Clicking on the "Options" entry in the "Tools" menu will cause the dialog box shown above to open. A variety of ways to configure different features of Outlook Express are presented there. At the top of the box are tabs for different categories of configurations. Clicking each tab will open another box with a selection of settings for the category in question. We will concentrate on settings related to safety in handling e-mail.

The first box that opens after clicking "Tools" is under the "General" category. To avoid automatically receiving or sending messages at the startup of Outlook Express, uncheck the box on the left of the entry outlined in yellow above and click "Apply" at the lower right corner. This is a good choice if you are using a program like Mailwasher to check your mail before downloading. Also, it prevents malicious software from mailing out infected e-mails before you get a chance to notice suspicious mail in your outbox.

To close the box, click the "OK" button at the bottom. To continue configuring, click on the tab marked "Read".at the top of the box. The box shown on the next page will then be opened.