag the window as far up and to the left as you can resize it.
3. Place the pointer over the lower-right corner of the message window so that the cursor turns into a diagonal double arrow; then click and drag the window as far down and to the right as you can resize it.
4. Either complete and send the message the way you normally would or press the Esc key to close out the window. (Either way, it doesn't matter. It's just a "dummy" message--no offense.)

In any case, the next time you compose a new message or open an existing one, Outlook Express opens a BIGGER window for the message--still not maximized, mind you, but better than the tiny thing that opened before. Hey, we said it was a partial solution! (By the way, if you simply manually maximize the message window somehow, that does nothing with respect to opening future windows.)

AND THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE
Subscriber Antony W. wants to know why Outlook Express removes from the system tray (down on his taskbar) the cute little envelope icon that indicates new mail before he's done reading all his new messages. Well, Antony, whenever you receive a batch of e-mail and then perform some kind of function on one of your messages, it's gonzo for the little envelope. In fact, whatever action you take doesn't even have to be on a new or unread message. The mail notification envelope icon automatically disappears when you perform any of the following functions on ANY of your messages:

COMPUTE YOUR LOGGER RHYTHM
When you're online--that is, connected to your ISP--you might want Outlook Express to check your mail server automatically every so often to see whether you got any new mail. Simple enough:

1. Choose Tools + Options.
2. Select the Check For New Messages Every X Minute(s) option (a checkmark should appear next to it).
3. If you want to change how often Outlook checks for messages, double-click in the Number field and type in the number you want.
4. Click OK.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU--PART 1 OF 5
You've got a friend--let's call him Jonny--who has a PC running Windows 95 but DOESN'T have an e-mail program or ISP. So what do you do when Jonny asks you to transfer a saved message or two to him? Well, if you're a lot more patient and a lot less sarcastic than we are, you tell him it's no problem. With the following method, you can save individual e-mail messages as text files and share messages with people who don't use Outlook Express:

1. Select the message by clicking it in the message list.
2. Choose File + Save As.
3. In the File Name field, type a name for the file.
4. Press the Tab key and then type a T to indicate that you want to save the message as a text file.
5. Click the Save In field and choose Desktop.
6. Click Save.
7. Click the Show Desktop icon from the Quick Launch toolbar (or get to your desktop however you normally do it).
8. Make sure you have a formatted floppy disk waiting inside a floppy drive that's connected to your computer.
9. Right-click the icon for the text file you just created.
10. Choose Send To + 3 1/2 Floppy (A).

Now you've got a floppy disk with that message file on it; you can share this disk with anyone whose computer has a text editor (such as Notepad)--probably even Jonny!

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU--PART 2 OF 5
In the previous tip, we told you how to use Outlook Express's File + Save As command to save a message as a text file on a floppy disk, presumably so that a friend who's not an Outlook Express user can view it. Now, you're probably going to want to know how to actually SEE the message on your friend's computer. Well, after a short nap, get yourself--or at least the floppy disk with the file on it--over to your friend's pad and do the following:

1. Place the floppy disk into the floppy drive connected to your friend's computer.
2. Click Start and choose Run.
3. In the Open field (my, how majestic-sounding that is!), type

a:\message file.txt

(We're assuming that your friend's floppy drive is A: and that you boringly called the message file "message file." Make the appropriate substitutions when you type that line.)
4. Click OK.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU--PART 3 OF 5
In the last couple of tips, we showed you how to save a message as a text file and then look at the file on another computer. Does the fun stop there? My stars, no! We don't want to just show you how to VIEW a message on a computer that lacks Outlook Express. We want to show you how to TRANSFER the message to that computer (or FROM another user's computer, if you happen to be on the receiving end):

1. With the message on a floppy disk, open it (most likely in Notepad) on your friend's computer and choose File + Save As.
2. Double-click in the File Name field and type a new name, if you want to rename the file.
3. Click the Save In field and choose Desktop--or choose a different location in a particular folder, if you want.
4. Click Save.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU--PART 4 OF 5
Just so you know, when you save an Outlook Express e-mail message as a text file (using Outlook Express's File + Save As command), that zaps any attachments. But if you do the following, you can save the message attachments:

1. Make sure a formatted floppy disk is waiting inside a floppy drive that's connected to your computer.
2. With the attachment-enhanced message highlighted in the message list, choose File + Save Attachments, then select the attachment's file name. (If the message has multiple attachments, you can choose one attachment at a time or all of them at once.)
3. Click the Save In field and choose 3 1/2 Floppy (A:).

Depending on the size of the file (and how much stuff was already on the floppy disk when you started this process), you should probably be able to fit the message AND the attachments on the same floppy.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU--PART 5 OF 5
So far in this series, we've shown you how to turn a mail message into a text file, save it onto a floppy disk, and view and save it (along with any attachments) on a computer that doesn't have Outlook Express. Today, we show you how to transfer e-mail from one computer with Outlook Express to another computer with Outlook Express. Oh sure, you COULD just do it by e-mail, but that's not much fun. Besides, if you save a message to a floppy disk using THIS method, you can essentially transfer the message AND back it up in the same process:

1. Click the message in the message list to select it.
2. Choose File + Save As. 3. In the File Name field, type a memorable name for the file.
4. Click the Save In field and choose Desktop.
5. Click Save.
6. Click the Show Desktop icon from the Quick Launch toolbar (or get to your desktop however you normally do it).
7. Make sure a formatted floppy disk is waiting inside a floppy drive that's connected to your computer.
8. Right-click the icon for the message file you just created.
9. Choose Send To + 3 1/2 Floppy (A).
10. When you want to view the message, pop the floppy disk into a drive (either yours or one that's connected to another computer), click the Start button and choose Run, and then type

a:\filename.eml

(where "a:" is the correct floppy drive letter and "filename" is whatever you called the file).

The key to this method is that it saves the file with an EML extension, the one Outlook Express e-mail uses. Messages saved in this way automatically retain their attachments, unlike messages saved in the TXT (text) file format.

HEY, MR. ITCHY TRIGGER FINGER
If you've ever locked yourself out of car, home, or office, you know that sinking feeling in your stomach. It's your body's way of saying, "Hey, numbskull, THINK before you do things like that." Yet we all know it won't be the last time we do something like that. Consider this not-so-unlikely scenario: You open an e-mail message--either a draft or one you've received--and press Alt + Tab to get back to the main view; then you press the Delete key for some reason and accidentally delete the message right off the message list.

Slow down, Spazzo. Don't worry. You haven't lost the message. Just press Alt + Tab to get back to the open version of it that you still have. Then do either of the following:

 

DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU
With the anticipation of a kid on Christmas day, you fire up your Internet browser, log on to your ISP, hop over to your favorite Web site, and wait for it to load fully. After what seems like a day and a half, you're disappointed to find that nothing's different since the last time you logged on to that page. Bummer! However, O Anxious One, you could have avoided that anticlimactic, time-wasting scenario if you'd had the foresight to tell your faithful Web page to notify you by e-mail when something's changed:

1. From your Internet Explorer 4 browser, choose Favorites + Add To Favorites.
2. Click the radio button next to the Yes, But Only Tell Me When This Page Is Updated option.
3. Click Customize.
4. Click the radio button next to Yes, Send An E-Mail Message To The Following Address.
5. If the e-mail address listed isn't your current one, click Change Address, type the correct one, and click OK.
6. Click Next.
7. If the site requires a user name and password for entry, click the radio button next to the Yes, My User Name And Password Are option, click each of the fields, and fill in the appropriate information.
8. Click Finish.

>From then on, whenever the site changes Outlook e-mails you automatically. How's THAT for efficient executive treatment on the Internet?

AS A MATTER INFECT
A subscriber recently wrote in asking how to delete a message in her Inbox without opening it. We told her to simply right-click the message in the message list and choose Delete. More interesting than the no-look nuke is WHY she wanted to do this: A friend had recently told her that if she opened a certain notorious message, it would erase her hard drive. Well, because this is such a common question and valid concern, we're taking the opportunity to discuss the infectious matter further here.

First of all, as an Outlook Express user, you have the preview pane and don't even NEED to open an e-mail before reading and/or deleting it. Second of all, a regular, plain text message CAN'T do anything to harm your computer physically (anymore than a regular letter in the mail can physically harm you). It's just text.

But, as we know from the whole Unabomber ordeal, it IS possible to send something that looks normal but has devastating results. Enter the virus. In the world of computers, a virus is a tiny little (evil) program specifically designed to attach itself sneakily to some other application on your computer and wreak havoc (corrupt programs, delete files, alter data, and so on). The scary part is that a virus can spread to other programs whenever that original host program runs. The good part is that you can protect yourself by continually running an antivirus program and being very cautious about taking the following actions:

ALL HOAXES? NOT LOST
Last time, we discussed a few of the harsh realities of computer viruses and how to protect yourself when e-mailing. Unfortunately, even while running an antivirus program and being careful about what you download onto your system, you'll most likely run into another dreaded e-mail entity: hoaxes. They tend to play off fear, ignorance, and sometimes sympathy. They say things like "pass this on to as many people as possible" and "this isn't a hoax," and can actually sound quite convincing. The result, ironically, is that through rapid multiple forwarding they tend to spread quickly across the Internet like--you guessed it--a virus. So before you (and everyone on your list) fall victim to such a scam, take a minute to check out these wisdom-filled Web sites and verify whether the e-mail you've received is a genuine, documented hoax or not:

http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

http://kumite.com/myths/

http://www.ncsa.com/services/consortia/anti-virus/alerthoax.html

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

THE REFRESH THAT PAUSES
The F5 function key is a good key to know about. When you're online browsing with Internet Explorer 4, pressing F5 refreshes whatever page you happen to be checking out at the time. In other words, it updates the graphics, links, and information you're able to see.

This ability relates back to Outlook Express because you can receive links and graphics--and even Web pages themselves--in e-mails. So when you're online in Outlook Express and looking at a message that has rich text (HTML) in it, press the F5 key to refresh the graphics.

What happens if you press F5 when you're offline? Well, Curious George, among other things it updates your view. For instance, if you're viewing only unread messages (choose View + Current View + Unread Messages to set this option) and then read a number of messages in the message list, pressing F5 eliminates the read messages from view (but not from existence). Furthermore, you may get a message telling you that you're offline and asking whether you want to go online at that point. That's because pressing F5 is also a quick way to tell Outlook Express to check for new messages. Talk about a function key!