Fear No Evil

Are you using Microsoft Windows XP?  How about Microsoft Outlook Express?  Actually, you can be using Windows Me or any version that comes with Outlook Express Version 6 (or later).  Follow these easy steps and then you can exchange e-mail completely safe from evil.

 

1)  Your first step is to open Outlook Express - click on the Address Book and update your listing of all of the people with whom you wish to exchange electronic messages to include the e-mail addresses of contacts, i.e., folks at the various vendors and subscriptions such as Steve Bass or Steve and Barbara Mikkelson at Snopes.  Once you have your Address Book up to date and error-free, go to Step Number 2.

2)  In Outlook Express - on the Top Toolbar, click View to open a drop-down menu, then click the menu option Layout - you can see the steps in this screen snapshot:

 

 

NOTE:  You can see Outlook Express with the "Layout" modified in the above screen snapshot.  Prevent e-mail from opening automatically in your browser protects you from "gotchas" and horrendous surprises!!

 

3)  In the "Basic" Section of the Window Layout Properties pane, check or uncheck the boxes to duplicate the following template.  In the Preview Pane section - be sure to uncheck the box Show Preview Pane!  When you have finished, click the "Apply" Button:

 

                           

 

 

4)  Return to Outlook Express and click on "Tools" (right side of "View") to deploy a drop-down menu.  Hi-lite the menu option "Message Rules" to open another menu where you can slide your mouse pointer over and onto and click the menu option "Mail..."  Check the steps in the following screen snapshot:

 

                     

5)  The above actions displays the Message Rules panel:

 

          

 

6)  Click on the New... Button to open the New Mail Rule panel.  You can see that I have clicked the top box in Sections 1 and 2:

 

 

                    

 

7)  In Section 3, click on the link contains people to open the Select People pane:

 

                     

 

8)  Click on the Address Book... Button in the right sidebar to open your Address Book and select the people's e-mail names and addresses from whom you want to receive message traffic:

 

                     

 

You have your choice of two options - you can hi-lite the address line and then click the From -> Button to transfer the e-mail name and address - OR you can speed the process up by double-clicking each line.

 

9)  When you have completed transferring the list of people -

 

                                     

- click the OK Button to return to the Select People Pane:

 

            

 

10)  Click the OK Button to return to the New Mail Rule panel and verify that the e-mail addressees are intact. 

 

           

 

11)  In Section 3 the next step involves scrolling down to the end of the listing of people's e-mail addresses where we must create a new mailbox folder:

 

           

 

12)  Click on the underscored specified folder link:

 

 

          

 

13)  Hi-lite the Inbox Mailbox Folder in the Move pane and then click New Folder (hi-lited) in the right sidebar:

 

          

 

14)  Type Friends and click the OK Button to return to the Move pane.  The new mailbox folder "Friends" is inserted.

 

          

 

15)  Click the OK Button to return to the New Mail Rule panel where you have one last chance to view New Mail Rule #1.  Click the OK Button when you have finished.

 

          

 

16)  You are returned to the Message Rules Panel where you can see the Apply Now... Button in the right sidebar.  It is hi-lited for you - so click the button to apply the rule:

 

                     

 

17)  The Apply Mail Rules Now pane reflects your actions up to this point.  Note that the Apply to Folder is the Inbox and the Rule Description is properly stated.  You must once again click on another Apply Now Button to finish:

 

              

 

18)  The following certifies that your New Rule #1 is now valid.

 

                               

 

 

Copy And Modify Rule #1 to create New Mail Rule #2:

 

1)  Picking up where we left off, we can begin the easy steps to Copy and then Modify Mail Rule #1 to create Mail Rule #2.  In the right sidebar - click the Copy Button (hi- lited):

 

 

           

 

2)  The Message Rules panel now includes New Mail Rule #1 and a copy of New Mail Rule #1.  Click the Modify Button in the right sidebar. 

 

              

 

3)  Do not be concerned with Sections 1 and 2 - scroll all the way down to Section 3 (Rule Description) and click on the underscored word contains:

 

                           

 

 

4)  The Select People pane opens - but instead of opening the Address Book as we did in New Mail Rule #1 - click on the hi-lited Options Button: 

 

             

 

5)  Move the bullseye down to the hi-lited option and check to see that the Rule Condition is properly worded before you click the OK Button:

 

              

 

6)  The Edit Mail Rule Panel opens.  In Section 3 - scroll all the way to the end where you can create the specified Mailbox Folder for Mail Rule #2.

 

               

 

7)  Click on the underscored word Friends in Section 3:

 

            

 

8)  Hi-lite the Deleted Items mailbox folder and click on the New Folder Button in the right sidebar (hi-lited):

 

              

 

9)  When the New Folder pane appears - type in SPAM and then click the OK Button.

 

                

 

10)  After you have verified that Section 3 is correct - change New Mail Rule #1 to read New Mail Rule #2 in Section 4.  Click the OK Button.

 

                 

 

11)  You can see that we now have two New Mail Rules.  Click the Apply Now Button (hi-lited) and the OK Button.

 

            

 

12)  Check the Rule Description and then click the Apply Now Button.

 

              

 

13)  Outlook Express notifies you that your rule(s) have been applied to the folder Inbox - click OK.

 

 

                

 

14)  Two down and one to go:

 

 

 

                              

 

 

Create Rule #3 from scratch:

 

 

1)  Click Tools and hi-lite Message Rules and when the extended menu deploys - click Mail to open the following panel:

            

             

 

2)  Click the New... Button (right sidebar) to open...

 

                

 

 

 3)  In Section 1, click to place a checkmark in the box "Where the message has an attachment".  Change Section 4 to read "New Mail Rule #3.  Click the underscored word specified in Section 3.

 

 

             

 

 

 4)  Hi-lite Mailbox Folder Inbox and then click the New Folder Button on the right sidebar.

 

             

 

5)  Type in Suspect Mail and click the OK Button.

 

              

 

6)  Verify that the New Mail Rule #3 is complete - then click the OK Button:

 

            

 

7)  Click the Apply Now Button and when you are returned to the Message Rules panel - click Apply Now again to see the Outlook Express verification notice.

 

            

 

 

Using Blocked Senders to stop SPAM:

 

 

1)  From time to time you will find pesky e-mail messages in your SPAM mailbox folder.  When you visit a webpage during routine searches - that webpage might download a cookie to your hard drive.  The cookie might be benign, but in some cases the cookie might be the culprit that keeps SPAM flowing.  Or - you might have forgotten to add an old friend's e-mail address when you created Message Rule #1 or perhaps someone you do not know has written to you and wants to be a friend and exchange e-mail with you.  You need to designate a day and time to routinely check your SPAM folder and empty it (delete) unwanted message traffic.  Open Outlook Express and click Tools to open a drop-down menu.  On the drop-down menu, hi-lite Message Rules to open an extension menu - and then click on option Blocked Senders List - the steps are shown in the graphic image below:

 

       

 

2)  The Message Rules pane is multi-tabbed - with Mail Rules on the left side and Blocked Senders on the right.

 

          

 

3)  Click the Add... Button to open the following pane:

 

           

 

4)  You have two options:  You can hi-lite, copy, and then paste e-mail addresses found in Complete Message Headers or directly from the Subject Line of in-coming e-mail - OR you can type the address in manually as I have done entering the ficticious e-mail address above.  When you have completed an entry (to Add) - click OK.

 

            

 

5)  To remove entries, hi-lite the line as seen above and click on the Remove button in the right sidebar.  We will begin with this same panel set to Mail Rules in the last topic of this Cyber Chronicle.

 

KEEPING EVERYTHING ORDERLY

 

 

1)  It is paramount that you set aside one day to do your "Field Maintenance".  My day is Friday of each week.  The following view of the Message Rules  panel is the place to begin because the right sidebar contains the controls that you will need in the form of BUTTONS:

 

                    

 

 

 2)  When one (or more) of the people whose e-mail name and addresses are used in Message Rules #1 and #2 switches Internet Service Providers or sets up an Internet Mail Account (gmail, yahoo, etc.) you will need to ADD the new e-mail names and addresses in the Rule Description sections (Section 3).  The same "field" maintenance will also be needed for those who have cancelled one (or more) of their accounts.  Hi-lite New Mail Rule #1 (shown in the above Message Rules pane.  Click the Modify button in the right sidebar to open the Edit Mail Rule panel:

 

            

 

 

3)  Place your mouse pointer over the underscored word contains in Section 3 and then click the line to open the Select People pane:

 

           

 

4)  Click the Address Book button to open the Rule Addresses panel:

 

              

 

5)  Scroll down through the list of People and locate the name of the NEW individual to be added to the Mail Rule and then click the From ->button (hi-lited above) to move the individual to the "Rule Addresses":

 

              

 

6)  When the individual's name(s) have been selected and moved to the right column - click the OK button to proceed.

 

               

 

7)  Click the OK button once more to complete the process and you can see the last entry in Section 3 has been up- dated to include the new person.

 

               

 

Changes and/or additions made to Rule #1 will also be automatically made to Rule #2.  There is yet another path which can be used to make changes to people listed in your Address Book.  Right-click a name and then click on the menu option Properties and when the individual's e-mail properties panel appears, click on the Name Tab and make any changes, i.e., Edit, Remove:

 

                

 

 

Group Therapy

 

1)  It is adviseable to send multiple-recipient messages in "packets" of less than 20 recipients - 15 being the ideal number.  You can do this by numbering or naming the Groups.  In the following screen snapshot you can see that I have hi-lited a Group simply named "3":

 

                

 

2)  By right-clicking the hi-lited line and selecting the menu option Properties you can manage any or all of the individuals making up the Group.  As you can see in the panel below - you can ADD new members or remove members that are no longer active.  By right-clicking a single individual - you can select the Properties option: