Windows 7 - EMail

[John Sisker]

My new Toshiba Laptop comes with Windows 7. Likewise, I purchased and
installed Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook for an e-mail program.
However, Windows 7 apparently allows one to download Windows Live Mail for
another related e-mail application. The bottom lines is, which is better?
Should I use Outlook or Windows Live Mail? Or perhaps both? Likewise, why
would one be better over another?

In addition, what is the best way to configure whatever e-mail program I
choose on my new computer, and how can I transfer my e-mail addresses over
from my old computer using Windows Vista to this new one?

Thanks,
John

 

[southwalker]

My new Toshiba Laptop comes with Windows 7. Likewise, I purchased and
installed Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook for an e-mail program.
However, Windows 7 apparently allows one to download Windows Live Mail for
another related e-mail application. The bottom lines is, which is better?
Should I use Outlook or Windows Live Mail? Or perhaps both? Likewise, why
would one be better over another?

In addition, what is the best way to configure whatever e-mail program I
choose on my new computer, and how can I transfer my e-mail addresses over
from my old computer using Windows Vista to this new one?

Thanks,
John

It is my opinion that Windows Live Mail is perhaps the worst piece of
software ever released. You will note it is free, no one would pay for
it.

There are numerous bugs, the whole thing decides to crash
occasionally, you can't really customize the toolbar and support is
non-existant.

I recently purchased Outlook 2010 just to get away from Windows Live
Mail and can't give an opinion on it.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, John.

We are all different people and we all have different needs in an email
client. What you like, I might hate - and vice versa.

Win7 is the first Windows version since Win95 (at least) to come without any
mail/news client, so we each may (we must!)choose what suits our own needs.
There are many free options, including Windows Live Mail, and many non-free
options, including Outlook. No matter which one you pick, you will find
glowing reviews for it, and a lot of criticism, much of it said in hateful
terms.

The bottom lines is, which is better?

Wrong. The bottom line is: There is no bottom line.

For myself, I use WLM for both mail and news, in spite of its flaws.

I've tried for nearly a year now to also use Outlook 2010 for mail, but its
design and philosophy(?) just does not fit me. After struggling through
reading my mail in OL, I read it again in WLM. But what fits me, might not
fit you.

...what is the best way to configure whatever e-mail program...

First, decide on your program. Then ask that question.

how can I transfer my e-mail addresses over from my old computer using
Windows Vista to this new one?

Almost all your program options include "wizards" or other facilities to
accomplish the migration more or less automatically. (I know that both OL
and WLM do that.) Again, ask that question about whichever app you choose
to use.

Sorry, John. I know I've given you a lot of "no help". But that's the way
it is with these questions. Ask a dozen people and you'll probably get more
than a dozen answers. Just read reviews in magazines and newsgroups and
you'll see what I mean. You'll just have to try several and choose one for
yourself. Then come back here and help us advise the next person who asks
the same questions. ;^}

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2011 (Build 15.4.3538.0513) in Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1


"John Sisker" wrote in message

My new Toshiba Laptop comes with Windows 7. Likewise, I purchased and
installed Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook for an e-mail program.
However, Windows 7 apparently allows one to download Windows Live Mail for
another related e-mail application. The bottom lines is, which is better?
Should I use Outlook or Windows Live Mail? Or perhaps both? Likewise, why
would one be better over another?

In addition, what is the best way to configure whatever e-mail program I
choose on my new computer, and how can I transfer my e-mail addresses over
from my old computer using Windows Vista to this new one?

Thanks,
John

 

[Stefan Blom]

My new Toshiba Laptop comes with Windows 7. Likewise, I purchased and
installed Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook for an e-mail program.
However, Windows 7 apparently allows one to download Windows Live Mail for
another related e-mail application. The bottom lines is, which is better?
Should I use Outlook or Windows Live Mail? Or perhaps both? Likewise, why
would one be better over another?

In addition, what is the best way to configure whatever e-mail program I
choose on my new computer, and how can I transfer my e-mail addresses over
from my old computer using Windows Vista to this new one?

Thanks,
John

If you want an e-mail application, only, then certainly you can use Outlook,
now that you have it. (I use it daily at work.) Configuration depends on
which kind of e-mail account you are using. In a similar way, how to
transfer data from an old computer to a new one depends on which programs
are being used.

If you want to access newsgroups as well, the choice is a bit more
difficult. Microsoft's Windows Live Mail does the job, although it has some
flaws. But no application is perfect, especially free ones. Some people like
Mozilla Thunderbird, which in some respects are better than WLM, and in some
respects worse.

So far, I've been using (mostly) WLM because of its similarities to Outlook
Express, which remains my favorite, but I can only use OE on a Windows XP
machine, since it's no longer supported on Windows Vista or Windows 7. :-(

Good luck!

Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP