This article lists frequently asked question about e-mail on The Microsoft
Network.
- Q. How does someone on the Internet address e-mail to me at my account
on The Microsoft Network?
A. Your address is:
<your member ID>@msn.com
where <your member ID> is your member ID. For example, if your
member ID was johndoe, your address would be:
johndoe@msn.com
NOTE: The address is not case sensitive.
- Q. How do I address Internet e-mail?
A. You have three options:
- Enter an Internet address name listed in your personal address
book in the To, Cc, or Bcc boxes.
- Type the Internet address directly in the To, Cc, or Bcc boxes
using the format:
alias@service.com
This address is processed as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transport
Protocol) address, which The Microsoft Network supports for
Internet mail. However, if you are running more than one
service, the message can be sent by any service in your mail
profile that supports SMTP addresses.
- Enter an Internet address in either the To, Cc, or Bc boxes in
either of the following formats:
[INTERNET: alias@service.com]
[MSNINET: alias@service.com]
The Microsoft Network supports the INTERNET format, but if you
are running more than one service, the message can be sent by
any service in your mail profile that supports INTERNET address
types.
The MSNINET format is guaranteed to be sent over The Microsoft
Network because this type is unique to The Microsoft Network.
- Q. If I have a problem sending e-mail from The Microsoft Network to
other addresses, where can I get help?
A. Send e-mail to "Postmaster" on The Microsoft Network. Please
describe the problem you are having, including the address to which
you are sending mail.
- Q. Can I send attachments with outbound e-mail messages?
A. Yes. When you send mail from The Microsoft Network over the
Internet, attachments included in the message are converted
automatically to a UUENCODED format for transmission. When you
receive mail from the Internet with UUENCODED attachments, the
attachments are automatically converted to a standard Microsoft
Network attachment.
- Q. Is there a limit on the size of The Microsoft Network e-mail
messages (including attachments)?
A. E-mail messages cannot be larger than 2 MB (including attachments).
If a message is larger, it is sent back to your Inbox with an
explanation.
Note that this measurement is based on the compressed size of the
message as it is handled by The Microsoft Network. It is therefore
possible to send a message with a large size as reported by
Microsoft Exchange's Outbox folder, because the message is not yet
compressed. The parts compressed are the attachments, objects, and
messages inserted using the Message command on the Insert menu. The
text body is not compressed.
Internet messages received by The Microsoft Network are also
limited to 2 MB. (Internet mail is not compressed because
attachments are text encoded using UUENCODE.) If a message received
from the Internet exceeds 2 MB, The Microsoft Network sends the
appropriate error code to the sending service. It is that service's
responsibility to inform the sender that the message was not sent.
- Q. Is there a quick way to add a person who sent me e-mail to my
personal address book?
A. Use the right mouse button to click the name in the From field, and
then click Add To Personal Address Book on the menu that appears.
- Q. How can different members of my family get different addresses for
e-mail?
A. All members of your family will need separate accounts to send and
receive mail in their own names. To keep the incoming mail separate
(with more than one user on a computer), you need to set up a
separate mail profile for each user.
- Q. If I have more than one Microsoft Exchange profile, can I make
Microsoft Exchange prompt me for the profile I want to use?
A. Yes. Follow these steps:
1. Open Microsoft Exchange.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. On the General tab, click the "Prompt for a profile to be used"
option.
4. Click OK.
- Q. Can I read mail from one computer but later retrieve that mail from
another computer?
A. Yes. You need to disable the "Download mail when e-mail starts up
from MSN" option and then use Remote Mail to download copies of
your messages. In Remote Mail, you have the option to download a
copy of your messages instead of retrieving them. If you copy your
messages instead of retrieving them, your e-mail stays on the
server for a limited period of time.
To disable retrieving your mail when you start e-mail, follow these
steps:
1. Open Microsoft Exchange.
2. On the Tools menu, click Services.
3. In the box that lists the information services set up in this
profile, click The Microsoft Network Online Service.
4. Click Properties.
5. On the Transport tab, click the "Download mail when e-mail
starts up from MSN" check box to clear it.
6. Click OK.
10. Q. How can I add my signature to an e-mail message?
A. This feature is not currently available in the Windows 95 version
of Microsoft Exchange. This feature is available in the retail
version of Microsoft Exchange.
If you are using Microsoft Exchange, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Auto Signature.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook, follow these steps:
1. Compose a new mail message and create a signature in the body.
2. Highlight the signature.
3. On the Tools menu, click Auto Signature.
11. Q. What is the capacity of my mailbox on the MSN mail servers?
A. 10 megabytes (regardless of the capacity of the mailbox, messages
are deleted when they are more than 30 days old).