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Computer Help
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How to stop spam in Outlook Express |
Outlook Express was one of the earlier e-mail clients to support HTML
e-mail and scripts. As a result, emails were commonly infected with viruses.
Previously, another security flaw was that a script could automatically be
opened as an attachment. Another bug was in Outlook Express's attachment
handling that allowed an executable to appear to be a harmless attachment such
as a graphics file. Opening or previewing the e-mail could cause code to run
without the user's knowledge or consent. Outlook Express uses Internet Explorer
to render HTML e-mail. Internet Explorer has been widely criticized for having
numerous security issues. However, Outlook Express and Internet Explorer both
feature security zones to prevent such issues.
With Outlook Express SP2 , Microsoft has aimed to
correct the security issues. Outlook Express now blocks images inside e-mails by
default. It uses only the restricted security zone for HTML e-mail which
disables scripts and imposes restrictions on what web content can be rendered.
It also warns when opening potentially malicious attachments.
Outlook has an easy to use Rules Wizard. You can use the Wizard to send a
message that you are on vacation, move messages to certain files, and delete
messages from certain people. Using the Wizard makes this an easy to use option
for e-mail management. We recommend that you use it in this case for stopping
spam.
Outlook Instructions
Click Tools in the top menu bar.
Click Rules Wizard and then New.
Select a condition in the first window pane. We selected "move messages based on
content".
In the bottom window pane, click on an underlined item and enter a word,
phrase or address as requested based on the rule.
We clicked on "apply this rule with specific words in the subject or body".
When we clicked on the underlined "specific word", we entered our keyword to
sort which items would be considered spam.
We also had a phrase in the window pane that said "move it to the specified
folder".
We clicked the underlined "folder" and selected delete.
Click Next.
Continue adding rules as you desire.
Click Finish. Your rule is now activated.
Outlook Express has a different interface, but does essentially the same thing.
You can use rules to block senders and filter your e-mail messages. It does not
have as many options as Outlook, but works great for filtering spam!
Outlook Express Instructions
Click Tools in the top menu bar. Then click Message Rules.
Make sure to click Mail (not News).
Select a condition in the first window pane. We selected "when the message body
contains specific words".
Select an action in the second window pane. Here we selected "delete it".
In the third window pane, click on the underlined value and assign it a word,
phrase, or address. Click on the underlined item in this window and enter your
keyword like "mortgage" or "permanent fatal error". You can add as many words as
you choose in this screen. You can even highlight the rule number and change the
name to something like Spam Buster, if you choose. Click Okay
Click Okay again. Your rule is now
activated.
Our Recommendations
We recommend that you review your deleted items folder for spam that you
have already discarded to see if certain words pop up consistently. We used
mortgage, returned mail, permanent fatal error, and several other keywords when
we set up our rules.
Outlook Express is a different application from the Microsoft Office Outlook
e-mail client which ships with Microsoft Office for Windows. The two programs do
not share a common code base, but do share a common architectural philosophy.
The similar names lead many people to incorrectly conclude that Outlook Express
is a stripped-down version of Microsoft Office Outlook. Outlook Express uses the
Windows Address Book to store contact information and integrates tightly with
it. On Windows XP, it also integrates with Windows Messenger.
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Computer Help
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