Setting up OE5's Identities feature

Outlook Express 5.0 (OE5) Identities allow several people who share one computer to have completely separate, private e-mail boxes. This capability was not available in earlier versions of Outlook Express.

To create an identity, start OE5 and open the File menu, go to Identities and then Add New Identity. 

Type in the name for this identity. In this example, Joe Aloha is setting up an ID for his son, Boy Aloha. To put a password on this Identity (this is optional of course), click the box next to Ask me for a password when I start. If you don't want a password for this ID, just click OK (and skip to this section). 

If you choose to put a password on this ID, you will see the following Enter Password window. Enter the password twice and click OK. 

NOTE: DO NOT FORGET THIS PASSWORD. It is stored only on your computer and neither Oceanic nor Road Runner will be able to help you if you loose this. You would need to contact Microsoft for assistance.

Back in the New Identity window, you will now see a check mark in the Ask me for a password area. Click OK.

In the Manage Identities window, you will now see two identities: Boy Aloha and Main Identity.

If you want to add a password to protect the Main Identity (again, this is optional) highlight the main ID from the list and click on the Properties button. Add a password using the same steps described above.

Now you can choose your Start up options; in other words, this will control which Identity comes up when Outlook Express is started. Click the drop down arrow to see your choices. In this example, Outlook Express can be started with the Main Identity, Boy Aloha's ID, or using Ask Me. When Ask Me is selected, you will be presented with a login screen when Outlook Express is started. In this example, choose Ask Me. Click Close.

To enable the Start Up option you just selected, you will first need to Log off the Main Identity. From OE5's main window, go to File, then Identities, then Logoff Main Identity. This action will close Outlook Express. 

Now when you start Outlook Express again, you will see an Identity Login screen where you must select the identity to start. Simply highlight the name and enter the appropriate password. In this example, select Boy Aloha, enter the appropriate password (if any) and click OK. Outlook Express will start using the Boy Aloha ID. But WAIT, you're not done yet!

PLEASE NOTE:

The Identity created in this example, Boy Aloha, now has it's own "mailbox", or storage place on your computer. However, this new Identity must also be setup to send and receive e-mail! Go to the setup section of this tutorial for help on setting up an e-mail account for the new Identity you just created. Until you do this, Boy Aloha will not be able to send or receive any mail in his Identity.