Q. I'm on dialup access and don't like tying up my 'phone line. What can I do?

A. You can work offline while reading or writing messages. You need to be online only when sending and receiving.


Q. How do I work offline?

A.   Click the Work Offline or Cancel button if the dialup connection pops up when you open Outlook Express. (If you see an error message, just close it.)

  Mail you have downloaded previously is already on your computer, so there's no need to connect to the Internet to read it.
  You can compose all the messages you wish while offline, then connect when ready to send.

   To start working offline routinely, without the nuisance of canceling the dialup connection every time:
Click Tools in the menu bar, then Options. Remove the checkmark from "Send and receive messages at startup", and from "Check for new messages every ...". Click OK.
   To go online, click "Send/Receive".


Q. If I'm working offline, how do I send the messages I've composed, and check for new mail?

A. Click the "Send/Receive" button in the Toolbar. If you're working offline, Outlook Express will ask if you want to go online.
Outlook Express will automatically send all mail waiting in your Outbox and then download any new mail that may be waiting for you on our mailserver.


Q. If connected, can I disconnect without closing Outlook Express?

A. Yes. When connected, you should see a little icon in the Taskbar tray beside the clock in the lower right corner of your screen. (It usually looks like two small linked computers with green screens.) Right-click or double-click that icon, then click "Disconnect".
   (It's also possible to instruct Outlook Express to disconnect automatically each time you check mail. Make SURE you really want to do this before changing settings, since Outlook Express will disconnect even if there's no new mail. Outlook Express will remember this setting thereafter!)
   If your connection is dropped every time you check mail, click Tools | Options | Connection tab; remove the checkmark beside "Disconnect when finished...", click OK.


Q. I have multiple accounts in Outlook Express. Can I check mail for just one account without the nuisance of canceling the popups for other accounts?

A. Yes. Click the little drop-down arrow beside the "Send/Receive" button and select the operation you want.


Q. I'm not sure I understand how this works. Could you explain?

A. Email and regular postal mail have many similarities. When someone sends you a regular letter, the postie delivers it to your mailbox. You physically go to the mailbox, collect the mail, and take it inside.

   With respect to electronic mail, BEC Internet Services has a special computer that contains a mailbox for you, which collects email 24 hours a day.
   When you want to check for new email, your computer connects to the mailserver through your 'phone line. This is analogous to you going to your postal mailbox to see if there is any mail there.
  You must provide a "key" to your mailbox - your password - either by typing it in manually or by having your computer remember it for you.
  If there's new mail waiting for you, it is transferred automatically (downloaded) to your Inbox in Outlook Express. This is like bringing your regular mail home: it's no longer in the mailbox [mailserver], and you can read it any time without having to go back to the mailbox [no need to connect again to see it].

   When you write postal letters, you probably don't go to the mailbox to post each letter as you finish it - you would complete writing them all before going to the mailbox.
   When writing email messages, you can compose all your messages while working offline.
   Each time you complete a message and click "Send", it goes into the Outbox of your email program, e.g. Outlook Express. This a temporary holding area. (It's similar to you writing real letters at your desk, then putting them by the door so you remember to post them when you go out.) Outlook Express might remind you this is happening each time you send.

   When you're ready to really send them out, click the "Send/Receive" button. When you connect, Outlook Express checks its Outbox and sends the contents. To verify that the messages have been sent, check your Sent Mail folder.

  Note that, just like regular postal mail, the fact that a message was successfully sent does not necessarily mean that it will be successfully delivered.


Q. When using Webmail is it possible to avoid tying up the 'phone line?

A. Write your message in any word processor while offline. Copy the text, connect to Webmail, paste the copied text into the message area, type in the address and subject line, and send.