Configuring Thunderbird for IMAP

Configuring Thunderbird for IMAP

These notes assume that you have downloaded and installed Thunderbird.  When you first run Thunderbird you have to configure your email account. 

When you first start up Thunderbird after installing it, if Eudora is installed on the PC you will be asked if you want to import messages, settings and addresses from Eudora.  Do not import anything at this stage.  Wait until you have done the basic configuration of Thunderbird as shown in the following pages.

Most of the configuration options you need to set are in the Account Settings.  You can create one or more accounts.  There is also a special account called Local Folder.  The picture in section 1 below shows the Account Settings window with one account (called "MMM45") plus the Local Folders account.

Start up Thunderbird and choose Account Settings from the Tools menu.

Click Add Account and complete the account settings as described in the following sections.  You can create more than one account, for example if you use a non-personal (functional) email account as well as your own personal email.

1. Add your account(s)

 

Account name: Identify clearly each of the accounts you create 

Give your name and email address as you want them to appear in your messages. With "Reply-to" address you can control what address your correspondents use when replying to your message.

If you use a signature you should have created a text file before you started Thunderbird. Now click Choose and locate your signature file. Alternatively, you can add your signature inthis window.

Create multiple identities if you want to use different templates, signature, email address, Bcc, "Sent" folder etc. See Section 12 below.

2. Locate your Local Folders

It is a good idea to locate your Local Folders in an easily accessible place on your PC. 

Click on Local Folders in the Account Settings window and then click Browse. 

Browse to find your My Documents folder or your Data drive (E:).  If you created a folder at the start of the process, locate it, highlight it and click OK.

If you didn't create the folder at the outset, you can do it now by clicking the Make New Folder button.

3. Specify server settings for your account(s)

Note the local directory for this account, where local copies of IMAP folders and your preferences are stored.  This is different from the location you chose for the Local Folders account. 

Specify the Server Settings for your account(s).

• Enter your Server Name: as imap.st-andrews.ac.uk 
• Under Security Settings choose SSL (do NOT place a tick in the the Use secure authentication check box)

Click the Advanced button

4. Connect to your IMAP account

Now that you have created the IMAP account you should connect to it.  This can be done by RIGHT-clicking on the account name in the left-hand pane of the Thunderbird window, and choosing Get mail for account from the pop-up menu.

If you have used Webmail or any other IMAP email client you would expect to see the mail folders listed on the left-hand side.  If you don't it means you need to subscribe to the folders.

5. Subscribe to folders

Point at the account name in the left hand side of the window (under where it says "Folders") and choose Subscribe  from the pop-up menu. 

In the "Subscribe" dialog-box put a tick in the boxes beside the folders you want to subscribe to (perhaps all of them, perhaps just the most recent and active folders).  Make sure you subscribe to the sent-mail folder if there is one.  Click OK.

6. Choose where to store messages

For your "Sent" folder, choose the same folder as you use with Webmail, which is probably "sent-mail".  

If the folder doesn't already exist you have to create it before you can choose it. See below (section 16) for instructions for creating a folder.

Store skeleton messages in the Templates folder; to use a template, open the templates folder and complete the message. When you send the message the template remains unchanged.

Drafts are messages that you have saved but not sent.  Resume composition of a draft by opening the Drafts folder and double-clicking the draft message. When sent, the draft is removed from the folder.

7. Define how you compose and address messages

Turn off the compose in HTML format. You can over-ride this setting for individual messages.

Once you have set up an LDAP addressbook, you can select it from the list under Use a different LDAP server. (See section 10 below for instructions on setting up an LDAP Addressbook.)

"LDAP" refers to the database that we use for (amongst other things) the directory service.

8. Make your messages available offline

You might want to make your messages available offline if you are going to be away from your network connection - for example if you want to work on your email while travelling. They will not be deleted from the server.

If you leave the Offline options unchecked, only the headers of your messages are downloaded to your local machine.

Keep the "Don't delete any messages" option turned ON unless you are sure you know what you are doing.  Automatic deletion can surprise you.

9. Define your outgoing (SMTP) mail server

Even if you have multiple accounts and multiple identities, Thunderbird recommends using the same sending mail server.  Usemailhost.st-andrews.ac.uk

Click Edit then add details as follows:

Settings

• Description - you can leave this blank (or enter MAILHOST)
• Server Name - mailhost.st-andrews.ac.uk
• Port - set to 587 

Security and Authentication

• Use name and password - place a tick the check box
• Use secure connection - select STARTTLS (do NOT place a tick in the the Use secure authentication check box).

10. Set up directory services (LDAP addressbook)

• Open the Tools menu and select Options
• Select Composition 
• On the Addressing tab place a tick in the Dierectory Server: check box
• Click the Edit Directories... button

• A new window will open. Click the Add button

 

• A new window will open. Select the General tab then enter the server details as shown below

• Do NOT place a tick in the Use secure connection (SSL) check box
• Next, click the Advanced tab.

 

• In the Search filter: box enter the details as shown:

(objectclass=StAndExtendedPerson)

This search filter will allow you to search LDAP for St Andrews users

• Click OK

 

• Go to the Addressing section and click the arrow on the right of the drop-down list

• Select University Directory from the list

• Click OK to complete the setup

11. Manage identities

In addition to having more than one account, you can also configure different identities for one particular account. This lets you present yourself in a different way - for example you can give your job-title rather than your name.  This is the way to set up more than one signature for an account.

In the main Account settings window (see section 1 above) click "Manage Identities". Then click "Add" and you will get the "Identity Settings" window as shown here.

The "Copies & Folders" and "Composition & Addressing" tabs correspond to the Settings windows shown in sections 6 and 7 above.

12. Modify general settings

The settings described so far can be set differently for different accounts, for example for your own personal account and for a shared departmental account.  There are other settings which define the way the program as a whole behaves, for all the accounts that you use.

To modify these global settings, choose Options from the Tools menu.  There are several categories of option, listed across the top of the Options window.

In the General  category you can say whether you want Thunderbird to be your default application for Mail.

13. Modify display settings

Under Display you can specify the formatting of messages and choose the fonts. Note that these are the formats and fonts used to display messages in your Thunderbird, and do not prescribe the fonts that are used when sending messages.

14. Modify email forwarding settings

Under Composition click on General. In the drop-down list labelled Forward messages choose Inline (otherwise messages will be forwarded as attachments, which most people find confusing).

If you have chosen not to compose in HTML (recommended) you don't need to configure the Send options. 

15. Modify how long messages stay marked as new

Click Advanced and then the General tab.

If you don't want messages in your Inbox to be marked as Read too quickly you should tick the Wait box and enter a number of seconds, say 10.

When you have finished setting the options, click OK

16. Create new mail folders

Creating folders for an account:  in the left-hand panel of the Thunderbird window RIGHT-click on the account name (for example, here, RIGHT-click on mmm45 @st-andrews.ac.uk)

and choose New folder from the pop-up menu.

In the dialog-box type a name for the folder and choose

Folders Only if your folder is to have sub-folders Messages Only if your folder is not to contain sub-folders. 

Click OK

17. Enable spell-checking

Spell-checking: to enable or disable spell-checking choose Options from the Tools menu, then click on Composition and then the Spelling tab.

You can check spelling as you type or only check before sending (in which case the spell-check starts when you click the Send button to send your message).

You can download additional dictionaries by clicking the Download More Dictionaries link. 

18. Download and install dictionaries

You will be taken to the Mozilla web-site and shown a list of languages. RIGHT click on the language you want and choose "Save link as..." from the pop-up menu.  Save the dictionary on your Desktop.

Back in Thunderbird, choose Extensions from the Tools menu. This will display the extensions window. Drag the dictionary from your desktop into the Extensions window.  You may receive a warning about installing software. Click Install.  You should receive a message saying the dictionary has been installed, but it will not be listed in the Extensions window. 

Now go back and choose Options from the Tools menu and then Composition and Spelling as above. You can now choose the language you want from the drop-down list.

Allow Thunderbird 3 To Display Images Automatically

How to Automatically Show All Images In Thunderbird 3

1.   From in Thunderbird version 3, Click Tools and then SelectOptions…

2.   Click the Advanced tab and then Click Config Editor…

3.   You will be prompted with a warning about how dangerous it can be to modify your config.  Click the I’ll be careful, I promise! button.

4.   From the about:config menu, Find themailnews.message_display.disable_remote_image entry.  The easiest way is to type it into the filter above.  Once found, Double-Click theEntry until it says Status = user set, and Value = false.  Once done you can exit and changes will happen immediately.

Now whenever you access emails using Thunderbird you should not longer ever be prompted by the “Protect Your Privacy” image blocking caption.  If at some point you decide that you want the extra security you can always go back in and set the value to “true” in the about:config menu, everything will go back to default.

How to install Mozilla Thunderbird:

How to install Mozilla Thunderbird:

The first step to installing Thunderbird is to download it from Mozilla’s web site here. Once you download it, you want to double-click on the installation icon to start the installation process. You want to click next after reading the welcome message from Mozilla.

Now you want to choose whether to do a standard or custom installation. If you choose custom, this allows you to select options for creating icons for Thunderbird and what the folder is called in your Start Menu. You can also choose from the get go if Thunderbird is your default e-mail client. If you plan on using Thunderbird to manage your e-mail, check this option.

Next, you want to choose the installation destination. Most users installing Thunderbird will just leave the default location alone. If you want the install to occur in a more specific directory, you want to input that before moving forward.

Once you have completed all the installation steps, a summary window will appear. This will list the installation directory and prompt you to install. Hit the Install button to continue with the process. If you wish to make any changes, you can hit the back button and navigate to section where you want to make the change.

Now, you are ready to use Mozilla Thunderbird. Just click on the “Finish” button to complete the installation.

How to setup your Email address in Mozilla Thunderbird:

Once you have finished installing Thunderbird, you want to open up the program and begin using it. The first step is to add an e-mail address. You will be prompted to do this as soon as Thunderbird loads.

You will want to enter the name you use with your e-mail address, the address itself and your password. Your password will be hidden from sight. You also want to choose whether Thunderbird will save your password or not. If you do not select this option, you will be prompted to enter it every time the program accesses your online mailbox to download the e-mails.

Thunderbird will query the servers associated with your e-mail address to automatically fill in the incoming and outgoing mail servers. If it cannot find them, you will have to manually enter the information. You can get this from most e-mail providers in the help or troubleshooting sections (search for IMAP and POP3 access in your email providers help section). Once you have the green light from your username, incoming and outgoing servers, you can click the Create Account button.

The next box that pops up will ask you what you want to use Thunderbird for. You can choose to use it for e-mail, feeds and newsgroup services. Click the ones you will use and if you did not already designate Mozilla Thunderbird as your default e-mail client, you can do so now and then hit Okay.

Once your first e-mail account is set-up properly, it will display on the left side of the client. It will begin downloading e-mails immediately from the server. In the case of Gmail which utilizes folders server side to organize e-mails, it will also download the folders with the contents intact if you have enabled it do so.

Since each e-mail provider is different, you want to check out what type of POP3/IMAP settings they use to configure them to use with Thunderbird.

Now, you want to tinker with the settings of the e-mail address you added in Thunderbird. In the main panel, you will see links to various settings. You want to navigate to View settings for this account.

You will see the e-mail you added and several different categories to begin setting up. The first one you want to check out is your Account Settings. These pop up when you simply click on your e-mail address. You can change the account display name in Thunderbird, the name on your e-mails, the reply to address and even add a default signature to the account.

The next settings to take a look at are the Server Settings. This area lets you change the incoming server information as well as how often you check the e-mail server for mail as well as what happens to deleted mail. You can also change the local directory where your Thunderbird settings, archives and cache are stored from here.

The last group of settings you should take a look at on initial installation of Thunderbird is the Copies & Folders ones. This is where you can change how mail interacts with Thunderbird once it is downloaded to the client. By default, a set of folders are created account-wide to archive e-mails. If you want each e-mail address to have its own set of folders, this is where you change those options.

In order to do that, you want to check the “Folder on” option for the e-mail address you added. Make sure it points to that e-mail address, and you are good to go. If you want global e-mail archive folders, simply keep the Other option checked.

What else can you do with Thunderbird?

Once you have set up your first e-mail account, you can do so much more with Thunderbird. You can add additional e-mail accounts, you can begin tinkering with the adaptive spam filter or you can find themes and add-ons to do more with the client.

Thunderbird can be fully customizable and integrated with whatever you do on your computer. Why are you still reading this post? Get to know Mozilla Thunderbird and find out everything it can do for you.

installation of ubuntu

1. Using a DVD?

   It’s easy to install Ubuntu from a DVD. Here’s what you need to do:

   Put the Ubuntu DVD into the DVD-drive

   Restart your computer. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the DVD.

   If you don’t get this menu, read the booting from the DVDguide for more information.

   Using a USB drive?

   Most newer computers can boot from USB. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the USB.

   If your computer doesn’t automatically do so, you might need to press the F12 key to bring up the boot menu, but be careful not to hold it down - that can cause an error message.

   
2. 2

   Prepare to install Ubuntu

   • We recommend you plug your computer into a power source
   • You should also make sure you have enough space on your computer to install Ubuntu
   • We advise you to select Download updates while installing and Install this third-party software now
   • You should also stay connected to the internet so you can get the latest updates while you install Ubuntu
   • If you’re not connected to the internet, we’ll help you set up wireless at the next step

   
3. 3

   Set up wireless

   If you are not connected to the internet, you will be asked to select a wireless network, if available. We advise you to connect during the installation so we can ensure your machine is up to date. So, if you set up your wireless network at this point, it’s worth then clicking the Back button to go back to the last screen (Preparing to install Ubuntu) and ticking the box marked ’Download updates while installing’.

   
4. 4

   Allocate drive space

   Use the checkboxes to choose whether you’d like to Install Ubuntu alongside another operating system, delete your existing operating system and replace it with Ubuntu, or — if you’re an advanced user — choose the ’Something else’option

   
5. 5

   Begin the installation

   Depending on your previous selections, you can now verify that you have chosen the way in which you would like to install Ubuntu. The installation process will begin when you click the Install Now button.

   Ubuntu needs about 4.5 GB to install, so add a few extra GB to allow for your files.

   
6. 6

   Select your location

   If you are connected to the internet, this should be done automatically. Check your location is correct and click’Forward’ to proceed. If you’re unsure of your time zone, type the name of the town you’re in or click on the map and we’ll help you find it.

   TIP: If you’re having problems connecting to the Internet, use the menu in the top-right-hand corner to select a network.

   
7. 7

   Select your preferred keyboard layout

   Click on the language option you need. If you’re not sure, click the ’Detect Keyboard Layout’ button for help.

   
8. 8

   Enter your login and password details

   
9. 9

   Learn more about Ubuntu while 
   the system installs…

   …or make a cup of tea!

   
10. 10

    That’s it.

    All that’s left is to restart your computer and start enjoying Ubuntu!

    

Use Gmail IMAP in Microsoft Outlook 2007

Use Gmail IMAP in Microsoft Outlook 2007

We’ve all been hearing about the new IMAP support in Gmail, but how do we access that from Outlook? Those of you that have been waiting patiently will be happy to know all the instructions are on this page.

Using IMAP we can synchronize email across multiple devices, since the mail stays on the server. You already stopped reading this part and skipped down to the instructions, didn’t you?

Enable IMAP in Gmail Settings

Open your Settings panel in Gmail, and then click on the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab.

Now click the Enable IMAP radio button, and click Save Changes.

Add Account to Outlook

Use the Tools menu you to open the Account Settings panel.

If this is your first account you’ll be prompted for the wizard, otherwise you’ll need to click the New button under the E-mail tab.

Now select the “Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP or HTTP” option and hit next.

Select the checkbox for “Manually configure server settings” and everything on that page will gray out. Hit the next button again.

Now select “Internet E-mail”  (Didn’t we just do this? This wizard is taking too long…)

Finally we can enter some settings! Add in all your personal information here.

Note: If you are outside of the US you may need to use imap.googlemail.com and smtp.googlemail.com instead of imap.gmail.com and smtp.gmail.com.

Note: for Gmail Apps accounts, you’ll need to put in your full email address wherever you see an @gmail.com above. For instance, if your account was geek@howtogeek.com you would put that in the E-mail address field as well as the User Name field.

Click on the “More Settings” button and find the Outgoing Server tab, where you’ll need to check the box for “My outgoing server requires authentication”

Now choose the Advanced tab, and enter the following values (Very important)

• Incoming Server: 993
• Incoming Server encrypted connection: SSL
• Outgoing Server: 587
• Outgoing Server encrypted connection: TLS

Note: If you are having an issue with your sent email not showing up in Gmail, you can use the Folders tab, and then select the [Gmail] \ Sent Mail folder.

Note: Only do this step if your mail is not showing up, otherwise it will duplicate the sent mail.

 

Now that you’ve closed out that dialog, you can click the Test Account Settings button to make sure everything is going to work.

If all goes well, you should see a success message.

Note: Some ISPs restrict outgoing mail, so if you have a problem sending a test message you’ll need to consult with their documentation.

Accessing Your Mail

Now that everything is working you’ll notice a new set of folders for your Gmail account. (I’m using Gmail apps, which is why you don’t see an @gmail.com email address)

All of your labels will show up as separate folders, and the built-in “folders” in Gmail will be under the new [Gmail] folder.

 

Outlook Flags = Gmail Stars

If you want to star a message in Gmail, you just need to flag it in Outlook. When I flagged this message from Mysticgeek…

 

It shows up in Gmail as a starred message. (And it works the other way too)

Sending Email from Outlook

To send a new email from your Gmail account, just change the “Account” drop-down to your Gmail address before you send a message.

Note that if you only use Gmail, you won’t have this drop-down and it will default to your Gmail.

Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

• Gmail Labels = Outlook Folders. To label a message, add it to a folder.
• Gmail Stars = Outlook Flags.
• Do Not move spam messages to the “Junk E-mail” folder in Outlook, move them to the [Gmail] \ Spam folder.
• Outlook has a built-in Search Folder for “Large Mail”, which will let you easily find messages with large attachments.

Now that you can access your starred and labeled messages, you can start using Outlook’s excellent Search Folders to find messages more easily.