Note: You need to have an active Internet account to send e-mail.

To send and receive e-mail, you use an e-mail program. You can contact your computer manufacturer or ISP for information about the different e-mail programs available. If you prefer, you can use Microsoft Outlook Express for your e-mail needs.

Outlook Express puts the world of online communication on your desktop. With it you can send, receive, and store e-mail both on ISP-hosted and free e-mail accounts. You can also join newsgroups to trade ideas and information. Outlook Express even works in tandem with instant messaging.

Using e-mail through your ISP-hosted Internet account

Virtually all ISPs (Internet service providers) include e-mail service as a part of your Internet account. So if you have already set up an Internet account on your computer, starting and using e-mail is easy. If you have not yet set up an Internet account, see the earlier sections in this chapter.

To use Outlook Express with your ISP-hosted Internet account