Using Outlook Express

Outlook Express is a slick little e-mail client that comes with Internet Explorer. But because Office comes with Outlook 2000, a more robust e-mail program than Outlook Express, you may choose to use Outlook instead of Outlook Express. This section talks about Outlook Express and how it differs from Outlook, so that you can make an informed decision about which program you use for e-mailing. It then describes how you accomplish e-mailing tasks using Outlook Express.

Note: For information about using Outlook for e-mail, see Chapter 20.

How Outlook Express Differs from Outlook

Outlook contains many more features than Outlook Express. Table 25-1 lists the primary advantages of using Outlook as opposed to Outlook Express. If you never or rarely make use of these features, you might want to consider using Outlook Express as your e-mail client instead. Because Outlook Express is a leaner program, using it makes fewer demands on your system and speeds up your e-mailing tasks.

Feature in Outlook But Not Outlook Express	What You Do with the Feature
Calendar	Keep track of your appointments and events
Tasks	Keep a To Do task list
Journal	Record activities such as phone calls, work on Office documents, letters, and meetings
Notes	Create electronic sticky notes on your computer
Exchange Server client compatibility	Send messages, schedule meetings, and work with others in a network over Exchange Server
Advanced synchronization	Synchronize your folders between several computers, such as a home computer, a work computer, and a laptop.
E-mail editor capability using Word	Use Word’s advanced text-editing tools to create e-mail messages
Fax	Send messages as faxes
Views	Customize folder views

Table 1: Outlook’s Extra Features