Help with some Outlook Express questions

1.Unblocking Attachments in Outlook Express 6
Outlook Express 6 came with a new security feature, the ability to block attachments from being saved or opened that could potentially be a virus. This feature is enabled by default.
In my experience it has blocked every attachment and I've helped a number of people to turn this feature off.
Note: Many viruses are transmitted via email attachments. If you are going to turn this feature off, make sure you have up-to-date and functional anti-virus software running.
The procedure to disable this feature is:

1.1 Open Outlook Express
1.2 Go to the Tools Menu and select Options
1.3 Select the Security Tab
1.4 Uncheck the "do not allow attachments to be ..." option

2.Why does Outlook Express always open such a small window?
Both Outlook Express and Internet Explorer remember the size of the last window used, but neither can remember a maximized window. If a window opens very small and you then maximize the window, Outlook Express and IE will remember the small size, not the maximized size. So instead of maximizing the window, just drag the corners of the window until it is large enough for you, then close the window. Outlook Express and IE will then remember that large, non-maximized size. Note that this problem does not occur on WindowsXP; it does remember maximized windows.

3.Why can't I delete messages inside Outlook Express?
That can happen if the Deleted Items folder is damaged. Move all messages you might want to keep out of the Deleted Items folder and into another mail folder you create. Close Outlook Express, then delete the file "Deleted Items.dbx" in your Identity's store folder. Outlook Express will create a new one when you re-open Outlook Express.

4.Why does Outlook Express try to install another language when I click on certain messages?
This occurs if the message was sent using a character set different from yours and you have enabled Install on Demand. To prevent this, either install the language requested, or click Tools| Options| Read| International Settings, and check "Always use default encoding for all incoming messages". That will disable Install on Demand inside Outlook Express, but will leave it active in Internet Explorer. If you wish to disable it in IE also, do so under IE's Tools| Internet Options| Advanced.

5.Why can't I set Outlook Express as the default email client?
Why can't I Reply to Author in newsgroups?
Why do I see a Choose Profile window when I Reply to Author in newsgroups?
All of these problems indicate that Outlook Express is not properly configured as the default email client on your computer. To be sure Outlook Express is the default mail client, close Outlook Express, click Start| Run and enter this command line, complete with quotes, spaces and the /reg switch:
"C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe" /reg

Of course change the path if you installed Outlook Express elsewhere.

Now click Start| Settings| Control Panel, double-click Internet Options, then click on the Programs tab, and verify that Outlook Express is now the default email client. (You can also get there from the IE Tools| Internet Options menu). Then open Outlook Express and click Tools| Options, and at the bottom of the General tab, verify that Outlook Express is set as the default. If it is, the "Make Default" button will be grayed out. If not, click the button.

6.Why can't Outlook Express insert my signature after quoted text in replies?
Before the Internet became "the big thing", most email was found only inside corporate networks, almost all of which used proprietary mail protocols rather than standard Internet protocols. Microsoft Mail and Exchange Server were and are such proprietary systems. Many of these systems, including MS Mail, adopted the convention of placing quoted material at the bottom of a reply, below the signature.

This makes sense in a corporate environment where email is used not so much to conduct a conversation but rather as a replacement for hand-written notes left on other employees' desks or messages left on an answering machine. Internet news on the other hand developed as a conversational tool, with lots of back-and-forth commenting, point by point arguments and such. In such a conversational environment, it makes much more sense to place quoted material at the top of a reply and the signature at the bottom.

With Outlook Express, and its predecessor Internet Mail and News, Microsoft decided to be consistent with its other mail clients rather than Internet clients, and so quoted material is placed below the signature. Unfortunately, this behavior cannot be changed by the user. If you prefer the signature at the bottom, turn off the auto-insert feature in replies under Tools| Options| Signatures by checking "Don't add signatures to replies and forwards." Or uncheck "Add signatures to all outgoing messages" to disable all auto-insert functions. Now open a new Mail Message and double-click its toolbar, then add the Signature button. Close the message window and open a new News Message and again add the Signature button. Now you can just click the button and your signature will be inserted wherever you have placed the cursor. You can also press Ctrl-Shift-S for the default signature for that account, or Alt-I-S to select from all signatures.

7.Why can't I print messages correctly?
Outlook Express uses the Internet Explorer print engine, so you have to configure IE for printing before you print in Outlook Express. To do that, open Internet Explorer and click File | Page Setup.

The print font size is also affected by Internet Explorer. If the font is too large or too small, change the text size in Internet Explorer by clicking View | Text Size and then try printing again.