Using Outlook for Brand X Mail

What do I need?
Configuring Outlook
Testing your email
Modifying an account
Problems

What do I need?

These instructions are for anyone using Outlook and Windows. The settings for mail are the same whether your connection is by T1, dialup or DSL.

In order to set up mail you need your username and password for Brand X mail. If you already know how to set up mail then all you need are the pop and smtp server settings, which are:

SMTP Server: mail.brandx.net

Note: If you are on our dial-up system, you will have to use smtp-out.interworld.net as your outgoing mail server
If you know how to use Outlook, that should be enough. Otherwise, read on and we will show you how to set it up. If you need an account call us at (310) 395-5500 and we will be happy to set one up for you.

This example is done using Outlook version 5.0 on Windows 2000; but other versions should be similar.

Configuring Outlook

First, make sure that your internet account works. Start up Netscape or Internet Explorer, visit a few sites, and make sure everything works.

Now start Outlook.

On my computer I can click

start->programs->Outlook Express

Or I can click the mail icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen.

Outlook comes up and looks like this:

If outlook has not yet been configured it may go into the configuration questions to add a new account.

If it does not then you will need to tell it that you want to start a new account. Go to the Outlook menu and select:

Tools->Accounts

Then select:

add->mail

As shown in the following diagram:

This will throw you into the "Internet Connection Wizard.

Here are the answers to the questions it will ask you:

1. Your Name:

Put your real, human name here.

2. Internet Email Address:

Select the button which says "I alrady have an e-mail address that I'd like to use." Enter your email address, which should be of the form "username@brandx.net"

3. Email Server Names:

There are three boxes here.

For the first blank, labled "My incoming mail server is a POP3 server," make sure that "POP3" is selected.

The second blank for "Incoming Mail" should be set to "mail.brandx.net."

The third blank, for "SMTP Server" should also be set to "mail.brandx.net."

Now go to the next page.

4. Internet Mail Logon.

On this page you should enter your account name. For example, if your mail address is wally@brandx.net, enter wally, but leave the brandx.net part out. In the second blank enter your password. If you like you can click the check box for "remember password" but do NOT select "Log on using Secure Password."

Now go to the next page.

5. Congratulations

There is nothing to enter here. Click "finish."

Now your mail program is set up.

Testing your email

To test it try sending yourself an email.

Click on the button for "new mail" and enter the destination as your email address.

Make sure the "from" address makes sense, andmake sure you are still online.

In the blank labeled "to" enter your email address (username@brandx.net)

In the blank labeled "Subject" enter "I am testing my email account."

Then type a short message, and hit "send."

The message should be sent out.

Now count to about 20, and hit the button labeled "Send/Recv." The mail should download.

If you don't see the email, look on the left side of the screen and make sure you are looking at the "Inbox" and not "Sent Items" or some other mailbox. Refer to the diagram above and you will see what I mean.

Modifying an existing account

If you have an account already set up in outlook you can change the settings as follows:

Open Outlook Express.
Go up to "tools".
Drop down to "accounts".
Highlight mail server and press properties.
Under General Tab, type in brandx.net as Mail Server.
Under the Servers Tab, you will see a Pop3 server and a SMTP Server:
Type in your login name and password.
Close settings panel.
Reopen Outlook Express.
Check Mail

Problems

If mail doesn't work for you, check the following:

Make sure you are really really really online.
Make sure you have the right username and password. This is a frequent problem.
Make sure that you have not mixed up some of the questions, for example, did you put mail server=username@brandx.net? That's not going to work because the username is not part of the mail server name.
Make sure that you have set the pop server and smtp server to mail.brandx.net. If you have set them to some other values, such as mydomain.com, they are not going to work.

Extensive online help is available for Outlook in the upper right of the menu. It is worth taking some time to read these instructions to understand some of the advanced features that are available.

Email is a highly reliable service and we are sure it will work well for you!

Happy Surfing!