Using the web based access to newsgroups
is a very difficult way to use high volume newsgroups
like the XP newsgroups. With several XP newsgroups
average daily volume well over 1000 messages, the
web formats lack of the search ability severely
limits the usefulness of the newsgroups forum.
Below are steps and tips on setting up
the Outlook Express Newsreader for viewing and posting
to the Microsoft newsgroups.
Open Outlook Express or if you have Outlook
configured, open Outlook [see below for enabling
news for Outlook 2003.
From Tools menu, select Accounts.
Click the Add button and select
News.
This will launch the Internet Connection
Wizard.
Type the name you want to appear in the
"From" column in the Display field.
Type your email address, this can be any
email address, but I suggest creating an anonymous
email account just for newsgroup posting.
(As a further warning, never use your real
email address in the configuration of your newsgroup
reader or your signature.
Alter the address
with something obvious to someone with a legitimate
reason to reply, but so you will not have your
email address harvested by spam harvesters.
Use a prefix/suffix like no spam or bogus, etc.
Change the part of the email address after the
@ sign. This will lessen the possibility email
will be sent to a real person.)
Anonymous email
accounts are available for free.
Hushmail
Secure Email is one of many
examples available.
For more examples do a
Google
search for "anonymous email"
Enter msnews.microsoft.com for the
NNTP server. Since the Microsoft public newsgroups do not require a password, leave the checkbox "my newserver requires
me to log on" unchecked.
In the Newsgroup Subscriptions dialog box,
type microsoft.public.windowsxp. to display
all Windows XP newsgroups. Click the newsgroups
you're interested in, then click Subscribe.
When you have subscribed to the desired
newsgroups, click OK
From OE Tools> Options> Read> Set the number
of headers to retrieve to 1000. Uncheck the
checkbox to download all the messages in a newsgroup.
(recommended, but takes a considerable amount
of time. OE Newsreader will give a much higher
estimate of the posts to download. Estimate
is over a million headers for the general group,
but actual number is around 90 to 100 thousand.)
The XP newsgroups have a very high volume and
average posts in some groups exceed 1000 posts
per day, using the default 300 headers to download
would give only a fraction of the posts and
replies to the newsgroups.
From View> Current View select
Show All Messages.
From View> Sort By select Sent
Optionally From View> Layout> Preview Pane, select open preview pane, then 'below messages' or 'beside messages' and finally Show preview pane header. This option allows you to see messages as you select them.
Use Help for more tips on configuring OE
for newsgroups.
Cross-Posts
When posting the same question to multiple newsgroups, do so by cross-posting rather than making individual posts to each group. By cross-posting, replies will show in all groups regardless of the newsgroup the reply was made. Cross-posts should be limited to topic relevant newsgroups with the usual accepted groups limited to (3) three per post, but more or less can be posted to with most newsreaders. Screen shot images below illustrate how to cross-post.
Reply to message. Click image to enlarge.
Select Newsgroups. Click image to enlarge.
Add Newsgroups. Click image to enlarge.
Example of cross-post. Click image to enlarge.
Additional tips for OE newsreader.
After
the initial download of the headers, you should
compact the newsgroups by right clicking on a subscribed
newsgroup and selecting Properties from the menu,
then Compact
For Outlook 2003,
the tool bar must be customized to enable a link
to open Outlook Newsreader. If you receive an error message or the news option is not available from the customize menu option, uninstall Outlook and reinstall making sure you have closed Outlook Express before reinstalling. If Outlook Express has been previously setup to receive newsgroups, you may need to remove the newsgroup accounts to get Outlook 2003 to properly intergrate OE seamlessly into Outlook 2003.
When properly configured, opening OE newsreader from Outlook 2003 will show Outlook Newsreader on the application title line.
Example of OE properly intergrated into Outlook 2003 shown below.
click the above image to enlarge.
Finally, there are other newsgroup applications
and some are more specialized to specific newsgroup
tasks, but I find the Outlook Express newsreader
especially well suited for Microsoft peer support
newsgroups. For downloading files and binaries,
I would suggest other newsreaders more suited for
this task.
Printable text version. Right click text
file and choose print target: oesetup.txt
List of
Microsoft Public
Newsgrouplinks compiled courtesy of MS-MVP
Jim Eshelman.
Clicking the links will automatically
create any necessary account configuration in Outlook
Express and take you directly to the Microsoft newsgroup
you have selected — no complicated technical configurations
are needed! Over 2000+ newsgroups available.
Microsoft newsgroups rules of conduct. Useful
tips on E-mail Addresses and Privacy.