If you have just installed Netscape Mail or have yet to set your preferences for sending and receiving mail and newsgroup messages, you will be asked to use the Account Wizard when you first launch Mail.
The Wizard asks you to provide required information, such as your user name and email address. If you do not know a setting, you must exit the Wizard and consult your Internet service provider (ISP) or help desk.
You can add additional mail and newsgroup accounts from the File menu of the Mail window by choosing New, then Account. (Or, you can open the Edit menu of the Mail window, choose Mail/News Account Settings, and then click the New Account button.) Be sure to type the account information exactly as it's given to you. Click Next or Back to move through the panels. To cancel your account creation, click Cancel.
To set up a mail account with an ISP or email provider, you'll need to provide:
To set up a newsgroup account, you'll need to provide:
To set up an AOL or Netscape WebMail account, you only need to provide your email address.
To set up a new mail or newsgroup account:
Begin from the Netscape browser window.
Note: The name of your SMTP host may not have been reported to you in your ISP information or by your system administrator. Your SMTP host may be the same as your POP3 or IMAP host. If in doubt, contact your ISP or system administrator.
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The very first time you launch Mail, you are asked to use the Account Wizard if you have not already set up an account. You can add additional mail and newsgroup accounts from the File menu of the Mail window by choosing New, then Account. (Or, you can also open the Edit menu of the Mail window, choose Mail/News Account Settings, and then click the New Account button.)
You can also use the Account Settings dialog box to change or add information for an existing account, including:
To use the Account Settings dialog box:
Begin from the Mail window.
To view or change information for an existing mail or newsgroup account:
Note: If you need to change server type, server name, or user name, you must delete the existing account and recreate it with the new settings.
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To view or change your identity preferences, such as your user name, reply-to address, and signature file:
Begin from the Mail window.
Tip: If you select this option, but you later want to compose a message or reply to a message using the plain text editor, hold down the Shift key and click New Msg or Reply. Shift-clicking the New Msg button or the Reply button opens the plain text editor instead of the HTML editor.
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Netscape Mail can work with two types of mail servers: IMAP and POP3. If your Internet service provider supports both, these descriptions may help you choose which one to use:
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
Advantages: Your messages and any changes to them stay on your server, saving local disk space. Also, you always have access to an updated mailbox, and you can get your mail from multiple locations. Performance on a modem is faster, since you initially download message headers only.
Disadvantages: Not all ISPs support IMAP.
Post Office Protocol (POP3)
Advantages: Your messages are downloaded to your local computer all at once, but you can also specify whether to keep copies of the messages on the server. Most ISPs currently support POP3.
Disadvantages: You must synchronize your local Inbox with your server's mailbox. This can result in downloading new messages over and over each time you connect. If you use more than one computer, messages might reside on one or the other, but not both. POP3 doesn't work as well as IMAP over a slow link connection. Also, you can't access all mail folders from multiple locations.
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To view or change preferences for your POP server account:
Begin from the Mail window.
You entered the Server Type, Server Name, and the User Name when you created this account. You can change the Port assignment if necessary.
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To view or change preferences for your IMAP server account:
Begin from the Mail window.
The Server Type, the Server Name, and the User Name were entered when you used the New Account Wizard. You may change the Port assignment, if necessary.
Advanced IMAP Server Settings
Note: In most cases, advanced IMAP server settings are supplied by the server automatically. If you are unclear about the settings for this dialog box, consult your system administrator before proceeding.
Begin from the Mail window.
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To view or change settings for a newsgroup server:
Begin from the Mail window.
The Server Type, the Server Name, and the User Name were entered when you used the New Account Wizard. You may change the Port assignment, if necessary.
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To set preferences for storing messages and sending automatic copies:
Begin from the Mail window.
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Even if you have multiple mail or news accounts, you generally need to specify only one outgoing (SMTP) server to handle the delivery of your outgoing mail. To view or change the settings for your SMTP server:
Begin from the Mail window.
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If you use Instant Messenger (IM), Netscape Mail allows you to quickly correspond with friends and colleagues while you manage your mail. For example, you can quickly add entries on your Buddy lists to your address books, and send online colleagues instant messages from any message window.
Once you've signed on to Instant Messenger, you can see whether the
sender or recipients of incoming Mail messages are signed on as well.
When you see the IM presence icon to the right of someone's name in the envelope of the message, simply right-click the person's name, and then select Send Instant
Message from the pop-up menu to begin a messaging session.
To log on to Instant Messenger, choose Instant Messenger from the Tasks menu, or click the Instant Messenger icon on the taskbar.
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Instant Messenger icon |
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In this section:
Choosing How You View the Mail Window |
Netscape Mail automatically downloads new messages to your Inbox (your primary message folder) if you've set it to check for messages at timed intervals. The Mail icon on the taskbar displays a green arrow to notify you when messages have arrived on your mail server.
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New mail notification |
To have Mail automatically check for new messages:
Begin from the Mail window.
You can always retrieve messages manually at any time. To get new messages for the current account, do one of the following:
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Mail icon |
Note: The first time you retrieve messages for an account, Mail asks you for your password, at which time you can choose to have Mail store your password in the Password Manager.
Password Manager can save all your user names and passwords on your own computer in a file that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read. For more information on Password Manager, open the Help menu, choose Help Contents, then choose "Understanding Privacy," and then choose "Password Manager." For information on protecting your stored user names and passwords with encryption technology, see the topic "Encrypting Sensitive Information" under "Understanding Privacy."
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You can customize the layout of the Mail window (the window you see when you choose Mail from the Tasks menu).
Begin from the Mail window:
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To sort messages by categories such as subject, sender, date, or priority:
Begin from the Mail window.
To group messages by threading:
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Thread button |
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To save a message as a plain text or HTML file:
You can also save a message as a template or as a draft.
To print a displayed message:
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In this section:
Composing Mail and Newsgroup Messages Using the Message Composition Window |
To open a composition window to address, compose, and send a new message or reply to one:
Tip: Use the Mail/News Account Settings command on the Edit menu to specify the HTML text editor for composing messages. In the Account Settings dialog box, select the account, and check "Compose messages using HTML" to use the HTML text editor for all messages. If you want to use the plain text editor occasionally, you can hold down the Shift key while clicking the Get Msg or the Reply button to use the plain text editor on an as-needed basis.
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Use the message composition window to address, compose, and send email and newsgroup messages. First specify whether you want to compose messages in plain text or HTML in the Account Settings preference panel (Open the Edit menu and choose Mail/News Account Settings).
The message composition window contains the following:
You can click the following buttons:
If you've chosen to compose messages using the HTML editor, you see an additional toolbar with the same text formatting buttons as those of Netscape Composer.
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To address an email message:
If you have address autocompletion enabled (it's enabled by default), simply type the first few letters of the recipient's name and wait for Mail to complete the address. (Or you can type part of the name and immediately press Enter to have Mail try to complete the address.)
Note: Use a comma to separate multiple addresses in the same field. Do not use a comma to separate first or last names.
Tip: You can quickly address a message by right-clicking the email address contained in a message you're reading, and then selecting Send Mail To from the pop-up menu.
Changing the Account From Which a Message is Sent
If you have multiple mail accounts, the account listed in the From field is based on the account (or server) you have currently selected when you choose to create a new message. However, Netscape Mail also allows you to change the account a message is sent from while you're composing a message. Click the From field to view a list of your accounts and then select the account you want. A copy of the message is saved in your Local Sent folder.
Note: If you choose an account to which you are not currently logged onto, Netscape Mail asks you to log in to the account.
About Address Autocompletion
Address autocompletion allows you to easily address mail from the message composition window without having to search for names or type complete names. Mail automatically checks your address books and completes the name if it finds a unique match. It also prevents mistakes by showing all possible choices with additional information if it finds multiple matches. Address autocompletion is enabled by default.
If you don't want to use an address that Mail provides, simply press Backspace or Delete to erase the address and then enter an alternate address.
To disable address autocompletion:
Begin from the Mail window.
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While you're composing a message, you can select these additional message sending options from the Options menu:
Select Addresses
The Select Addresses option lets you choose the recipient's email address from your Address Books. Select an address and then click To:, Cc:, or Bcc: to address your message.
Check Spelling
Checks the spelling of the message text. You can also click Spell.
Rewrap
If you are composing a message using the plain text editor, you can use the Rewrap command to rewrap long lines of quoted text to fit the composition window. This command rewraps selected quoted text to the window width, or rewraps all quoted text if no text is selected. This command is primarily useful when you are replying to a message where the original message is quoted in your reply, and the original message contains long lines.
You use the Mail/News Account Settings command on the Edit menu to specify that you want to use the plain text editor for composing messages. In the Account Settings dialog box, select the account, and uncheck "Compose messages using HTML" to use the plain text editor for all messages. If you only want to use the plain text editor occasionally, you can hold down the Shift key while clicking the Get Msg or the Reply button to use the plain text editor on an as-needed basis.
Format
Send the message as plain text, or HTML (formatted), or both. If you choose "Auto-Detect," Mail asks you for the format to use if it's unknown whether the recipient's mail program can display an HTML message. The format you choose here overrides the send format you specified using the Preferences command on the Edit menu.
Priority
Choose a label or "flag" that indicates whether the message has lowest, low, normal, high, or highest priority.
File Sent Message
Choose this if you want to file an additional copy of the sent message in a different folder than your default Sent folder. Then select the folder you want.
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To reply to an email message:
To include the original message each time you reply to any message:
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When you forward a message, you can specify how to place new text relative to the original text: inline (in the body of the message), or as an attachment (by default).
To forward a message:
To set the default for forwarding messages:
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To save an email message as a draft that you can complete later:
To retrieve a message draft:
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Templates are useful for formatting messages that you send regularly, such as weekly status reports. You can save a message as a template from any window in which it is displayed, including from within a message composition window.
To save a message as a template:
To edit or use a template file:
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In this section:
Choosing HTML Message Sending Options Specifying Recipients for HTML Messages |
Netscape Mail allows you to compose mail and newsgroup messages using either the HTML (rich-text) formatting editor or the plain-text editor for each mail account you have. In addition, you can choose whether your addressees should receive HTML or plain-text messages by default, and how Mail should handle messages when it's not known if the addressee(s) can receive HTML formatted mail.
To specify whether to use the HTML editor as the default for composing messages:
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You can choose the default method Mail uses to handle sending HTML messages when it's not known whether the recipient's email program can display formatted mail:
Note: this preference applies to email messages only, not to newsgroup messages.
If while composing a message you realize that one or more recipients may not be able to receive HTML-formatted mail, you can easily convert the message to a different format when you click Send:
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You can save time by indicating whether individuals in your address books prefer to receive either HTML messages or plain text messages.
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You can quickly view the HTML and other code that generates an HTML message you've received:
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The HTML Mail Question dialog box appears when you try to send a message to someone who does not want to receive HTML messages or when Mail cannot determine whether your recipient can display HTML messages. If you are in doubt, send a plain-text message.
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In this section: |
To attach a file to an outgoing email message:
To attach a web page to an outgoing email message:
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If you receive email attachments that are regarded as native file formats (such as graphic files and html files), you see them displayed inline (in the body of the message). For other file formats, Mail lets you open them and view them, or save them to a local file.
To open an attachment:
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Paper clip icon
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To open the attachment, make sure you have the correct program for the particular file format on your computer.
Note: If you use an IMAP mail server, all attachments remain on the server until you download or open the attachment.
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To save an attachment in an email message:
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Paper clip icon
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In this section: |
How you delete messages depends on your mail server type: IMAP or POP3. Deleted POP3 messages are automatically moved to the Trash folder. IMAP users can set different options for deleting messages.
To delete IMAP messages from your Inbox or other folders:
Begin from the Mail window.
To set deletion preferences for IMAP messages:
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If you use POP3 to deliver your mail, or if you set up IMAP to use the Trash folder, follow these steps to delete messages from your Inbox or other folders:
To recover messages from the Trash:
To delete messages permanently:
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In this section:
About Netscape Mail Address Books Adding Entries to Your Address Books Creating a New Address Book Card |
Netscape Mail provides you with two address books: the Personal Address Book, and the Collected Addresses Book. You can create additional ones as well.
Use the Personal Address Book to add specific names you want, or to import address books from other email programs and previous versions of Netscape. You can create mailing lists, edit individual address entries, and create additional address books. If you have a Netcenter account, you can synchronize entries with those in your Netcenter WebMail Address Book.
The Collected Addresses address book collects the email addresses contained in incoming and outgoing messages. For incoming email messages, Mail stores the addresses in each message as soon as you open it. Addresses from outgoing messages are stored as soon as you click Send.
To enable automatic address collection:
To open the Address Book window:
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Address Book icon |
To customize how the Address Book window and the cards are displayed:
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You can use any of the following ways to add entries to your address books:
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Netscape Mail provides a default personal address book, but you can create additional address books.
To create a new address book:
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Address Book icon |
Address book cards can be used to store names, postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and information such as whether the addressee prefers to receive plain-text or HTML-formatted messages.
To create an address book card for an individual:
Note: You must be logged on to Instant Messenger in order to enter information on this tab.
To edit an individual card:
Tip: To quickly add entries to your address book, right-click any email address in messages you receive and select Add Address to Address Book from the pop-up menu. The New Card dialog box appears where you can complete the information.
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If you regularly send messages to a group of recipients, you can quickly address a message by using a mailing list that contains the names you want.
To create a mailing list and add it to your address book:
To remove a member from the list:
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To search for names and addresses in a personal address book:
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If you have an address book from a previous version of Netscape or another email program, you can add its entries to your personal address book. When you import another address book and add it to your own, Mail does not overwrite entries in your address book, but adds the new entries.
You can also import address books and mail messages from Eudora, Outlook, and Outlook Express. You can import the following types of address book file formats: tab or comma separated text or .ldif.
To import messages or address book files:
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To export an address book:
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If you have a Netcenter account, you can save time managing email from that account by synchronizing or matching entries in your Netscape WebMail Address Book with those in your Netscape Personal Address Book. Whenever you add, edit, or delete an entry in one address book, the other address book is updated so that entries in both address books match.
To perform an address book sync:
You can continue to synchronize address books throughout your Mail session (without having to log in again). Just click Sync or choose Sync Netscape Address Book from the File menu.
Note: If you have a Netcenter account, but the Sync button is dimmed, Netscape has not yet updated your existing account to take advantage of the Sync feature. Netscape notifies you (via an email message) when your Netcenter account has been updated. If you do not yet have a Netcenter account, you can sign up for one by going to http://www.netscape.com.
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In this section: |
To create a message folder:
Begin from the Mail window.
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To rename an existing folder:
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You can move messages from one folder to another by using either of these methods:
Note: If you drag and drop a message from an IMAP or POP mail server folder to a local folder on your hard drive, the message is moved to the local folder and removed from the server folder.
To copy a message from one folder to another:
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You can use certain criteria to create and maintain message filters that Netscape Mail can use to automatically perform certain actions, such as filing messages in a particular folder when they arrive.
To create a filter that acts on incoming messages:
Begin from the Mail window.
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Netscape Mail lets you quickly find text in a single message, or use a combination of criteria to perform a thorough search through all messages in a specific mail folder, newsgroup, or account.
To locate text in a single message:
Begin from the Mail window.
To search mail folders or newsgroups for specific messages:
Begin from the Mail window.
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In this section:
Setting General Mail and Newsgroup Preferences Setting Preferences for Displaying Messages Setting Preferences for Message Composition |
To set general preferences, such as the window layout for mail and newsgroups:
General Settings
Mail Start Page
The Start Page appears in your Inbox when you first open Netscape Mail. Mail provides you with a default page, but you can enter a different web page or URL of your choice. To disable the Start Page, deselect this option. Click Restore Default to return to the original page provided by Netscape.
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To set preferences for how messages are displayed (for example, font style and color):
Plain Text Messages
Choosing a font style for quoted plain text messages can help you more easily distinguish quoted text (usually a message that's been forwarded to you or by you). To customize the display of quoted plain text:
This: | Converts to: |
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:( | ![]() |
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;-p | ![]() |
Languages
Click the drop-down menu to select the character set coding (language) you want Mail to use as the default for incoming mail and newsgroup messages. This is recommended if it's likely you might receive messages in which the character set is not indicated, such as when reading messages in international newsgroups. To apply the default character coding to all messages, select "Apply default to all messages."
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To set preferences that affect how you create messages (for example, forwarding options and address autocompletion):
Forwarding and replying to messages
Begin from the Message Composition section of the Preferences dialog box.
Composing Messages
Begin from the Message Composition section of the Preferences dialog box.
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If you regularly compose HTML email messages, keep in mind that sometimes not all recipients use email programs that display HTML formatting properly. Netscape Mail lets you specify how you want to handle messages that go to those recipients: converted to plain text, as HTML, or as both HTML and plain text.
Whenever you add a person or address card to your address book, you can specify whether that addressee can receive HTML-formatted messages. However, when this information is unknown, you can set preferences for how Mail handles these messages:
Note: These preferences apply to email messages only, not to newsgroup messages.
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To set preferences for Netscape Mail's address books (for example, email address collection):
Email Address Collection
In addition to your Personal Address Book, Netscape Mail provides you with a Collected Addresses Book that can automatically store email addresses from your incoming or outgoing messages, or both. For incoming email messages, Mail stores the addresses in each message as soon as you open it. Addresses from outgoing messages are stored as soon as you click Send.
Check the box to enable automatic address collection, and choose whether you want to use this feature for incoming or outgoing messages, or both.
Addressing Messages
Address autocompletion allows you to quickly address mail without having to search for names or type names completely. Simply type a few characters, and Mail automatically checks your address books and completes the name if it finds a unique match. If multiple matches are found, Mail shows you a list of all possible choices. Check the box to enable address autocompletion.
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In this section: |
If you have set up an account on a newsgroup server, you can join (subscribe) to newsgroups (also called discussion groups). To subscribe to one or more newsgroups on a newsgroup server:
Begin from the Mail window.
If you are an IMAP mail user, you can also subscribe to message folders located on an IMAP server. (Your Inbox is a type of message folder.) Follow the instructions above for subscribing, but select a Mail server from the Server pop-up menu.
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When you open your newsgroup server, you see the list of newsgroups to which you subscribe. The server downloads the headers of new messages in each newsgroup.
To read newsgroup messages:
Begin from the Mail window.
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To start new threads (discussions):
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To post a response to the newsgroup:
To reply to an individual as well as post a response to the group:
To redirect a posting to another newsgroup:
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To remove a newsgroup from your list:
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If the newsgroup you want to subscribe to is on a different server, you must first set up access to that server.
To set up an additional newsgroup server, open the File menu in the Mail window and choose New, then Account.
Once you've set up access to the new server, you can subscribe to newsgroups on that server. In the Mail window, open the File menu and choose Subscribe.
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10/13/00
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