Windows 8.1 email setup

I recently helped an older (than me ...) couple set up their new computer , and yesterday they called to ask for help in setting up their email . I have no experience with the new comps , I'm a steadfast XP user . I did a little bit of research today , and it looks like they need an app for that ... is this how the new ones work ? I know how to set up the server settings , user stuff and all that , but had no luck at all trying to help them find the email client (over the phone) that I thought should be there - every OS I'm familiar with has one built in (or included) with the OS . I need some help here ...

Reply to
Terry Coombs
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The is no need to set-up an app when there are so many free internet emails like Outlook, Yahoo, or Gmail. It's also handier to check your email when you're not at home.

Reply to
bob_villa

There is a mail app on the modern UI interface, but it really sucks. Download a copy of Thunderbird for them, and call it a day.

Reply to
FrozenNorth

I'm with you. I'm still using OE6 on XP, even though I have a ridiculously powerful, dual-CPU Dell in the other room that was given to me. OE6 requires a little extra care for security, but it's very capable while also being fairly simple.

There was a discussion about this recently in the Win7 group. On Vista, Microsoft removed Outlook Express but added Windows Mail, a similar program. On Win7 there's nothing installed but one can install Windows Live Mail. Many people seem to think WLM is inferior to WM and there's a hack for getting WM running on Win7. At any rate, you should be able to install Windows Live Mail on Win8.

What I do for people is to install Thunderbird. It's not quite as well designed and intuitive as OE, but it's designed to be similar and works fairly well once it's set up. Though like Firefox, later versions may be more trouble to set up than older versions. I found that the only really confusing part was that TB sets up POP3 settings per account, but the outgoing SMTP settings, for reasons unknown, are separate. I actually set up a new email address for someone in TB just a few days ago. It worked OK, but TB wanted to hold my hand through the whole operation. It actually wouldn't allow the account to be set up until it succeeded in checking the email account with the settings I gave it! A somewhat understandable but maddening design on the part of the Mozilla people. TB should also import old email from MS programs if need be. Just tell it what to import during install and it should find the accounts. If the email is now on XP or Win7, on another computer, you should be able to just copy over the .dbx files from the Application Data folder and point TB at them.

I don't know of any other decent email software. There seem to be some old programs that have fans, but nothing that stands out.

Reply to
Mayayana

Generally, the only thing one needs today for email is a web browser

-- Firefox, Chrome, whatever; because most email is web-based. It's accessed from the web. There are dedicated programs for email if one insists on storing all correspondence on their own computer.

At that point it comes down to preference.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

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Reply to
Retired

| The is no need to set-up an app when there are so many free internet emails like Outlook, Yahoo, or Gmail. It's also handier to check your email when you're not at home. |

That's no help if they want to use an existing ISP account. There are also numerous advantages to ISP accounts. (Or any other real email, whether it be thorugh owning a domain/website, ISP, or paying for email service.)

Free webmail is an ad-supported service that basically belongs to the provider. They claim the right to read and keep your email, as well as showing you ads. They don't allow you to completely delete that email.

Most people have several free, real email accounts with their ISP. One can also have a large number of accounts by owning and hosting one's own domain. (I pay only $9/ month for full-service hosting.) And virtually all real email can also be accessed online as a webmail version if necessary. Real email also has all sorts of superior functionality, not the least of which is that it runs in a real software program, not as a javascript operation in a webpage. It also provides the ability to store all of your email locally and to delete it from the server. And it provides conveniences like extensive, custom filtering of email.

I accept spyware webmail (gmail, yahoo, facebook, outllok.com, live.com, hotmail) to some of my email addresses because I have to, but I don't write personal emails to those people. The email address for my website is set up to auto-delete free webmail. I figure that if people can't be bothered to spend a couple of minutes, or a couple of bucks, to have real email that's not run by a sleazy operation like Google or Yahoo, then there's no reason I should spend time reading their message, which is almost certainly asking me for a favor. :)

Reply to
Mayayana

What she said . These folks have an email account thru our local isp and don't want to change to a web-based email .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

yep, that's what I did for a pal.

I also downloaded OpenOffice, since the old Office 2000 wouldn't work, at least not without an emulator which is where I bailed.

Reply to
Pico Rico

Had that problem with Win 7 & 8.1 also. I now use eM Client

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It inputs any e-mail address of your choice, is free, and works reasonably well once you get used to it. With a paid version you can input several e-mails to it.

Reply to
RedAlt5

Thanks to all , I guess I'll be going over there and installing/configuring Tbird for these folks . I have both a gmail and outlook.com accounts , but they're throwaway accounts so I don't have to give out my primary pop3 account to every Tom Dick and Mary .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

My ISP is Charter and what you get from them is a quirky javascript account...which I don't use. MOST folks I know use web based email...but I'm certain no expert like you.

Reply to
bob_villa

But sometimes you actually want to keep your email on your 'puter. A real e-mail client is a good idea. I sprung for outlook (microsoft Office product, not the online service of the same name) but Mozilla has a good free one that works too.

Reply to
clare

On 16 Jan 2015, "Terry Coombs" wrote in alt.home.repair:

I believe that Windows 8.1 comes with a mail app, but the app runs only in the Modern (mobile-device-like) interface. This app will only work with IMAP servers, not POP3. Otherwise Windows no longer comes bundled with an email program like Outlook Express or Windows Mail.

They would be better off using one of the various free email programs such as Mozilla Thunderbird.

Reply to
Nil

RedAlt5 suggested one that looks pretty good . I may try that eMclient program he suggested . One thing I really like about OE6 is that I can set it to leave a copy on the server on the computer I take when I travel , so when I get home I can download the messages to my desktop - which is set to delete them from the server . The other options are to use the ISP's web interface orTbird . For myself , I don't use the webmail , I'd lots rather have those messages stored on MY comp than theirs .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

| My ISP is Charter and what you get from them is a quirky javascript account...which I don't use. | MOST folks I know use web based email...but I'm certain no expert like you. |

Most do. Most just don't think about it. I'm continually surprised that so few people don't mind having their personal corespondence (gmail) and their social life (Facebook) owned and hosted by an advertising company that disrespects their privacy. And according to Edward Snowden, also sends their email to the NSA. Microsoft, which is known to be sharing peoples' data with the NSA, is currently fighting the US gov't over a request that they turn over all European email stored on servers in Ireland. Microsoft, of course, couldn't care less about any of that. They've never respected anyone's privacy and were one of the first to claim co-ownership of content sent through hotmail. But it makes MS look bad if they steal private property from Europeans and give it to the US gov't. So they're going to court. The US gov't is taking the position that since MS hosts the email, the email itself is actually Microsoft business records rather than private correspondence, and therefore subject to US gov't demand!

It's up to you, but you can have email through Charter if you want to set it up. It's just a bit of a hassle because every ISP has slightly different settings that one has to find out. This link looks like it might provide what you need:

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Though I wonder if that page is outdated. It specifices port 25 for outgoing email, which is very uncommon these days. If you use TBird there's a good chance it will figure out your settings for you, just by entering your email address at Charter.

Reply to
Mayayana

On 16 Jan 2015, "Terry Coombs" wrote in alt.home.repair:

POP3 is designed for deleting the email from the server after downloading by default, but every POP3 client that I've ever seen can be set up to leave the mail on the server. OE isn't unique in that respect. Thunderbird can do both POP3 and IMAP.

IMAP systems are designed for leaving all mail on the server, but to also download and keep a copy locally.

I use IMAP on all my portable devices and POP3 on my main desktop computer. That way I can read mail from everywhere for a couple of days, after which it all gets to the desktop and can be archived.

Microsoft seems to be trying to hasten the demise of POP3 by no longer including any POP3 clients with Windows. Most email servers have IMAP available, but not all. Gmail and Yahoo do. My ISP, Comcast has had it for the last year or two, although they don't advertise it. Verizon does.

Reply to
Nil

You may want to check their ISP. Mine offers web based email service as well as pop and imap.

I keep my real and throwaway accounts all with Gmail. I hook them together so I can read everything in one place. Further it makes me independent of my ISP. I have 3 ISP choices here and when I switch I don't have to go through the hassle of changing email addresses. Gmail has pop and imap service so it works with just about anything.. For my phone I use the K-9 imap android app.

Reply to
scarecrow

Do they have Outlook or Thunderbird? Both are free, easy to set up and both can be used to configure email accounts regardless of it's ISP.

Reply to
Meanie

We have the same ISP , the only one available here unless we go with satellite ... ours offers web email , but I don't like it and from thesse folks' responses when I told them the new comp stores everything in the cloud they won't either . They're both in their 90's , and neither is computer literate . I want to keep it as simple as possible for them , they aren't interested in new tricks .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

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