E-mail Account Management
Step-by-step instructions are available to help you:
MSN® Mail
MSN Mail Using Outlook Express
MSN Mail Using MSN Premium Browser
Troubleshooting
Outlook® Express
Can I use Outlook to send and receive my MSN® Mail?
Yes, you can configure Outlook Express to send and receive MSN Mail.
How do I configure Microsoft® Outlook Express 5.0, 5.5, or
6.0 to send and receive my MSN® Mail using the online configuration tool?
- From your Web browser, go to the online help page.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
How do I configure Microsoft® Outlook Express 5.0 or 5.5 to
send and receive my MSN Mail manually?
- From the Outlook Express Tools menu, select Accounts.
- Select Add, then select Mail.
- Type the name that you want message recipients to see when they receive messages from
you.
- Select I already have an e-mail address that I'd like to use. Type
in your MSN account name (your account name@msn.com). Select Next.
- Select HTTP as the server. Select Other as the provider.
- For server address, type http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata.
Select Next.
- For account name, type your MSN account name (your account name@msn.com).
- Type your MSN password. Then select Next.
- Select Finish.
- When prompted to download folder information, select Yes. The first
time you check e-mail, your folder information will download with your e-mail.
How do I configure Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 to send and receive
my MSN Mail manually?
- From the Outlook Express Tools menu, select Accounts.
- Select Add, then select Mail.
- Type the name that you want message recipients to see when they receive messages from
you.
- Select I already have an e-mail address that I'd like to use, and
then type your MSN account name (your account name@msn.com). Select Next.
- Select HTTP as the server, and then select Other as
the provider. Select Next.
- For Account Name, type your MSN account name (your account name@msn.com).
- Type your MSN password and select Next.
- Select Finish.
- When prompted to download folder information, select Yes to continue.
The first time you check e-mail, your folder information will download with your e-mail.
How do I import an Outlook Express or America Online address book?
- On the MSN menu bar, select Help & Settings. Then
select E-Mail Settings.
- Select Import E-Mail or Address Book. Then select Import Address
Book.
- Follow the steps in the Import Wizard. Then select Done.
- If you import a contact that is already in your MSN address book, the
imported contact will automatically be assigned a unique quickname, composed
of the original contact name followed by a number.
- MSN imports one e-mail address per contact. If the contact has more e-mail
addresses, you’ll need to add those addresses manually in your MSN address book.
How do I import existing Outlook Express e-mail?
- Open your MSN mail. On the MSN navigation bar, select Mail & More. Then
select MSN Mail.
- On the MSN menu, select Help & Settings. Then select E-Mail
Settings.
- Select Import E-Mail or Address Book. Then select Import E-Mail
Messages.
- Follow the steps in the Import Wizard, and then select Done.
How do I configure Microsoft Outlook XP to send and receive my
MSN Mail?
- From the Outlook XP Tools menu, select E-mail
Accounts.
- Select Add a new e-mail account. Select Next.
- Select HTTP. Select Next.
- In Your Name, type the name that you want message recipients to see when they receive
messages from you.
- In E-mail Address, type your MSN account name (your account name@msn.com). This completes
the next two fields automatically:
- List MSN in the HTTP Mail Service Provider field
- Type your account name@msn.com in the User Namefield
- In Password, type your MSN password.
- If you want your password saved, check Remember password.
- Confirm Log on using Secure Password Authentication
(SPA) is not checked.
- Select Next. Then select Finish.
How do I specify the connection type in Microsoft Outlook XP?
- From the Outlook XP Tools menu, select E-mail
Accounts.
- Select View or change existing e-mail accounts. Select Next.
- Choose the existing MSN e-mail account and select Change.
- Select More Settings.
- Select the Connection tab.
- Select the appropriate connection and select OK.
- Select Next. Then select Finish.
MSN Browser
About Junk Mail and Spam filtering
Sometimes a message you receive contains inappropriate content or
is simply unwanted. MSN provides several features to protect you from this
type of junk mail.
- Why do I receive junk mail?
You don't necessarily receive junk mail because of anything you
did, or because reputable companies have sold your e-mail address to junk
mail senders (also called "spammers"). Spammers have several sophisticated
ways to get their junk mail to you, including using computer-generated lists
that guess your e-mail address. Once spammers verify that your e-mail address
is valid, you are likely to be sent more and more unsolicited e-mail.
- How does MSN help protect me?
Before a message ever reaches you, the Hotmail® servers (which
host both Hotmail and MSN e-mail accounts) filter and eliminate the most
obvious junk mail. Then, MSN Internet Software uses the other features to
help protect you from inappropriate images or words, Web beacons, viruses
and hidden code
- How do I use junk mail filters?
Choose the filter level you that you want to filter out likely junk
mail at before it reaches your inbox. The filtered-out messages are delivered
to the Junk Mail folder.
- How do I train my junk mail filter?
Only you can determine the messages that you want and don’t
want. You can train the junk mail filter over time. Use the Junk and Not
Junk buttons to help MSN Mail distinguish between messages you want
to see and those you don't. If you see junk mail in the inbox, select the
message, and then select Junk. If you see a message that
you want to keep out of the Junk Mail folder, select it, and then select Not
Junk.
- How do I block my preview pane?
MSN blocks messages from displaying in the preview pane if the message
is from an unknown sender, or contains words or images that may be inappropriate
for you or your family.
- How do I block images?
MSN blocks images from displaying in your e-mail messages. Some
images may be used as "Web beacons" that announce to a site that
your e-mail address is valid. Simply viewing an image that is a Web beacon
can result in your e-mail address being added to mailing lists.
- How does the safe list work?
Add e-mail addresses to this list to let MSN know that you want
to receive messages from these e-mail addresses. E-mail addresses on the
list will not be screened as potential junk mail candidates. When you view
messages from "People I know" in your inbox, messages from e-mail
addresses in this list and in your address book are displayed.
- What is a mailing list?
Use this list to tell MSN about any group mailing lists you belong
to. Messages sent through those mailing lists aren’t filtered out as
junk mail.
- What is a block sender list?
Use this list to tell MSN that you do not want to receive messages
from specific e-mail addresses.
- What are custom filters?
You can create rules to organize incoming messages. For example,
you can filter out mail with specific words in the title, or automatically
move messages from certain e-mail addresses to a specific folder.
- What virus protection is used?
MSN Mail uses McAfee® VirusScan® to detect harmful viruses
and hidden code in documents attached to your incoming messages.
- What else should I know about junk mail filtering?
Some of your junk mail filter settings apply only to the computer
on which they are established. Be sure to verify that the junk mail filter
settings on each computer you use to access your e-mail are set up correctly.
Certain messages from MSN are not filtered by MSN junk mail filters. You
can choose to stop receiving certain MSN newsletters.
How do I set filters for Junk Mail and Spam?
With MSN, you can choose the junk mail filter level used for filtering
your incoming e-mail messages. A stronger filter will do a better job of keeping
junk out of your inbox, but it will also catch more of the mail you want and
move it to your Junk Mail folder.
- From the Help & Settings menu, select Settings.
- Select E-Mail.
- Select Junk Mail Settings.
- Select Junk Mail Filter.
- Select the junk filter level you want MSN to use for incoming messages:
- Exclusive delivers messages only from people in your
address book, your safe list, and MSN and Hotmail services to the inbox.
Puts all other messages in the Junk Mail folder.
- Strong delivers most junk mail to the Junk Mail folder. Delivers
all other messages to the inbox.
- Moderate delivers the majority of junk mail to the Junk Mail folder.
Delivers all other messages to the inbox.
- Light delivers some junk mail to the Junk Mail folder. Delivers
all other messages to the inbox.
- Default filters out only the most obvious junk mail. Delivers all
other messages to the inbox.
Notes:
- Instead of choosing the Exclusive filter, consider using the Strong filter
and using the "People I know" view of the inbox when you want to
see messages only from those people allowed by the Exclusive filter.
- If you receive junk mail in your inbox, select the message or messages, and then select Junk on the toolbar. By doing this, similar messages are more likely to be moved automatically
to your Junk Mail folder.
- Check your Junk Mail folder regularly to make sure that e-mail you want has not been
moved there. If it has been, select the message or messages, and then select Not
Junk on the toolbar. By doing this, similar messages are more likely to stay
in your inbox and not be moved to your Junk Mail folder in the future.
Troubleshooting
I’m no longer receiving e-mail messages.
- Check the on-server storage space for your e-mail account. If your account
exceeds the storage limit, you won't be able to receive new messages until
you clear some space.
- Look in the Junk Mail folder. If messages that are not junk are delivered there instead
of the inbox, select the message and then select Not Junk. This trains the junk mail
filter to distinguish between mail you want and mail you don't want.
- Check any rules you may have set for managing incoming messages. Perhaps some are being
delivered to other folders instead of the inbox because of a rule that you created.
I received a message with a missing attachment.
If you receive a message with a paper clip icon, but no attached file, the server may
have blocked file delivery due to one of the following conditions:
- The file contained a virus. If the file was blocked, when you open the
message you'll see a message informing you that the attachment was blocked.
Ask the sender to scan the file for viruses and send you a clean copy.
- The attached file was a file type that is susceptible to viruses.
I can’t read the text in a message I received.
If you receive one or more messages that are unreadable, where characters are transposed
or fail to make any words at all, one of two problems is likely:
- The message sender is using a format that MSN Mail doesn't support. Ask
the sender to reformat the message as plain text (without any formatting),
and send it to you again.
- Your copy of MSN® may be corrupt. If none of your messages are displaying properly,
try reinstalling MSN from the CD.
I can’t send a message to a specific address.
- Check the e-mail address of the recipient. Make sure you include the entire
address (e.g., myemailaddress@msn.com). If you leave off the domain (the
part that comes after "@"), the mail server won't be able to properly
deliver your message.
- Make sure the e-mail address is current. That e-mail account might be closed, or perhaps
the recipient is now using a different e-mail address.
- If this is a friend, ask that person to make sure you are not on his or her blocked
senders list.
- If you receive a return or "bounce-back" message, read the information carefully.
It often explains why the message wasn't received successfully, (i.e., because there
was a server problem on the recipient’s end or because an e-mail address is no
longer valid).
My changes to MSN Mail haven’t saved.
- Verify you’re connected to the Internet.
- Try your request again.
- Check the MSN Mail service status on the
MSN Network Status Web site.
MSN Mail service is unavailable.
- Verify you’re connected to the Internet.
- Try your request again.
- Check the MSN Mail service status on the
MSN Network Status Web site.
More MSN Mail Help
Get more help with your
MSN Mail.
Other ISPs
For help with e-mail service that’s provided by an Internet Service Provider
(ISP) not listed on this page, you need to contact that ISP. For your convenience,
we’ve provided an Internet
Service Provider List with contact numbers.
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