Articles in Category: Email
Email – the most used, most long lived communications medium offered by networks of interconnected computers.
How Secure Is Email?
Email is ubiquitous and convenient, yet surprisingly, not particularly secure. I’ll look at why that is and when you should worry.
I Know My Password Is Right, But I Can’t Sign In. What Do I Do?
If your password won’t work and your secret questions are different, it’s pretty clear what’s happened and what you need to do.
Outlook Keeps Asking for Password — Why?
When your email program starts repeatedly asking you for your password, it’s a sign of a problem. Most of the time, it’s a simple problem.
What’s the Difference Between Trash and Junk Folders?
Junk folder, Spam folders, and Trash folders are similar, but they differ in one important respect: training your spam filter.
Why Doesn’t Blocking Email Senders Work?
Most email programs can block email from a specific address. Unfortunately, blocking email from a sender is ineffective when it comes to spam.
How Using BCC Reduces Spam
Using BCC on forwarded email is one way to reduce the amount of spam your recipients might get.
Why Am I Being Asked for Additional Verification on Sign-in?
If Microsoft detects a login attempt to your account from a country other than yours, additional security information may be required. You need to be prepared to provide it.
How Do I View the BCC Recipients on an Email I’ve Received?
“BCC” is a way to send copies of email without all the recipients being visible. But can you still view the BCC’ed?
Can I Have Two Different Email Accounts with the Same Email Address?
Having multiple email accounts with the same email address is not possible, and may reflect a misunderstanding of how addresses and accounts relate.
I’m Suddenly Getting More Spam Emails. Should I Be Worried?
A sudden flood of additional spam is not unusual. I’ll look at why I think it happens, and when I start to worry.
Why Does Email Take So Long to Arrive Sometimes?
Counting on email being almost instant is probably a bad idea. Email is designed to tolerate many delays, and delays do happen.
Will I Lose My Email If I Don’t Check It for a While?
It’s important to check and possibly download your email from time to time so that you won’t lose email, or even the entire account.
Can Someone See Encrypted Email?
Encrypted email cannot be sniffed, but chances are you aren’t using encrypted email. I’ll explain what I mean and what you might want to do.
Can My School See Email I Send and Recieve?
Your school can see email being sent and received across its systems, and there’s no way to know whether or not they’re actually looking.
Can I Stop or ‘Un-send’ an Email I Sent by Mistake?
Once you hit that Send button, you must assume there is no way to stop your email from being sent . . . even if it’s to the wrong person.
7 Signs of Phishing to Watch For
A friend received a fairly convincing phishing attempt. I’ll cover the signs that showed it was bogus.
Why Am I Getting Email Sent to an Email Address Similar to Mine?
It’s not uncommon to get unexpected email sent to an email address similar to your own. I’ll review why that is and what to do about it.
What Does the “Mailbox Unavailable” Error Mean and How Do I Fix It?
“Mailbox unavailable” is a common email bounce message that tells us very little. I’ll review some of the more common causes of “mailbox unavailable”.
How to Email Large Files Using Any Email Program or Service
Emailing large attachments is typically a bad idea, as your mail may not be delivered. I’ll look at alternatives.
How to Get Rid of Spam Emails
If you’re not getting spam now, you will soon — and probably lots of it. What can you do? There’s no magic answer, but there are various things you can do to help.
How to Move Email Messages to Another Account
When changing email providers, old email can be difficult to move. I’ll look at some of the options.
Why Would Someone Use My Email as their Recovery Email?
It’s not uncommon to get account-recovery requests for accounts we know nothing about. Here’s why, and what to do.
How Do I Change My Microsoft Account Phone Number?
Mobile numbers are an important component of Hotmail and Outlook.com security. I’ll review how to change the mobile number and keep it up to date.
How Do I Remove Invalid Email Addresses from Auto-fill?
This is all about the many ways your computer tries to make your life easier. Sometimes it tries just a little too hard.
Which Email Service Should I Use?
You have many, many choices when it comes to email services. I’ll review what to look for and make a couple of recommendations.
Why Shouldn’t I Use the “Report Spam” or “Junk” Button?
The “Report Spam” and “Junk” buttons serve an important function in the war against spam. However, used improperly they can do more harm than good.
Phishing: How to Know It When You See It
Phishing is a way scammers trick you into providing personal and financial details. Phishing opens the door to identity theft and more.
How Do I Use and Clear Outlook.com Contacts and Auto-complete Suggestions?
Outlook.com tries to make entering email addresses quicker, easier, and less error-prone by offering a variety of suggestions when you compose email. I’ll look at how those interact and how you can control some of what happens.
My Email Disappeared While Composing. Can I Get it Back?
It’s no fun to write a long email and lose it. Here’s how that happens and a few ways to avoid it.
How Should I Back Up Email?
Configuring a PC-based email program to use IMAP and have it constantly download email as a backup is a reasonable way to go.
What’s the Difference Between an Email Account, an Email Address, an Email Program, and an Email Service?
Terminology around email can be confusing. I’ll review some common and important terms.
How Do I Password Protect Email Attachments?
Some documents are sensitive enough to warrant encryption to protect the contents. How do you email them?
How Do I Contact Outlook.com Customer Service?
People ask every day how they can reach someone at Microsoft to help with Hotmail and Outlook.com problems. There is help.
Why Does Email to Me Bounce with “Inbox Full”?
When you use a desktop email program, it’s possible for the inbox on your PC to be empty, but the inbox on your email service provider to be full.
How Do I Get Off Email Lists I Don’t Want to be On?
To unsubscribe or not to unsubscribe: that is the question. The answer depends on how you got there.
What Should I Do If I Accidentally Click on a Phishing Link?
Accidentally clicking a phishing link might be benign if you catch it soon enough. If not, you may need to take recovery actions to save your account and/or machine.
5 Reasons Your Closed Email Account Sends Spam
Closing an email account is many people’s first reaction to seeing spam sent from their account. It rarely helps, if it’s even possible. I’ll explain.
Should I Worry About Old Lost Email Accounts?
That old account you lost probably won’t come back to haunt you, but it’s wise to take some action and keep your guard up.
How Do I Send Free Anonymous Email?
Sending anonymous email ranges from easy to complex, depending on the likelihood of someone going the extra mile to identify you.
Back Up Your Email Using Thunderbird
Using a desktop email program to back up email avoids potential data loss. I’ll show you how using Outlook.com and Thunderbird as examples.
Did My Bounced Message Get There?
When an email message bounces back to you, it may be hard to know who did or did not get the message.
Are Deleted Emails Really Deleted?
“Permanently deleted” email may or may not be recoverable. Depending on the situation and motivation, that email could come back to haunt or help you.
Why Do Pictures in Email Sometimes Show as Attachments, and Sometimes in the Message?
Pictures in email don’t always display. The reasons are varied and confusing, but I’ll review the three most common causes of problems and what you need to do.
Will Microsoft Close My Hotmail Account If I Don’t Sign In?
You can lose your account, and everything in it, if you don’t sign in often enough. Here’s how often you need to, and other ways to protect yourself.
Can I Tell If Someone Blocked My Texts and Email?
Email and texting usually works, but when it doesn’t, there’s just no way to tell if someone has blocked you.
What Recovery Email Address Should I Use?
Your recovery email address is easy to overlook and forget, but it can be critical to regaining access to a compromised account. Here’s what you need to do.
Email Headers Revealed and How They Might Help You
Email headers are geeky magic, but understanding a few can help identify spam and diagnose some email problems.
How Do I Get Rid of Gmail Tabs? How to Regain Control and Find the Email Gmail Might Be Hiding From You
Gmail introduced a tabbed interface to automatically categorize email messages. Since their categorization often misses the mark, let’s turn it off.
