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• Email Spam Filters
• Filters in Outlook Express and Windows Mail

Configuring Spam Filters in Outlook Express and Windows Mail (for Windows Vista)

These instructions apply to POP email accounts only. Outlook Express and Windows Mail do not support creating rules for IMAP accounts. (Outlook Express/Windows Mail uses the term "rule," but a rule and a filter are the same thing.)

1. Start Outlook Express or Windows Mail.
   
   
2. On the Tools menu, click Message Rules and then Mail.
   
   
3. If the Message Rules dialog box is displayed, click New.
   
   
4. Create a new mail rule as follows:
   
   
   • Under step 1, Conditions, check the box for Where the Subject line contains specific words.
     
     
   • Under step 2, Actions, check the box for Move it to the specified folder.
     
     
   • Under step 3, Rule Description, click the link for contains specific words.
     
     
   
   
   
5. When prompted for a specific word or phrase, type [SPAM: and then click Add. Click OK to close the dialog box.
   
   
   
   
6. Under step 3, Rule Description, click the link for specified folder.
   
   
   
   
7. Click the New Folder button. Type Spam for the folder name and then click OK. Click OK again to close the Move dialog box.
   
   
   
   
8. Under step 4, Name, enter a name for your rule and click OK.
   
   
   
   
9. The Message Rules dialog box will be displayed.
   
   
   • If you have multiple rules, you will probably want the spam rule to be applied first. Rules are applied according to their order from top to bottom. Select the spam rule and then click the Move Up button to move this rule to the top of the list.
     
     
   • If you only want to apply this rule to new messages, click OK to close the dialog box.
     
     
   • If you want to apply the rule to currently download messages, check the box for the spam rule and click Apply Now.
   
   
   
   
   
10. If you chose to apply the spam rule now, the Apply Mail Rules Now dialog box will be displayed.
    
    
    • Ensure that spam filter rule is highlighted.
      
      
    • If you want to apply the rule to a folder other than the one displayed in the Apply to Folder field, click Browse to select a new folder.
      
      
    • Click Apply Now to apply the spam rule to the selected folder.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Click Close to close the Apply Mail Rules Now dialog box.
    
    
12. Click OK to close the Message Rules dialog box.