What is Windows Live Mail 2011?
Windows Live Mail 2011 (WLM) is an email program from Microsoft developed as the successor to both Outlook Express in Windows XP and Windows Mail in Vista.
Windows Live Mail is a program installed on your computer, whereas Windows Live Hotmail is Microsoft's Web-based e-mail offering.
Windows Live Mail 2011 is not included with the Windows 7 operating system and must be downloaded and installed prior to configuring it.
Use the following URL to download and install Windows Live Mail 2011.
Save the installer package on your computer and run it to begin the installation process. Near the end of the process, if offered an option to import the configuration from any other email program(s), choose not to, and proceed with the configuration of your UW email account as described below.
To manually create a new account:
- Start WLM
- Click Accounts and select Email
- In the window that appears, enter email@example.com (e.g., firstname.lastname@example.org). Enter your UW NetID password in the box next to Password: and uncheck the box Remember password. Enter Your Name (e.g., Jane Doe) and click Next
- In the window "Configure Server Settings" that appears, enter:
- Server type - IMAP
- Note: Do not select POP. The POP default setting on WLM removes email messages from your UW Email Inbox (your inbox on Alpine, Web Alpine, or any desktop application configured to work with UW Email)
- Server address - your_uwnetid.deskmail.washington.edu and check the box "Requires a secure connection (SSL)
- This selection enables the appropriate port (993) for the incoming mail server
- Authenticate using - Clear Text
- Logon user name - your_uwnetid
- For the Outgoing Server information enter smtp.washington.edu.
- Check both, "Requires secure connection (SSL)" and "Requires Authentication" boxes
- Change the port for the outgoing server from the default (25) to the recommended 587
- Note: If you use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than the UW, you may prefer to use the SMTP server name it provides. Contact your ISP for this information. For details, read Using Outside ISPs
- Click Next
- Click Finish on the Congratulations page. (But you are not finished yet!)
- Continue with the directions in the following section
To check or reconfigure your existing settings in Windows Live Mail 2011:
- Start WLM, if necessary
- Click Accounts and select Properties
- Click the General tab to reveal a window similar to that pictured below, and make the following entries (or check that yours are correct):
- In the box following Mail Account and some text, WLM has filled a name for your UW Email server as it will appear in WLM. You can change the name to something else if you'd like. (e.g., "UW Email").
- If your name is not entered correctly, correct it.
- If your Email address is not correct (email@example.com, or firstname.lastname@example.org), correct it.
- Click the Servers tab, to reveal a window similar to that pictured below and make the following entries:
- Be sure that "My incoming mail server is a IMAP server." Note that you CANNOT change this setting here. The choice of IMAP vs POP can ONLY be made when creating an account. If you created an account using the incorrect setting, you must delete that account and create a new one.
- The box next to Incoming mail (IMAP): should say your_uwnetid.deskmail.washington.edu
- The box next to Outgoing mail (SMTP): should say smtp.washington.edu
Note: If you use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than the UW, you you may prefer to use the SMTP server name it provides along with the appropriate user name and password for that outgoing server. Contact your ISP for this information. For details, read Using Outside ISPs.
- Under Incoming Mail Server:
- The box next to Account name: should say your UW NetID.
- The box next to Password: should say nothing.
- Log on using clear text authentication radio button should be selected
- Under "Outgoing Mail Server"
- Check My server requires authentication.
- Click Settings and verify that the outgoing server uses the same logon information as the incoming mail server. Click OK
Note: If you are using Norton Antivirus software, be sure the Scan Outgoing Email feature in that application is turned off before connecting to the UW SMTP server.
- Click the Advanced tab, to reveal a window similar to that pictured below and make the following entries:
- Under the line Outgoing mail (SMTP): check This server requires a secure connection (SSL).
- In the box beside Outgoing mail (SMTP): enter 587.
- Under the line Incoming mail (IMAP): check This server requires a secure connection (SSL).
- In the box beside Incoming mail (IMAP):, confirm that 993 appears.
- Click the IMAP tab, to reveal a window similar to the one pictured below and make the following entries:
- Root folder path: mail (WLM and Alpine(s) will use the same folders).
- Uncheck Check for new messages in all folders. This setting is required to ensure normal operation of the UW email servers.
- Check Store special folders on IMAP server.
- Sent-items path: sent-mail (WLM and Alpine(s) will use the same sent-mail folder)
- Drafts path: Drafts (WLM and Alpine(s) CANNOT effectively share a "drafts"/postponed messages folder).
- Deleted Items path: Trash. (WLM and Alpine(s) will use the same Trash folder)
- Junk path: junk-mail (WLM and Alpine(s) will use the same junk-mail folder).
- Click OK
- Now back in the Accounts window, click Close
- WLM will ask if you want to download folders from the server you just added, click Yes
- When WLM has downloaded the list of folders (the SAME folders that you previously created with any version of Alpine should appear), you may be given a window to add or remove folders from the WLM "view". Adjust if desired, then click OK
To configure Windows Live Mail 2011 to use the UW Directory Service (LDAP):
- Click Tools and select Accounts.
- Click Add, Directory Service.
- Internet directory (LDAP) server: enter directory.washington.edu
- Do not check "My LDAP server requires me to log on".
- Decide if you want to check addresses using this directory service.
- Click Finish.
- Back at the Internet Accounts window, click the directory.washington.edu account you just created (you may need to click the down arrow next to Directory Services to make it visible).
- Click Properties. You should see the server you set up, and the check box for using this server.
- Click the Advanced tab and enter the following for the search base: o=University of Washington, c=US
A common occurrence for people doing their own configuration is to identify the incoming mail server as a POP server rather than IMAP. The first time they connect to their UW Email their Inbox disappears.
This mysterious event occurs because the WLM default settings for POP mail include the option to remove the messages from the server and put them in a folder on your local computer.
To get messages back to UW Email:
- Start WLM
- Remove the POP account. (Under Tools, Accounts, select the POP account, and click Remove)
- Create a New Account in WLM (using IMAP, as above)
- Go to the Inbox that contains the messages (should be the top one, under Local Folders), and drag the messages you need to the IMAP account inbox (under your UW email account)
- When all the messages have been moved, connect to your email host (Homer/Dante) and use Alpine to verify that the email has been copied to your account
- You can now safely delete the messages from the WLM local inbox
If you have saved your email account password as part of the configuration of your WLM email program, then you will need to change that stored password to match your mail account password whenever you change the password associated with your UW NetID. If you don't change this stored password, you will get a "password error" when you attempt to connect to the mail server (because it is using the old stored password). Since regularly changing your UW NetID password is a recommended procedure, we do not advise you to store your password within your email program.
To change the password stored in WLM:
- Start WLM. Select Tools -> Accounts
- Select your email account and click Properties
- Select the Servers tab
- Replace the entry in the Password field (which will always be shown as big "dots" with your new/current password
- Click OK, then close the window to apply this change. Verify that the UW e-mail is accessible now