Problematic Mail Program Settings
In this week’s letter we want to look at two problems people have with their mail programs and how to resolve them. We have received multiple letters from customers that describe in various ways and in varying levels of enthusiasm that some of you are not able to open e-mail attachments or are frequently being disconnected from the Internet. While at first, these problems may seem totally unrelated to each other, they are often times the result of a pair of mail program settings, so we will look at both of them at the same time.
The first problem, not being able to e-mail attachments, is limited to users of Outlook Express but since the program is used by so many customers, it is worth mentioning. By default, the newest versions of Outlook Express automatically enable a setting that restricts users from opening attachments that could be a virus. This is done to protect users from accidentally installing malicious programs on their computer. The problem is that this setting tends to restrict users from opening attachments they know are safe. In order to open attachments in Outlook Express, you must disable this setting. To do so, open Outlook Express, click on Tools, Options, and then the Security tab. Remove the check next to “Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus”. Please note that if you do decide to disable this feature, you will need to be diligent about making sure you only open attachments that you know are safe. We strongly recommend that you use a current virus protection program to scan all incoming e-mails.
The second problem, frequent disconnections, is commonly the result of a mail program automatically disconnecting from the Internet after it has finished checking for new mail. This can be especially frustrating when the mail program is set to check for new mail every 15 minutes because that means you will be disconnected from the Internet every 15 minutes. There are multiple mail programs that can cause this problem and we have listed the steps to change this setting below. If you would like more detailed instructions, there are screen shots that will walk you through the steps in the help section of the GoBigWest homepage.
Outlook Express 5 & 6: Go to Tools->Options->Connection tab->Remove check next to “Hang up after sending and receiving”
Outlook 2000: Go to Tools->Options->Mail Delivery tab->Remove check next to “Hang up when finished sending, receiving, or updating”
Outlook 2003: Go to Tools->Options->Mail Setup tab->Remove check next to “Hang up when finished with a manual Send/Receive”
IncrediMail Xe: Go to Tools->Options->Remove check next to “Hang up after sending and receiving”
Eudora 5 & 6: Go to Tools->Options->Highlight Internet Dialup->Remove check next to “Hang-up after receiving and sending”
