Configuring Outlook to access Usenet If you have a regular email account that comes with internet access, you probably have access to usenet as well. Usenet can be thought of as a giant group of forums called newsgroups on every subject you can think of. This resource remains unused by many because they don't know how to access it or if they do access it, find the huge number of newsgroups too large to wade through. This information page will tell you how to configure Outlook to access your newsgroups. Once you find that you can access your newsgroups, you may want to try NewsBin to automatically download some of the thousands of files available. With all the talk of newsgroups and newsreaders, please don't confuse Usenet with RSS feeds. If you're looking for information on RSS, please check out the Feed Demon review or one of the Broadcast Builder reviews. News Server and Login The two pieces of information you need from your internet service provider (ISP) are: 1) The name of your Internet News Server. 2) The username and password to use if you're required to login to access the News Server. Many DON'T require you to login. If you have a tough time getting in touch with the help desk at your ISP you can often find the News Server name on their web site. The News Server names usually have "news" and the name of the ISP in it. If you use myweb.net as your ISP, then your newsgroup name would be something like "funnews.myweb.net". A real example is comcast's news server which is netnews.comcast.net. News Server names do change for various reasons so comcast customers should double check on the validity of this news server name. Most ISPs can tell you're one of their customers so they DON'T require a login to access the News Server. If you still can't find the information, give your ISP a call. Configuring Outlook Configuaration is quick and easy. 1) Open Outlook and click on the "View" button which brings up a drop down menu. Select "Go To" then click "News" on the dropdown menu. 2) Outlook will bring up the Outlook Express Newsreader. In the main window of the newsreader, click on the option "Setup a Newsgroups account". 3) This will open a series of windows; the first asks for the name you want to use. Generally, no one uses their real name on a newsgroup so pick any you want. 4) The next window will ask for the email address you want to use. You DON'T have to use any of the email account being used by Outlook since accessing usenet has nothing to do with your email accounts. Many users have "free" accounts that tend to be more anonymous. 5) The next window will ask for the name of your News Server and if you are required to log in. In most cases, you DON'T need to login so leave the checkbox empty. If you are required to login, check the box and an additional window will appear asking for your login information. 6) You will now be asked if you want to download newsgroups from the news account you just created. : Click "Yes". Downloading the newsgroups will take a few minutes but you only have to do it once. This really doesn't take much room on your hard drive so don't worry when when you start seeing the number of groups go over 100,000. 7) The Newsgroup Subscription window will now open. They refer to adding a newsgroup to your active list as "subscribing". You don't have to pay any money or even give your name when you subscribe. Just double click on the entry. For the example below, I chose alt.binaries.automobile.pictures for my first newsgroup. Clicking on the subscribe tab will show all of the newsgroup you can currently access. Close the Newsgroup Subscription window. 8) The main newsreader window looks and acts very much like your regular email. You can read messages, download attachments and post messages. 9) If you want to subscribe to more newsgroups, use the hotkey CTRL + W to open the Newsgroup Subscription window and double click on the newsgroup of your choice. Conclusion You're now ready to explore the vast world of Usenet complete with a wide array of information and downloadable files. If you're really only interested in downloading programs, pictures, music, movies and more, you may want to use an autodownloader like NewsBin to speed things up. Please remember that Usenet, like the internet, has its share of idiots posting Trojans and viruses. To protect your PC, be sure to have your antivirus programs up to date and install a personal firewall such as Armor2Net. - The Genie - News || Reviews || Utilities || Home/Office || Web Tools || Web Utils || Graphics || Security || Games || Other Categories || Program List || FAQ || Forum || About Us || Contact Us || Home Strategy Games || Action Games || Puzzle Games || Card Games ||