How to set up a Usenet Account in Outlook Express

Setting up OE to access Usenet is a simple process.  Before we start we will need to find out the address of our ISP's news server, and whether or not a login is required.  This information should be available through the ISP's web site.

Next, do a quick check in OE to see if you already have a news account set up for you.  Some ISP's will set this up as part of their software installation routine.  Just click on TOOLS-ACCOUNTS, then click on the NEWS tab.  If you have an account it will be listed here.  If the list is empty then we can set up the new account.

After opening the ACCOUNTS list, click on the ADD tab in the upper right corner, and choose NEWS.  The Internet Connection Wizard will open and ask you for name, this name will appear in the "from" field in your newsgroup postings.  Fill in a name and click "next".

Your next prompt is to fill in a reply-to e-mail address.  As noted in our Avoiding SPAM page, you should cripple this address slightly, to avoid having your mailbox filled with SPAM and other unwanted e-mail.  A good trick is to just change the "@" sign to the word "at".

The next step is to type in the name of your news server.  This name should be typed exactly as you received it, no spaces.  If the name is incorrect, you will not be able to connect to the server.  At this point, if your ISP requires a login, check off the box which says "my news server requires me to log on".  The next prompt screen will ask for your username and password, and if your ISP requires secure password authentication.  Now you're almost there.

Your news server should now show up in the directory tree in OE.  Click on the server name and OE will ask if you want to download the list of files on the server.  This could take quite a while, depending on the size of the list, your connection speed and the speed of the new server, but it is necessary to properly access the server.

While the appearance of the dialogue boxes may look a little different with each program, if you can set up OE to read newsgroups, you shouldn't have any problems setting up any of the other newsreaders.

You're now ready to become a Usenet junkie!!!!

Before you leave, let's take a look at screenshots from a few of the newsreaders...