Managing your E-mail

Want to back up your address book or move e-mail messages over to a different computer? Here's help.

Outlook Contacts - Moving data files
Q: What is the procedure to transfer my Outlook Contacts Database from one computer to another computer. Do l need to create a comma delimited file to complete this file transfer?
A: A comma separated values ("CSV") export file (e.g., item1,item2,item3,etc.) is a common method of converting a database of items from one database system to another -- typically an otherwise incompatible system --  but this is not necessary if both computers are using the standard Windows Address Book. If both computers are to be running Outlook Express (and thus using the same collection of addresses), you will find that your Outlook address book is saved in a file that ends with ".WAB" -- typically, in the following directory: C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book
 
Do a search for "*.wab" and move that file over to the new system.
 
You'll also find the collection of saved messages in C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express, if you want to move any of those over as well.

If, however, you do need to create a CSV export file, you can do this using Outlook's Address book "Other Address Book..." option, found in the Address book's File menu's Export options. When selected, you will be able to create a text file of comma separated values. Then, you would need to import these values from another program that provided this as an import option. Virtually all databases provide CSV and "tab delimited" (item1<tab>item2<tab>item3<tab>etc.) options.

Another method is via ExpressAssist 2000, a backup program for Outlook Express. With it, you can easily make duplicate copies of your Outlook Express mail folders in one easy step. Use ExpressAssist to synchronize folders if you have Outlook Express on multiple machines, and even save and restore your Internet Explorer Favorites. You'll find ExpressAssist 2000 at http://www.wugnet.com/shareware/00/week204

Alternatively, you could try this method, sent in by Francisco Montero-Núñez (francisc@islandnet.com):
To import data from one database into another, where usual import export functions aren't available or don't work, install a generic Windows printer (maker: Generic; model: Generic/Text only) and set it up to print to a file. If the application is DOS based, it could be set to capture LPT2: to make it as simple as possible. Then the user will have to create a report in the database application and print to this new printer. Any database program would be able to import the data (it might be possible to emulate CSV format by adding quotes and commas). Worst case scenario, a Perl script could parse the old data and put it in something more standard like dbase format. Maybe this requires more skills than the average user but if you have five years of customer data, it is worth trying.

To move email to a PC from a Mac (or vice versa), use the converter scripts at www.macemail.com. With them, you can transfer email messages and contact names between Outlook Express or Outlook on a PC and Entourage or Outlook Express on a Mac. You may find it easiest to download and decompress the (StuffIt-compressed) AppleScript files on a Mac. The author of the program cautions that moving data to the PC can take a long time, especially if there are multiple folders of mail to be converted.

Outlook Express: Fancy Formatting
Q: Other people send me e-mail with fancy fonts and formatting. How can I do this with Outlook Express?

A: You need to enable the "rich text" feature of your email program, to enable the font, paragraph, indent and other options that were previously available. To do this, Just go to the format menu and choose Rich Text. Remember,, however, that other users without advanced mail programs might see the embedded codes as gibberish when you do this. It might be best to use Outlook Express' "Send mail the the same format as you receive it" function, to be on the safe side.

In recent versions of Outlook Express, it is also possible to attach a sound to an email message, so that it plays automatically when the mail is opened or previewed.
 
When you use the Add Sound function of Outlook Express to attach a sound such as "tada.wav" (Create Mail > Format > Background > Sound...), it adds code like this to the message:
 
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2535.0" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff><BGSOUND balance=0 src="C:\WINDOWS\Media\tada.wav"
volume=0>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Your email body text goes here....</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
 
Similarly, a custom background or color can be added.
 
Note, however, that if the recipient's email program doesn't understand HTML, it won't work. If the recipient's email program DOES understand HTML, but doesn't understand the Microsoft-specific "BGSOUND" tag, it won't work. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

As with custom fonts or other fancy formatting, there is no guarantee that the recipient will be using an email program that supports the various multimedia enhancements Outlook Express (or some other software title) is capable of inserting into the file. It's an issue that's difficult to solve definitively. There are, however, some things you can do.
 
To address this you must do one or more of the following:

1. Persuade everybody to standardize on the same email program (Microsoft has already tried this. ;-)
2. Develop and include multiple pieces of code for the most popular browsers/email programs (thus risking the possibility that the sound may play twice, as happens if the Netscape EMBED tag is also included.)
3. Use some sort of intelligent routine on the server that understands what kind of browser they have and automatically sends the appropriate file type.
4. Use a more widely compatible standard (e.g., Flash)
5. Don't include the sound, and instead invite people to link to it via a Web browser, then post it in a widely compatible format such as MP3.

All of these options have their merits. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Although I recommend that you try to create content that everyone can enjoy, a part of me asks: If you send it from Outlook Express and users of Netscape or Eudora (etc.) can't hear it, who cares? They're a relatively tiny minority, and they probably don't even know there is supposed to be a sound in there.
 
For better or worse, Microsoft's browser and its associated email tools are the dominant forces in the market, and IE is by far the richest browser in terms of multimedia support. If recipients of your messages don't wish to take advantage of the extra features offered, it's their loss.

Outlook Express: Send Only
Q: There are times when I want to send mail to myself, but receive that mail on a different computer (I have a PC and a Mac). Is is possible to send mail but not receive it using Outlook Express?

A: Yes. There is a small arrow next to the "Send/Recv" icon in the Outlook Express toolbar. Click there and you will find options to Send all or Receive all. Alternatively, you could ask your Internet Service Provider company if it supports "IMAP." This email protocol supports the storage of email on the server, allowing you to access the same messages from multiple computers.

Email Messages: Can't Read
Q: I sometimes receive email messages that I can't read. They appear as gibberish, full of strange characters. What is going on?

A: Here's how to read these message.

1. Open the message in Outlook Express
2. Select File > Properties from Outlook Express's File menu
3. Click the "Details" tab.
4. Click the Message Source... tab and scroll down to read.

In most cases, you will see some indication of the country of origen of the file. If, for example, it says it is from "venus.seed.net.tw," you know it is from Taiwan (.tw) and you may surmise that it might be junk mail from a porn purveyor ("venus.seed"). You may even  You may sometimes see a line of text that says something like "!!!!!!!!IF YOU ARE FORIGEN I AM VERY SORRY!!!!!!"
 
If it says it is from a foreign country, then that is the most likely reason why you can't read the message -- it's in a different language. In this case, you'd have to have a Taiwanese character set installed on your computer and read Taiwanese to understand this message. The principle would be the same with other "forigen" [sic] languages that do not use Western character encodings.

Outlook Express: Cleaning Up
Q: When I opened up my e-mail recently, a notice told me I needed to clean-up nine hundred and some odd excess letters in the in-box...I didn't really read it and just pushed OK.  After awhile when it all downloaded, there I was left with all the letters that I had trashed and deleted since 1998.  They're just sitting there in Inbox beside "sealed envelopes" and it's so locked up, I can't even read my e-mail.  As you see, I can still send and I can also forward them to other people.  There are a bunch in the Sent box and also the Trash.  I had been very careful to always keep them cleaned up every week and now EVERYTHING is all back and mixed up royally.

A: The way I handle that sort of problem is to move items to separate local folders. For example, I keep monthly folders called Old Mail-Sept99, Old Mail-Aug99, etc. Just drag the mail items out of the "big mess" area into newly created folders.

Outlook Express: Can't Find Modem
Q: I've got a strange problem. When I launch the Outlook Express email program, it gives me an error message saying it can't find my modem, but when I launch my web browser or double-click the dial-up networking icon, it works fine. What's up?

A: This happens when the name of the dial-up adapter found in your Tools>Internet Options>Connections>Dial up Settings does not match the name specified in your dial-up networking "Connect Using..." properties. This is caused by redefining the modem with a different name (or installing a different modem), and can be fixed by changing it so that the default connection name shown in Outlook Express' Tools>Accounts menu matches the one in the dial-up networking folder's "Connect Using..." dialog, found by selecting Properties of the current default connection.

Reducing Spam
Q: I would like to reduce the amount of Spam I receive on my computer. What can I do?

A: The easiest way is to use a program such as Spam Weasel. There are other things you can do, as well. To minimize the junk mail you receive, never give out your email address, never reply to a spam -- especially to request removal from their mailing list! -- never post the address on a website or a Usenet newsgroup. Even after taking all of these steps (some of which may be impractical or impossible!), you'd probably still receive some spam. To combat it, you can set up Rules in your email program to delete all files containing a certain word (I have one that automatically deletes all files containing the characters "!!!") and, if you want to be really thorough, you or your ISP could run a server-side program that intelligently filters email and blocks all incoming mail from known spammers. There are various "blacklists" on the internet, including several designed to combat the "open relay" method of unauthorized mail forwarding employed by most spammers to send massive amounts of mail... from someone else's account! See the anti-anti-spam article at http://lowendmac.com/practical/02/0115.html for more suggestions.

Problems receiving attachments
Q: I am having problems receiving attachments in Outlook Express. What's weird is the fact that my other machine, running Outlook, receives them with no problem. What's wrong?

A: Typically, these messages were sent from a machine running Outlook, with the attachment encoding option set to "none." Set it to "base64" and the problem (which can also manifest as an unopenable attachment named "winmail.dat") will vanish.

Spelling Checker Problems
Q: I am having a problem where I get a message "The spell check on this document was halted. Do you want to send anyway?" when I try to spell-check and send a document. What's wrong?
A: This is a known issue, with a number of causes, including missing or corrupted files. Microsoft KnowledgeBase article #224176 has details.

For Further Reading

• Databases on the Web
• Getting Organized
• Eudora Pro Addressbook Tips
• Sacramento Bee: Copying Netscape address book on Mac [Apr. 18, 2002]

How to manage your Eudora Address Book. This document will explain a little about how the Eudora Pro for Windows address book works and the functions of which it is capable. URL: www.purduenc.edu/is/text/faq/abook.html