Computer Crash -4: Know Your EMail Address Information

When you get a new computer, you've got to gain access to your email accounts on that new machine. It's not difficult to do - but you do need your personal account information and this can be a real headache if you (like me) have several different email addresses, all feeding into (and out of) one Main Mailbox.

So, right now, take care of yourself by doing the following:

1. go to your email (I now use Windows Mail, before it was Outlook Express) and open up your email accounts;
2. for each account, open its properties, and write down the following: name, email address, incoming mail server, outgoing mail server, incoming mail server's user name and password, and whether the box for "secure password authentication" is checked; and the server port numbers for incoming and outgoing mail.

If you don't do this, you will have to call (and listen to music on hold) for each provider of your email -- if they have phone numbers and live support to provide. Some of these may not have your password for you, and you'll have to jump through hoops to get that re-set.

This project can be a big time-eater which you can easily avoid by having this info at the ready, just in case. I was glad I did.