Now that you've got Outlook Express set up, you want to customize it some more. This guide will walk you through the process of adding a signature to all outgoing(sent) e-mails, along with some other neat features.

Step 1.) Open up Microsoft© Outlook Express. Once it is loaded up, look near the top of the window. Click Tools > Options. This will be referenced in other sections as "Opening up the settings." The following screen should pop up:

Setting Outlook Express to retrieve new e-mails faster

Step 1.) Open up the settings box. On the default "General" tab, where it says "Check for new messages every," change it to 1. This is the lowest you can set it, and you should receive new e-mails almost instantly upon arrival.

Setting a custom signature in Outlook Express

Step 1.) Open up the settings box. You will be in the "General" tab. Switch over to the "Signatures" tab.

Step 2.) Click the "New" button. Then, scroll down and either type in your signature like I did, or select a text file that contains your signature text :)

Using default fonts/stationery in Outlook Express when sending/replying to e-mail

Step 1.) Open up the settings box. You will be in the "General" tab. Switch over to the "Compose" tab.

Step 2.) To set a new default font, click on "Font Settings..." which is to the right of "Mail: 9 pt. Arial" and choose your font here. Experiment to find what you like. I chose Courier New 10pt, with a navy blue color. Once you're finished, click OK. You should see your new font in place of the old "9 pt. Arial"

Step 3.) To set a new default stationery, go back to the "Compose" tab(you should already be in it if you just set a new font) and under the "Stationery" section, check the box next to "Mail" and click the "Select" button. The first picture shown is before clicking select, the 2nd is after.

*Please note, there is a "Preview" section that I cut out of the picture

Step 4.) Select a stationery. I personally chose the "Clear Day" stationery as it is appeasing and light on the eyes. Once you've chosen your stationery out, click "OK." Your stationery is now set!

Final Step.) Congratulations, you've finished customizing Outlook Express! There are still many more tweaks that can be applied, but for now, you should feel more at home using it. Simply click "Apply" and then click "OK".