Using Windows Live Mail Overview For the most part, Windows Live Mail works identically to Outlook Express or Windows Mail, but the main window

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1 Overview For the most part, Windows Live Mail works identically to Outlook Express or Windows Mail, but the main window definitely looks slightly different o Icons are replaced by text labels (Reply, Reply to All, Forward, etc.) o Menus (if showing) look about the same, as well as Accounts, Options, Message, etc.) o By default installation, the Menu bar does not show. In place of the Menu bar, there are icons with drop-down menus on the right (similar to the changes in Internet Explorer 7 & 8) You can make the menu bar remain showing using the far right icon labeled Menus when hovered over, and choose Show Menu Bar Windows Live Mail can setup all accounts on the same window o All POP3, such as: CenturyLink, Comcast, Dialup, Gmail, Yahoo Plus, etc. o And also IMAP accounts, such as: AOL, Hotmail, MSN Import messages only from Windows formats (not CSV) o Choose the right format (Outlook Express 6, Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail) Import Contacts o From the Current User, Windows Address book, or CSV This imports them from the Outlook Express WAB or Vista s contact folder. Once imported from the Contacts folder of Windows, they no longer keep synchronized with the Windows Contacts folder. In fact, with Windows 7, even though you still have a Contacts folder, it no longer works as an integrated Contacts folder with WLM. Can still add a contacts or groups, but they do not get added to Windows Live Mail or vice versa. If you want to keep the Contacts folder current, must duplicate any changes or additions in both WLM and Contacts folder to keep them the same. Storage Folders are where all your Imported Mail goes initially on import o But if desired, create new folders under the main address, and drag the mail (from the right column) to them, then delete the folders under imported mail o Note, you cannot delete the Inbox, Sent Items, or Deleted Items from the Storage Folders You can however hide Storage folders via View menu/layout/folder Pane (if using the menu bar)or use the Menus icon to the far right to choose Layout. 1

2 New or Improved Features The Contacts window has a terrific automatic Find feature o If you liked the auto complete when typing into the To: line, this feature is even better. o Type the start of a name or address and it displays a list of all possibilities to choose from. Double-click on one to insert it, and click OK (or hit ENTER) Or select more than one in the list and click To: then OK o You can also just type into the To: line and get similar results. Simply typing part of a name into the To, Cc, or Bcc line finds all the Contacts you have with those same characters If you have multiple accounts set up, Quick views allow you to see all Unread mail from all Mail Accounts in one place. o Otherwise multiple accounts each have their own Inbox and other folders Storage Folders: can be used to store saved mail from multiple accounts o This keeps all saved mail, regardless of the account to which it was sent stored together. o However, these Storage folders are at the bottom of the Account list. If you have imported mail folders, they are all put there initially. o But, if you have only one account, you may prefer not to use Storage folders at all, and rather have them towards the top (or in a particular account), as it was in prior versions o Create similar named folders under the primary account Then move the Imported Mail to the new folders by dragging. Unfortunately, you cannot merely drag the Storage folders (as in previous versions). o Now you can use Layout to hide the Storage folders and make the appearance much more similar to previous versions. At the bottom of the Account list (on the left pane), you have Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Feeds and News groups o These can be labeled line items, o Or mere unlabeled icons at the bottom Which when hovered over display the label Toggle back and forth via the down arrow displayed by hovering just below the Add Account link. Or change it using Layout (on the right, or in the Menu bar, View/Layout) Remember, if you have only one account, Quick Views and Storage folders are unnecessary clutter, and only helpful if receiving mail from multiple accounts. 2

3 Another New Feature Working with pictures o Insert (Images/Inline) works the same as previous versions (Insert/Picture) Inserts the full size graphic o WLM introduces Photo (Add Photo button) Clicking Add Photo inserts a chosen image, usually much smaller than original. Once a picture is added, the Layout button appears Using the Layout toolbar, you can change the size of the added picture (It starts as Medium, but can be Smaller, Large, Larger, or Largest) You can add a caption Add a frame or effect. o Note that there are three buttons when a photo has been added (Format button, Photo, and Layout) Format gets back to the Format (size font, color, etc.) toolbar Photo (or Add Photo) brings up the Add Photo window from which you navigate to the desired photo Layout changes from the Format toolbar to the Layout toolbar. May wish not to use Storage folders, but rather re-create them under your primary Mail Account, and move mail to the newly created folders 3

4 Changes/Pitfalls of which to be aware Be aware that Folders within the Vista Contacts folder do not import or export o Groups get imported from Vista Contacts or Outlook Express address book But Groups created do not get exported from Windows Live Mail, only contacts. o Contacts which were part of a Group (now called Category ) but contained within a created (separate) folder (on Vista or Outlook Express) do get imported from either, but not retained in a separate folder And you cannot recreate the Folders WLM does not have any concept of folders Probably because folders were never well supported or exported Workaround: use one of the data entry lines to insert a label (the original folder label), this way you can search, and thus sort by the label Thus before importing, must first move all the contacts contained within additionally created folders outside of the folders before importing to get all those contacts which were in a folder, but not also included in a group Once using Windows Live Mail, exporting the Contacts does not maintain the Categories o Only the contacts are exported o If you want to transfer the contacts AND categories, must save a hidden folder (C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{a long number}\dbstore ) More later Be aware that if you have more than one address for an individual, the import from the Vista Contacts may not place the Preferred address in the Personal box (the only one it uses). The Send/Recv button is now labeled Sync Print command is not initially available on the main toolbar o Add Print command back to the main toolbar Right-click on the toolbar and choose Customize the Toolbar It is still on the Message toolbar But often I do not want to open the message in order to print. 4

5 Other things to be aware of: Attaching files works exactly the same. Spell Check sometimes comes up saying Spell Check has been halted. o This happens usually when there is something in an original message to cause it. o To be sure your part of the message was spell-checked, place the cursor at the start of your message before Sending. That way the entire message (not the original included) gets checked for spelling. You have an Add Photos button. o Once adding a photo, you can change the size using the Layout button next to Add Photo button. o Note that you can also add text to the image added. Using the Contact list from the New Message window Backing up Windows Live Mail involves primarily either saving the entire Windows Live Mail store folder, or exporting Messages and Contacts. o Find the Store folder using Tools/Options/Advanced tab. o Categories (Groups), as previously mentioned, are not saved through the Export process. To save and restore, save the folder or the contents of the DBStore folder found under: C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts\{a long number}\dbstore Note: The contents will not show unless you first make Hidden Protected Folders and files visible thru Organize/ Folder and Search Options You may have some problems with the this (page or link to page) not working (such as in Internet Explorer Page drop-down). o To correct this, go to the Default programs, and choose set program access and computer defaults. Now click on Custom. Under , select Windows Live Mail. It probably had use current. Click OK. 5

6 Currently, Signatures using HTML files containing graphics or links fail to operate properly o Text or HTML signatures that merely change font size and color work fine. o But when using the Insert menu to manually add an HTML signature which contains graphics or links, the graphics do not show, and the links do not work. o If you make it the default signature, and set the signature to be automatically inserted (always), it works But if just using the Insert signature, it fails. o Two Work-around methods are available: The first method requires temporarily changing security settings Tools/Options/Security and under the Download Images section, remove the check from Block images and other external content in HTML s With the lower security setting (see below), Create a new , and when done writing, insert the desired signature. With the lowered Security settings it will work. When finished and sent, change the security settings back. Alternatively, do the above without filing out the beyond just inserting the signature. But before changing back the Security settings, save that otherwise blank with the subject line containing the label of the signature in the Drafts folder. Now when desired, go to Drafts folder, copy the wanted again into the Draft folder (right-click menu), and use the copy created to fill in the content, changing the subject. The signature remains there and functional. Remember to change security setting back. o Those blocked images fight against spammers. The second method which seems to work, is to go to Tools/Options/Signatures, and make the desired signature the default and have it always be added. Now create a new . The signature will be successfully added. Next save this message to the Draft folder. o You may want to give the subject the signature name so you know what it is later. Now the signature is available in the Draft folder to use as a template, just as above. Now go back to the Signatures tab and remove the check from Add signature to all outgoing messages, to change it back. Although the signature is now available in the Draft folder, o Remember before use to first copy it again to the Draft folder for subsequent availability. 6