Configuring Four Popular Mac Email Clients
Charles Moore
- 2001.10.17 -
Tip Jar
Configuring your email client so that it can send and receive
messages is a task that confounds many new computer users - and quite a
few veterans as well. It's not so much that it's difficult, but it
tends to be counterintuitive, and the procedure for doing it varies
substantially from client to client.
Here is a how-to or refresher on configuring four popular Mac OS
email clients.
First, you need to gather the necessary information, which is
supplied by your Internet Service Provider or third-party email
service. Basically what you need are:
- A user name, e.g.: cwmoore
- An email address, e.g.: cwmoore@isp.com
- A POP server (incoming mail) address, e.g.: pop.isp.com
- An but outgoing server (SMTP) address, e.g.: smtp.isp.net
- A password
I suggest that you make a dedicated document or database entry to
record this information for each email account that you have so you
will be able to find it easily for future reference if you get a new
email client, need to reconfigure your present one, or change
computers.
Eudora 5.1
- Go to the Special menu and select "Settings."
- In the window to the left of the dialog box that peers, scroll down
to "Personalities" (sixth from the bottom) and click on the icon.
- In the top field of the dialog that appears on the right, click
"New."
- Fill in your username and mail server address in the "Checking
Mail" fields, and check or uncheck the two check boxes as desired.
- In the "Sending Mail" field, fill in your real name, your outgoing
(SMTP) server address, and your return address (likely just your email
address for this account). Again, check either or both of the two check
boxes as applicable. For instance, if your ISP or email service demands
authorization (SMTP authentication), check the "Allow Authorization"
checkbox.
- Now click on the "Personality Extras" icon in the left hand
window.
- In the "More Checking Mail" field choose either POP or IMAP
(usually POP); the sort of authentication (usually passwords); and your
desired configuration of the to checkboxes. You can also configure
stationery boilerplate and a signature if desired in the "More Sending
Mail" field.
- Check "OK" when you are done.
- When you go online to check your mail, Eudora will prompt you for a
password. You can choose to have the program remember your password in
the future.
Nisus Email 1.5
- From the "Personalities" menu, select "New. "
- Enter the pertinent information in the fields of the "User
Personalities" dialog box that it appears, which is extraordinarily
straightforward in this application.
- Click "Save," then "OK," and you're up and running.
SweetMail
- From the File menu, select "Account."
- Check the "New" button on the lower left and enter the account name
in the upper left-hand field.
- Click the "Address" tab if it's not already selected. Enter your
account information in the appropriate fields, including your
password.
- Click the "Receive" tab, and configure the checkboxes as desired.
The "Send" tab also includes a very convenient checkbox option to
automatically POP authenticate before sending. Click "OK" and you're
done.
Netscape 6.1/Mozilla
- From the Tasks menu, select "Mail & Newgroups." From the Edit
menu, select "Mail & Newgroups Account Settings."
- Check the "New Account" button in the left-hand column. The
"Account Wizard" dialog will appear. Click the ISP or Mail Provider
radio button, and click "Next."
- In the "Identity" window that appears, fill in your name and email
address. Click "Next."
- In the "Server Information" dialog, click the ether the POP or IMAP
radio button (usually POP), and enter your mail server name. Click
"Next."
- In the "User Name" dialog, fill in your username. Click
"Next."
- In the "Account Name" dialog, enter your account name. Click "Next"
and confirm the information. Click "Finish."
- In the main "Account Settings" window, enter your email address and
return address, a signature message if desired, and I appeal to you to
unclick the "Compose Messages in HTML Format" checkbox.
- In the left hand window, click on "Outgoing Server (SMTP)." The
"Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings" dialog will appear on the right.
Enter your SMTP server address, and select the appropriate password and
security options.
- By checking on the various topics in the left hand dialog window,
you can configure your Copies and Folders, Addressing, and Disk Space
options as desired. Click "OK" and you're done.
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Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and began writing for Mac websites in May 1998. His The Road
Warrior column was a regular feature on MacOpinion, he is
news editor at Applelinks.com and a columnist at MacPrices.net. If you find his articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
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