HELP!!! Ready to pull my hair out! Looking for alternative email program!

[Mona]

I bought a new computer which has Windows 7, and to say I HATE the new Windows Live Mail would be about as HUGE of an understatement as I can make!

I HATE< HATE HATE it!

I have different email accounts that I need to keep track of, so it make 4 different sets of folders. Then to make things worse, when email come in that has attachments or photos, it does not show it in my email pane unless I double click it. Then if photos, you see small one and you then have to click to watch a slideshow in the full size! ARRRHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am currently running Vista, and tried to import all my email folders into the new one, and I can't even find the proper batch. I thought I had it but must have been an older version as some of the folders are not the current ones.

Can anyone recommend a safe, reliable download for a program that may be similar to Windows Mail??

 

[Becky]

I have used Windows 7 on two different computers and use Windows Live Mail. I like it just fine except for the picture issue you mentioned. The attached pictures are thumbnails that you have to open. :0( I don't like that at all.

I can't help with multiple email accounts with Windows 7, so I hope somebody responds to that.

Could you just use a web based email for multiple email accounts?

 

[Mona]

Here is quite an informative link for those that may be considering upgrading or like I did, buying a new computer.

http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/windows-live-mail-versus-windows-mail

 

[vickie gee]

We got a new computer and we have Windows 7. My husband set it all up. I am also about to pull my hair out!

I cannot figure out how to send pictures from my outlook express/hotmail account. It saved all my photo albums but when I try to email any of the pictures there it reverts to my husband's outlook express account and I don't know why. Neither of us are techno minded. I have emailed photos to my photobucket account today and cannot even figure out where to find them in photobucket.

 

[Sue_C.]

My new laptop runs Windows 7, and I disliked Outlook and Windows mail, as well as Explorer, so turned to Google Chrome...and love it. The Google mail accepts other mail to download to it, so I no longer have to separately check my Hotmail or Yahoo mail, it is set so that they all come direct to my Gmail account. Love it!!!

 

[targetsmom]

After having computers crash and being unable to transfer e-mail contact lists or messages to the new computer, I no longer use anything for e-mail not web based. GMail seems to be the standard, and although there are things about it I don't like - like how it groups conversations - in general I get along fine with it. Actually, my MAIN e-mail address is [email protected] (another web based e-mail provider) where I can get my e-mails automatically forwarded to GMail. Both do a pretty good job with spam, as I got really tired of all the X rated spam I was getting through my website e-mail! So I have all my e-mails automatically saved on two different "cyber-spaces" for peace of mind. In Gmail I can even select which of my e-mail addresses I want to send my mail under and can attach plenty of large attachments.

 

[Mona]

That is what I am really disliking the most, is how it is all web mail based. I HATE webmail!

 

[Minimor]

I'm running Outlook Office 2010 & like it--I do have a hotmail account and a gmail account that I use for some things but those are just extras--I like my Outlook. I do have to say that I prefer gmail to hotmail

 

[ErikaS.]

I use Mozilla Thunderbird. It's basic, safe and free. I have not had any problems with it.

 

[ohmt]

I use gmail and it is WONDERFUL! I have it on my DROID so if I get an email to my school account, personal, or horse account, I get a notification on my phone (and can read the email right away). I usually check my school account separately, but I still have all emails go to my gmail account too.

 

[tagalong]

*pets her pretty 24" iMac, checks her email, looks at all the attached pictures and smiles serenely*

 

[kristen_tg]

Thunderbird is the general go-to alternative to the MS email products and you can harness it up to "the cloud" as well. Plays nice with stuff sent from Exchange servers. Or at least tries to. iCalender support is really good now.

If you want Outlook AND don't already have a copy of MS Office, prepare to pay $139 for stand alone or $200 for the whole Office parcel. Not free. Nor would I suggest you torrent software, especially not something like that. Realllly good way to get a nasty virus (not to mention the whole piracy angle)

 

[Mona]

I looked at the Thunderbird...actually downloaded it, but don;t like it either. Kristin, do you know if Outlook (stand alone version) would be fairly similar to Windows Mail that comes with Vista? Also if I can import my contacts list and folders/tree from Vista on old computer to Outlook on new computer?

I found a couple Stand Alone Outlook academic versions available rather inexpensively($50-60) on ebay. You have to prove student qualifucations to register the product, but my adult daughter is currently doing schooling, so I am thinkinng about getting her to register it in her name, but load it onto my computer too, as it can be installed on 2 computers, but just can;t run both at the same time. Do you know anything about that??

 

[kristen_tg]

I don't know how comparable Outlook and WinMail are. I would *guess* they're built off the same codebase and MS has made it so that WinMail users could "step up" into Outlook. I am not certain if it's possible to import contacts across the two programs. If I were to hazard another guess, I'd say yes, since that's really pretty basic. I just don't know how difficult it would be (sometimes those sort of things are really obtuse). You could probably google these questions since you probably are not the first person wanting to step up from WinMail into a more full-featured MS product.

What you want to do as an "academic" work around is a no-no according to the EULA you agree to when you install software. Student EULA = student use. That's all I'm going to say to that.

You could also look at The Bat! (stupid name, I know) and Opera Mail. I actually use a program called Evolution which I *believe* has a Windows port now. You might also want to look into SeaMonkey. That might work well for you.

There aren't all that many stand-alone email clients anymore (at least that are being currently developed) since email is largely heading towards the cloud. I personally do not like Thunderbird since 3.0 ("Shredder), but it remains the best realistic alternative.

 

[Mona]

Thanks Kristen. I decided to give the Thunderbird another chance, and spent ALL day yesterdayt until 1:30 am trying to get it all set up, addresses and some of my most important emails transfered in etc. I was satisfied that as much as I disliked it, I could get it to work good enough, but now I have hit another brick wall with it !

I need to spend today on it now, trying to get it figured out. I have it set up for POP3 mail and I can receive all my emails no problem, but my outgoing is not working. I really HATE that there is no "Outbox" as if the reply doesn;t go,you either have to leave it there open, keep it as a draft or delete it and reply hen you get it working. AAARRRRHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kristen_tg]

Outbook is in the Local Folders by default. (You should have your "mail" box, then another set called "Local")

I'm not sure if this happens with Thunderbird set to POP but it does happen when set to IMAP- the program tries to save the Sent message to your server folder, which can cause a really cryptic failure that makes you think something else broke. So you have to manually set the client to save to your LOCAL sent messages folder, and not the one on your server.

Another thing is that unless you have a reallllllllllly vanilla server configuration the auto-detect feature does NOT work. You may need to go into Account Settings and sort of rumage around to make sure it's as it should be- the most common issues are pointing to the wrong server port, user name incorrect and the wrong type of security setting (eg, if your server wants SSL and you've got it set to TSL, it will fail)

Just a thought, but if you're using POP and your provider offers IMAP (99.999% do) then I'd go to IMAP. IMAP leaves a copy of the message on the server. So basically when you download the messages to your machine, there are still copies on the server. If your machine crashes or you move between different machines (like I do), you have exact duplicate email boxes between them with the exception of local items like drafts and possibly Sent Messages. Your inbox just scans itself and says to the server, "Hey, am I missing anything? Give it.""

POP pulls down the messages one time and then the server says "Yeah, my job is done here."

The only issue of course is if you have mailbox size limits.

 

[Mona]

My troubles are OVER! I was able to research on the internet today until I found a topic that helped me to figure out where to change that outgoing email setting, so I am all set now! WHEW!!