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Configuring Microsoft Outlook Express to Read Newsgroups (Windows 95/98/NT)

Summary: This article outlines how Microsoft Outlook Express (OE) Versions 4 and 5 for Windows 95/98/NT can be configured to read newsgroups on the UW news server.

Included on this page:

Creating a news "account"

Before you can subscribe to any newsgroups in Microsoft Outlook Express, you need to add a newsgroup "account." Accounts are simply how Outlook Express associates mail services with their respective servers, the remote computers that run them. For example, an Outlook Express email "account" associates an email address with its incoming and outgoing mail servers. An Outlook Express newsgroup "account" is just a collection of newsgroups associated with their news server. You can have more than one news account just like you can have more than one email account in Outlook Express.

The following instructions describe how to add a newsgroup account for the UW news server.

  1. Open Outlook Express.
  2. Click on the "Tools" menu. Select "Accounts."
  3. In the window that comes up you should see a tab marked "News." Click on it.
  4. If you already have any news accounts set up, you should see them here. Otherwise, the area below the "News" tab should be blank.
  5. Click the "Add" button and select "News..." from the options that appear.
  6. By default, the Outlook Express Internet Connection Wizard opens up. If it doesn't, you can input the following information manually in the window that does appear -- it's generally a fairly intuitive process.
  7. The Wizard will ask you for your "Display Name" first. This is the name that appears when you post messages to a newsgroup. That is, the name that appears in the "From:" header of messages you post. Generally, you should type your name in here.
  8. Click the "Next >" button.
  9. The Wizard will ask for your email address. This is the address you want to be replied to at. Type in your email address.
  10. Click "Next >"
  11. The Wizard now prompts you for the name of the news server. Type in:

    news.u.washington.edu

    to specify the UW news server. You should leave the "My news server requires me to log in" box blank.

  12. Click "Next >"
  13. Click "Finish."
  14. That's it! You should now have a news account ready for use in Outlook Express.

How to create a secure news "account"

You can configure Outlook Express to access the UW news server via UW NetID authentication. This option is necessary if you want to access the UW news server from a non-UW network (such as a cable modem or DSL connection). You achieve this by telling Outlook Express to use a different, "secure" port to access the news server.

  1. Follow steps 1 through 11 above, except that on step 11, do check the "My news server requires me to log on" box.
  2. Click "Next >"
  3. Type in your UW NetID in the "Account name:" field. You have the option of typing in your password in the "Password" field and having Outlook Express remember it. If you elect not to, you will be prompted for your password every time you access the news server. You should leave the "Log on using Secure Password Authentication [SPA]" box unchecked.
  4. Click "Next >"
  5. Click "Finish."
  6. A new news account should now appear in the left side (folder list) of the Outlook Express window. Click on it using the right mouse button (right-click) and select "Properties" from the menu that appears.
  7. Click on the "Advanced" Tab on the upper right side of the window that appears.
  8. Click on the "This server requires a secure connection (SSL)" box. The port number will change to 563.
  9. Click "OK." That's it!

How to subscribe to newsgroups

If Outlook Express doesn't automatically guide you through the newsgroup subscription process when you add a newsgroup account, then you can initiate it yourself by doing the following:

  1. Right-click on the newsgroup account icon in the folder list (left side of the Outlook Express window). Select "Newsgroups..." from the menu that appears.
  2. A window will pop up and download a list of newsgroups from the news server. If you've set up a secure connection to the news server, then you will be prompted for your UW NetID and password. A list of all the newsgroups you can subscribe to (on the server) will appear.
  3. You can browse this list of newsgroups, or search for a particular one by typing it into the "Display newsgroups which contain:" field.
  4. Once you've found a newsgroup you want to subscribe to, double click it. An icon will appear next to the newsgroup name indicating that you've selected it. You can select several newsgroups, then click "OK" to subscribe to them. That's all you need to do to.