Setting up an Email Account

You illustrations below are for Outlook Express but setting up an email account in Windows Mail and Microsoft Office Outlook are a very similar process. The critical information you need is the same but navigating your way to the place to enter the information will be different.

Critical Information Needed for Email Accounts

You need four pieces of information. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should have sent you documentation already but if you cannot find, then give them a call.

User name or account name (normally this is your email address)
Password for account
Name of incoming mail server e.g. mail.bigpond.com
Name of outgoing mail server e.g. mail.bigpond.com

It is often the case that your incoming and outgoing mail servers are the same for any email account you have with that ISP. You should check with your ISP in case of any doubt or difficulty.

One of the greatest of problems is that people do not remember their password, or they write it down on some scrappy piece of paper in bad hand writing, or they have written down multiple passwords and cannot be sure which is correct.

Set Up Procedure

You will need the login and password given to you by your Internet Service Provider to achieve this task. Speak to you Internet Service Provider if you do not know these details. It is likely that your original contract documentation will contain your login and password.

Step 1

In the Main Menu, select Tools and then Accounts

Outlook Express email account setup step 1

Step 2

Click the Mail tab and select Add and then select Mail.

Outlook Express email account setup step 2

Step 3

Enter the name which you wish to appear as the sender when you send emails to others. This can be your real name or a nickname.

Outlook Express email account setup step 3

Step 4

Enter your email address

Outlook Express email account setup step 4

Step 5

In this step you enter the names of your email servers. Generally, you put the same in each box. If you had an Optus account you would put mail.optusnet.com.au or if you had a BigPond account you would put mail.bigpond.com.au

If you are unsure just call your internet service provider.

Outlook Express email account setup step 5

Step 6

The final step is where you need your account name and password. As stated previously, you must have got this from your Internet Service Provider at the time your contract was setup.

Call you Internet Service Provider if you have lost these details.

Outlook Express email account setup step 6

After you click next your account should be finalised.