OT-Help! Microsoft Outlook inbox

[bostonsmama]

I'm getting spam and virus-ladden emails into my email account that I check through Microsoft Outlook. The problem comes when I try to delete it without opening it, it opens the friggin email anyways and by then the virus can infiltrate my computer. I can't block the name, get properties/address, NOTHING without first opening it. If i right click on the name, it opens the email. Help me stop this. I'm so livid!!

[kellyotn]

Do you have preview on or something? I'm can't figure out how they just open.... Check out the options in your View menu.

Mine are "listed" in one line in the top portion of the screen. If you highlight (single-click) an email line making it blue, hit shift+delete and it will delete it permanently, skipping the trash can. (Be careful with shift+delete, I've accidentally deleted whole folders.)

Not sure if that helped at all, sorry.

[bostonsmama]

Yeah, thanks. I finally did a help search and figured out that if I just block all the downloading of content and opening of messages in preview that I can avoid this. But Gosh....it's taken me months of frustration. So, thank you, thank you, thank you for your quick response. I bet they still have my address now. Urrrghgh!

[mommyoftwo]

I have the same problem. I didn't know it was possible to change the settings. I'm off to figure it out now.

[kellyotn]

There's also an option to do "single click reading with spacebar" or something. Its under "options > view options". Make sure that's off.

AVG Free virus software comes with email scanning. Might help with the viruses. I'm sure there's some email filtering freeware out there too. What a pain these stupid spammers are.

[bostonsmama]

I think it said to go to Tools, Options, and "Read" tab, then uncheck "automatically download message when viewing in preview panel." Also, under security I checked the block "block images and other external content when in HTML email". I've been looking for the other thing (one click viewing) and can't find that option to disable it yet...still looking.

thanks everyone

[kellyotn]

Tools > Options > Other tab > Reading Pane button. There's a selection for one-click viewing with spacebar.

I don't know that its related to your problem, but it did come to mind. :)

[Fairy]

Looks like you got what you needed here. One quick thing is that while I know it's most conveninet to have on the preview pane, it is very insecure because viewing something in preview is the same as opening it and will phone home if malicious code is written into the email to do that (spam viruses). So, I never use that, tho DH. This stuff is really sinister. You have to end up guessing if something is spam if you don't use the preview pane, so this can be very frustrating.

Also, spam that uses a colored background gets by most spam filters now. These people are real boogers.

[mommyoftwo]

I can't figure out how to disable the preview viewing. What am I missing?

[kellyotn]

From Outlook (not inside an email) Go to View > AutoPreview. Make sure its off. Its just a toggle on/off. If it IS on, the preview pane shows the name of sender/subject info in black text and then below it in blue, it shows the first couple lines of the email itself.

If your preview pane just shows a single LIST of emails and each email is only taking up one black line, then its not on. :)

edited for typo

[mommyoftwo]

I have outlook express. When I go to view, I don't see autopreview. I hope there is a way to take care of this because I would really like to reduce the amount of spam I get.

[kellyotn]

Do you see "previews" of your emails or lists in the top pane like I described (the blue text). You may not even have that option in Express! :)

In my Outlook, its set up so that the top pane LISTS the emails and I am required to click on them for the bottom pane to SHOW the email.

The LIST does not preview any of the text of the email, just the Sender/Subject/Date, etc.

I won't help with reducing the receipt of spam at all. It can help minimize the automatic running of virus programs that some spam contains.

Clear as mud?

A program like AVG Free can help with the viruses, but I don't think it filters the spam. (At least mine doesn't appear to be set up to do that right now.)

[mommyoftwo]

It took some digging through the help section (it was not easy to find) but I finally figured out how to disable it. It was under layout. As far as reducing spam, it will allow me to prevent the senders from knowing that they sent mail to an active account so hopefully it won't perpetuate the problem.

[kellyotn]

Yeah, I've not ever gotten much actual help from many of Microsoft's Help files. ;)

Google around for a spam filter. I'm pretty lucky at the moment, our provider does a good job filtering, but if they didn't I'd totally add on a filter.