Outlook Express is usually the default email client on computers with Windows. However, Outlook Express tends to leave users vulnerable to viruses. We recommend the use of the free Eudora email program. Please note that this advice applies to Microsoft Outlook as well.

If you do continue to use Outlook Express, the following advice may help:

• Open (start) Outlook Express.
  
  
• From the options in the folder bar across the top chose VIEW. From the View drop down menu chose LAYOUT. From the screen that then opens the bottom half will say PREVIEW PANE. Remove the checkmark in front of "Show Preview Pane" This keeps a preview pane from automatically opening when you select an email message from the list of messages in that folder.
  
  
• If you want to delete a message without opening it you select the message by clicking on it with the *left* mouse button. CAUTION: JUST ONE CLICK!!! If you click twice that will open the message. Then click ONCE with the *right* mouse button. On the drop down menu that appears one of the options will be DELETE so click on the word delete. This moves the message to your "Deleted items" folder but not yet off your computer so after you have deleted all the ones you want to get rid of you need to empty the "Deleted items" folder.
  
  
• To empty the "Deleted items" folder, just click on the word EDIT in the folder options bar at the top of your screen. From the drop down menu that appears one of the choices should be "Empty 'Deleted Items' Folder". A click on that choice will empty the folder.
  
  
• Another CAUTION: Now that you have turned off the option that had the preview pane always open, you now must deliberately open it to start reading messages. You do this by selecting the message you want to read with one click of the left mouse button and then open them with a second click of the left mouse button. This opens a window that will be on top of the listings of messages. As you read a message and need to place it in another folder, reply , delete it, etc. use the options bar across the top. BUT PLEASE NOTE: Just about any action you chose (other than CLOSE) will immediately open the next message. So be warned that you should first go through the whole list of messages and delete those that you fear might have viruses, unwanted ads and other "Spam", and anything else you know you don't want to open. Getting rid of them before starting to read your messages prevents an unwanted one automatically pop open when you have just dealt with the previous message.

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