Eliminating Spam With Outlook Express

Although you can download anti-spam software to help you fight off junk email, you can eliminate quite a bit of it just by using Outlook Express. To see how this works, run Outlook Express and click File|Folder|New. In the Create Folder dialog box, click Local Folders, name your new folder "Spam," and click OK.

Next, choose Tools|Message Rules|Mail. Click New and then select the check box labeled "Where the To line contains people." Now, for the sake of simplicity, let's assume that you have only one email address. Click "contains people" under "Rule Description." Enter your email address and click Add, and then click OK.

Select the check box labeled "Move it to the specified folder," click "Specified," and select the new folder named Spam. Then click OK. Back in Message Rules, click OK.

This works because most spam is not sent to an email address. So, any email that isn't sent to your address will get moved to the Spam folder. Don't delete the spam without looking since some commercial transactions also result in email that doesn't contain the recipient's address.

- Sue Whitehouse

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001