Start Outlook Express.
Just to make certain we're all using the same layout during
this setup process, please change your layout view by
selecting View and
then Layout...
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Select the boxes as displayed below: |
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Next,
we're going to create a new email folder to hold your potential
spam email. Highlight Local Folders,
then right click (click on the button on the right side
of your mouse) and select New
Folder from the drop down menu.
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Enter the text: Possible Spam
in the Folder Name field.
Click OK. |
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You've now created a folder to hold
emails that will be flagged as possible spam. Because no spam
blocking software can be 100% accurate, we create this folder
to allow you to double check that emails tagged as spam are
actually emails you do not want. |
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Now let's get into the Message Rules - the core of the Spam
Blocker settings. Select Tools
and then Message Rules,
then Mail.
(This is where Outlook users will select Tools
and then Rules Wizard.) |
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The first rule we'll create will identify incoming mail from
known sources and not apply any blocking rules. In other words,
any email that is sent to you from friends (or any other email
address you enter in this rule) will automatically bypass
the spam blocking rules.
So, in the field titled 1. Select
the Condition for your rules, select the
Where the From line contains people rule as indicated
below. Then click on contains people
in the field titled
3. Rule Description. |
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Now enter the email addresses of friends and others that
you wish to exempt from any spam blocking rules. Just type
the email address in the top field (see below example with
janedoe@grolen.com) and then
click the Add button.
Enter email addresses one at a time in this manner until
all addresses have been entered.
If you use Outlook or Outlook Express' Address Book, you
can also import addresses directly from your Address Book.
Just click on the Address Book
button.
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Select the names you wish to include from your Address Book
and click the From button.
Once all the addresses you wish to include have been selected,
click OK. |
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This will return you once again to the Select
People screen. If finished entering email addresses,
click OK. |
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In the field titled 2. Select the
Actions for your rule, locate and select
the rule labeled Stop processing
more rules. In the field titled 4.
Name of the rule, enter Accepted
Email Addresses as the title or name of this rule.
Then click OK. |
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You should now be returned to the Message
Rules box. Your Message Rules box will show the
rule we just created.
Now let's create our second rule. Click on the New
button. |
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This next rule will examine the Subject line of your incoming
emails and look for key words that we identify as possible
subjects of spam emails. (For example, words like casino,
sex, dvd.).
In Field
1, select the rule titled Where
the Subject line contains specific words.
Then click on the underlined words
contains specific words
in the field titled 3.
Rule Description.
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In
the top field, enter words or phrases, that may appear in
the Subject line of emails you feel are spam or wish not to
receive. Click Add after
each entry.
For a list of suggested words and
phrases to add to this rule, click
here.
Once you have entered all the words or phrases you consider
qualified for this rule, click OK.
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the field titled 2. Select the Actions
for your rule, locate and select Move
it to the specified folder. In the field titled
3. Rule Description,
click on the underlined word specified
to select the folder that emails matching this rule, will
be moved to. |
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Highlight the folder we created earlier titled Possible
Spam, by clicking on it. The click OK. |
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In the field titled 4. Name
of the rule, enter Rejected
Text from Subject Line as the title or name of
this rule. Then click OK.
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This will return you to the Message
Rules screen, where we'll create our next rule.
Click on New to bring
up the screen below. This rule will examine the To: and CC:
fields of your incoming email and look to verify that the
incoming email has your email address listed in the To or
CC fields. A lot of mass emailers do not list their recipient's
addresses in these fields and therefore it becomes another
way to help identify possible spam.
In field 1, locate and select the rule titled Where
the To or CC line contains people.
Then
click on the underlined words contains
people in the field titled 3.
Rule Description. |
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Enter your email address in the top field. If you have more
than one email address, enter them all. Click
Add after each address. Once all your email addresses
have been entered, click on the Options
button. |
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Under Rule 1, select Message
does not contain the people below. Under Rule
2, select Message matches
any one of the people below. The click OK |
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This will return you to the New Mail
Rule screen seen below. In the field titled 2.
Select the Actions for your rule, locate
and select the rule labeled Move
it to the specified folder. In the field
titled 3. Rule Description,
click on the underlined word specified
to select the folder that emails matching this rule, will
be moved to. |
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Highlight the folder we created earlier titled Possible
Spam, by clicking on it. The click OK.
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You'll be returned to the New Mail
Rule screen as seen below. In the field titled
4. Name of the rule,
enter To or CC Rule as
the title or name of this rule. Then click OK.
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This will return you to the Message
Rules screen, where we'll create our final rule.
(This rule is optional and used to prevent acceptable email
from being tagged as spam.) If you wish to skip this rule
click here.
Click on New to bring
up the screen below. This last rule will examine the Subject
line of your incoming emails and look for key words that
we identify as acceptable subjects.
This rule will help allow emails you want to receive, but
might otherwise be filtered out by the rules we've already
created. Examples of this might be an email from an eBay
member or from a mailing list to which you belong.
In field 1, locate and select the rule titled Where
the Subject line contains specific words.
Then click on the underlined words
contains specific words
in the field titled 3.
Rule Description.
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In the top field, enter the words or phrases, that may appear
in the Subject line of emails you wish to receive that might
otherwise be filtered out by our other rules. Click
Add after each entry. Once you have entered all
the words or phrases you consider qualified for this rule,
click OK. |
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In the field titled 4. Name
of the rule, enter Accepted
Text from Subject Line as the title or name of
this rule. Then click OK.
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Click on rule we just created called Accepted
Text from Subject Line and click on the Move
Up button until the Accepted
Text from Subject Line rule has been moved up to
the second rule - just below Accepted
Email Addresses. (Rules are processed from the
top down.) |
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That's it. You should now be 95% spam-free. Please keep
in mind that no spam blocking program can be 100% accurate.
You should check the email downloaded to your Possible Spam
folder to verify that all mail in this folder belongs there.
You'll most likely need to fine tune your rules as you go.
If you find spam making it into your inbox, examine the
email to see how it got by the filter. Perhaps a new word
needs to be added to your Subject line rule.
Tip: Outlook
identifies the number of unread messages in each folder
with a blue number next to the folder name. After you've
examined your newly downloaded email in the Possible Spam
folder, you can zero out the number for this folder and
at the same time, mark these messages as read, by pressing
CTRL-SHIFT-A. (That's the CTRL key, the Shift key and the
letter A key simultaneously.) This way you can identify
newly downloaded emails from old ones.
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