Introducing Windows Live Mail

Although Windows 7 doesn’t come with an e-mail client, you can download and use the Windows Live Mail program for the Windows Live Web site. If Windows Live Mail is your default e-mail client (the main program you use for sending and receiving e-mail), you can start Windows Live Mail by clicking the Start button and choosing Windows Live Mail.

The first time you open Windows Live Mail, you might be taken to a wizard for setting up your e-mail account. If you have all the factual information you need about your account, you can proceed through the wizard to set up the account. Otherwise, you can click the Cancel button, open Windows Live Mail, and set up your account later. Don’t be alarmed if you’re missing some components. Many are optional and easily turned on and off with a mouse click or two.

If Windows Live Mail isn’t an option on your Start menu, you can still open it. Click the Start button and then click All Programs -> Windows Live -> Windows Live Mail. Whether you can use Windows Live Mail is an altogether different matter, which I tackle in a moment. The title bar and toolbar appear near the top of the program window and work the same as in other programs. The other components are as follows:

• Folder pane: Shows folders into which you can organize e-mail messages, as well as selected search folders that are virtual folders used to display specific types of messages, such as all unread e-mail.

• Folder Shortcuts: These icons give you quick access to your primary folders, including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Feeds, and Newsgroups.

• Message list: Every e-mail message displays a header showing who sent the message, the Subject of the message, and the date you received it.

• Preview pane header: Shows the message header information in a large and more detailed format.

• Preview pane: Shows a portion of the e-mail message whose message header is selected in the message list.

• Status bar: Tells you the status of various program facts and operations.

As with most programs, you can customize the appearance of Windows Live Mail to your liking. Choose View -> Layout from its menu bar to display the dialog box Or, click the Menus button on the toolbar and choose Layout. Items that have checkmarks are currently ‘‘on’’ and visible in the program window. Items without checkmarks are ‘‘off.’’

The Layout dialog box contains four groups of settings:

• Reading pane (Mail): Turn on or off the reading pane and, if on, specify whether it is at the bottom or to the right of the message list.

• Message list: Specify whether the message list shows one line or two lines, or decides on this number based on the width of the message list.

• Folder pane: Specify how the various folders appear in the folder pane. Options include:
- Use Compact View For Folder Pane: Uses small icons instead of words to represent the folders and other items in the folder pane.
- Use Compact Shortcuts: Displays only small icons for the folder shortcuts, rather than icon and name.
- Show Storage Folders: Shows Drafts, Sent Items, and Deleted Items folders in the folder pane.
- Show Quick views: Displays the quick view search folders Unread E-Mail, Unread from Contacts, and Unread Feeds.

• Message header (Mail): Shows in the reading pane the message header of the selected message.

To change an option, select check boxes as appropriate and then click Apply. If you don’t like the results, click that same check box again and click Apply again. When you’re happy with how things look, click OK to save your current settings and close the dialog box.

Before you can use Windows Live Mail to send and receive e-mail, you have to configure it to work with your e-mail account. Your company, ISP (Internet service provider), or e-mail provider (such as Hotmail) supplies your e-mail account. Windows Live Mail is just the e-mail client (program) that lets you send and receive messages through that e-mail account.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Bible