I want to correct something that I said previously about Windows 7 and e-mail.

I hate to sound like a politician, but I was right and I was wrong.   The real question is…. was I right before I was wrong?  HA HA.

Windows 7 does not come with a built in e-mail program like Outlook Express in Windows XP or Windows Mail in Windows Vista.     Even if the story ended here, there are other alternatives such as web mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Microsoft Outlook that would adequately enable you to manage your e-mail.

There is still hope for those who have been using a simple Microsoft program for e-mail and want to continue doing so.   Enter the Window 7 solution:  Windows Live Mail Desktop.   This application along with many free programs that were traditionally built right into Windows are now available as free downloads from Microsoft after you being using your new or upgraded Windows 7 system.    Microsoft took this approach with Windows 7 so that people could choose only the applications they really wanted.    If you desire to continue using a Microsoft program for “basic” e-mail needs, Windows Live Mail Desktop is your ticket to the party.    It is actually a web based program, but does not open in a web browser.  It looks very much like any other program that you run on your PC.   The difference is that your mail is stored on a web server.    Most of you wont even notice difference.   Windows Live Mail Desktop is designed using a newer technology that allows Internet based applications to look like traditional computer programs, merging those 2 worlds into one.

The real question you should be asking is will I be able to transfer all of my existing mail from Outlook Express or Windows Mail to the new Windows Live Mail Desktop? It depends.   Your existing messages can certainly be backed up, so you don’t lose them and you can keep your same email address, but whether or not you can MOVE your current messages to the new program is a case by case issue.   You should have no problem transferring your Contacts (e-mail addresses).   If you are intent on using a Microsoft e-mail program, the one nice thing about Windows Live Mail Desktop is that once you start using it—- you won’t go through these issues if you ever change computers in the future or need Windows to be re-installed.