How I Configure and Use Microsoft Outlook Express
to Avoid Viruses and Spam

(2004-Feb, Outlook Express v6.0)

'Outlook Express' is the mail program that comes with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, downloadable at no charge from Microsoft's web site.

I configure Outlook Express (OE) to suit my user interface preferences, and I use it in a way that I think helps avoid getting viruses or attracting spam.

Here's how I configure and use Microsoft Outlook Express (OE).

Configuring Outlook Express


What I do Why I do it
Click 'Local Folders' in 'Folders' column
From the menu bar: View->Layout
De-select 'Show preview pane'
 I want total control over when an email is opened, so that I can delete a suspicious email without ever opening it. If I were to enable the 'preview pane', OE would open an email when I select it.
Click 'Inbox' in the 'Folders' column
From the menu bar: View->Columns...
Select 'Size'
De-select 'Flag'
De-select 'Priority'
 The size of an email is a clue to what it contains.
I disable 'flag' and 'priority' because I don't use them; deleting them gives me more screen space.
Click 'Local Folders' in 'Folders' column
From the menu bar: View->Layout
Press 'Customize Toolbar'
In 'Text Options', select 'Selective text on right'
In 'Icon Options', select 'Small icons'
 Screen space is valuable, and making the icons smaller is an easy way to save space.
Remove 'Contacts' window To reduce clutter
Tools->Options->'General' tab:
Select "When starting, go directly to my 'Inbox' folder
De-select everything else 		My preferences, plus I want control over when OE sends email.

How I Avoid Viruses

Most (or all?) viruses are harmless if you delete them without opening the email containing them. To figure out if an email is safe to open, here's what I do:

If the email is:

  • from a known correspondent, and
  • has a subject line that seems likely from that correspondent, and
  • doesn't have an attachment
then I open it. Otherwise, I'm suspicious, and here's what I do to look at the contents of a suspicious email safely:
  • Right-click on the subject line of the suspicious email
  • Select 'Properties'
  • Select the 'Details' tab
  • Click the 'Message Source' button
  • Expand the Message Source window to full screen (by clicking the middle button of the three at the top-right of the window)
This displays the raw text of the message, which is safe. By looking at the text, I can read the message and see if there is anything that looks like a virus. Viruses are always encoded in big blocks of text that look something like this: 
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If such a block of text does not exist, the message does not contain a virus. However, if there is such text, it isn't necessarily a virus, but could be. I decide if the rest of the contents of the email look OK. If in doubt, I don't bother opening it (after all, I now already know what is in that email). I just delete it.

How I Avoid Spam

I rarely get spam these days because I use NCF's SpamFilter, but occasionally something comes through.

Of course I never reply to spam (because then they would send more). Also, I do not open spam, because if HTML is enabled, when an email containing HTML is opened, it may build the display by fetching items (for example, graphics) from the internet. Spammers can add information to the HTML code in their email that tells them which of their emails is being opened (eg., just by adding your address or a code number to one of the URLs of an image).

Most spammers don't use this technique because it requires generating customized email messages, but some do.

Normally I delete spam without opening it. If I am not sure if something is spam, I use the virus-checking method above (using 'Properties') instead of having OE open the email -- that way any HTML inside the message will not be executed. Also, I use the OE option that disables HTML -- see Tools->Options->Read and select "Read all messages in plain text".

With these methods, I haven't had any trouble with viruses (and by using NCF's SpamFilter, I hardly receive any spam in my mailbox).

(I'd be pleased to receive comments and suggestions for improvements)