Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Email Client Setup/ Email Software Setup

By Stephen Grisham Sr.

There are certain pieces of information you will need in order to set up email on email software (also called email client). Your actual settings can only be obtained from your website or email hosting company or the from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The few things you will need to find out are: your SMTP server and POP3 server (or sometimes IMAP), your outbound (SMTP) and inbound (POP or IMAP) ports, as well as the username and password of your email.

The place to configure authentication (login) differs between email clients, and you do need to know whether your server accepts or even requires SSL. It's usually pretty easy to locate. It you need assistance on your type of software, then look at your online help or documentation.

How would you describe the POP server? One way of retrieving email from an email server is the Post Office Protocol (POP), where the server holds the email messages until they are picked up. Think of it like an electronic version of a conventional mailbox or street address, where your computer picks up your email. Incoming mail servers are often referred to as POP servers. IMAP is another method of storing/ retrieving email.

Email programs like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird use POP (or IMAP) servers. Your Windows operating system includes Outlook Express at no extra cost. Macintosh provides a free version on MacMail. Set your program to the POP server settings provided by your internet provider in order to check your email. Normally it's something similar to this: "mail.mydomain.tld".

What is a SMTP server? In contrast to the POP server, which acts as the server for inbound mail, the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server acts as the server for outbound mail.

It's very easy to set up an email account. The majority of email accounts can be configured on the "Tools" menu. Select one that will let you see or edit Email Accounts.

This should take you to a screen reading Internet Email Settings (POP3). Fill out this screen totally and accurately or else your email account will not function properly. Type in your information. Enter any of the following information into the field: "Your Name" - your personal name, company name, job title, or anything you would like recipients to see when they receive your email. Put your email address in the "Email Address" (reply-to address) field so your email does not get blocked by spam filters. Your email provider will give you a user name and a password; when you open "Login Information" (authentication), you will enter these pieces of information. Fill in your incoming mail server, or POP3, and your outgoing mail server, or SMTP, where it says "Server Information."

The account settings should always be tested. Ensuring that all of the information is right and that the email is functional is vital. It is not wise to entirely depend on the Test Account Settings found in Outlook. Even though they do work, the older versions may not appear to. I'm not sure why that happens, but try to send an actual email before you call technical support, as it may just work.

About the Author:

No comments: