Outlook Express E-mail Client Setup - Windows

Assumptions: You should have downloaded and installed the Outlook E-mail client. If you have not done so, please visit Microsoft Outlook.

WebSprockets HIGHLY recommends that if you are using Windows, that you use Mozilla Thunderbird for your email for reasons that are far too numerous to go into here. Put simply, it's a better email program.

  1. Open Outlook Express and select “Tools” from the menu bar. Find and select “Accounts...” from the Tools menu list.
    step one
  2. You should now see the “Internet Accounts” window. Select the “Mail” tab at the top of the window. Then click on the “Add” button on the right and select “Mail...”.
    step two
  3. The “Internet Connection Wizard” will open in a new window. Type your full name in the field labeled “Display Name” and click the “Next” button.
    step three
  4. Type your email address in the field labeled “E-mail address”. Your email address is the one you requested from WebSprockets, which you should have received confirmation of that address when it was setup for you by WebSprockets. Click the “Next” button.
    step four
  5. Next to the “My incoming mail server is a” option, select IMAP from the drop down menu. Then in the “Incoming mail server” and the “Outgoing mail server” fields, type in "mail.websprockets.com". Click the “Next” button.
    step five
  6. In the field labeled “Account name”, type in the Username provided to you by WebSprockets when your account was setup. Then type in your password in the “Password” field, which was also provided to you when your account was setup. If you've lost your Username or Password, contact WebSprockets. Click on the “Remember password” checkbox. Click “Next”.
    step six
  7. Congratulations! You have now completed the account setup. Click “Finish”. You will be returned to the Internet Accounts window.
    step seven
  8. You should see the account you just created in the Internet Accounts window. Click once on it to select it, and then click on the “Properties” button on the right.
    step nine
  9. The Properties window will open. Click on the “Servers” tab along the top of the window. In the section labeled “Outgoing Mail Server” at the bottom of the Servers tab, click the checkbox labeled “My server requires authentication”.
    step ten
  10. Now click on the “Advanced” tab along the top of the Properties window. In the section labeled “Server Port Numbers” check both checkboxes labeled “This server requires a secure connection (SSL)”.

    If you are in Cincinnati using Cincinnati Bell's ISP (Fuse or Zoomtown) to connect to the Internet, you will need to leave the “Outgoing mail (SMTP)” checkbox unchecked. You then need to return to the “Servers” tab, and change your “Outgoing mail (SMTP)” to “smtp.fuse.net” as well as uncheck the checkbox labeled “My server requires authentication”.

    In order to block spammers, many ISP's block traffic to mail servers other than their own on port 25. And unfortunately, Microsoft email programs don't support a secure connection for Outgoing mail on any port other than Port 25 (WebSprockets servers require a secure connection). So you either must get your Internet access from a company that doesn't block Outgoing mail traffic on Port 25 to companies other than themselves, or you must use your ISP's Outgoing mail server. You will need to contact your ISP for the "hostname" of their Outgoing mail server, and ask them what settings will need to be in place in the “Servers” and “Advanced” tabs.

    The main downside to all this is that by using an Outgoing mail server other than WebSprockets, you will not benefit from some of the Spam blocking features we have in place. WebSprockets uses the SPF (Sender Policy Framework) system to tell other email servers that your email is coming from a trusted source and a verfied account.

    Also, WebSprockets servers require you to connect over a secure connection, whereas most ISPs do not require a secure connection. By requiring a secure connection, you're assured that the email you send and receive can not be intercepted and read between your computer and the WebSprockets servers.

    Click the “Apply” button at the bottom of the window... and then the “OK” button.
    step eleven
  11. Close the Internet Accounts window. You should now see your new account in the left-hand panel of the main window. Click the “Send/Recv” button along the top of the main window to force Outlook Express to connect to the server. Any new emails in your account will be displayed, and you can begin using your email account.
    step twelve