Blocking Outlook/express from external connections?

[Brett_Tabke]

I was forced to install the evil Outlook and OL Express in order to sync with my Ipaq. How can I stop Outlook express from making external connections via email? We all know that email addresses are custom embedded in gfx filenames that are shown in email. So you view the email and you've just confirmed your email address to spammers. How can that situation be stopped?

[pixel_juice]

I would force it to ask permissions for connections with a firewall. Failing that there's potentially an option somewhere for a similar result, but i've managed to avoid OE up til know so I don't know for sure.

[Brett_Tabke]

Then you'd be forced to undo the firewall block every time to simply pull/send email.

[bcolflesh]

I just block outgoing TCP from Outlook via a software firewall (Kerio).

Regards,
Brent

[jim_w]

If you have a problem because you have the preview pane on and they automatically open.

Turn it off the preview pane by going to view, layout. Then you can right click on messages and look at them as text before opening them if they look like spam?

[pixel_juice]

Then you'd be forced to undo the firewall block

What I meant was don't block it outright, but force it to ask you for each connection that it makes. That way when you hit send/receive you can alow the connection but otherwise deny it access.

[rogerd]

Turning off the preview pane would be a good start if you don't want to pull remote images.

I use Mailwasher upstream from Outlook, which lets me delete unwanted stuff directly, plus offers a text-only preview if I'm not sure about a particular message.

[jim_w]

Turning off the preview pane would be a good start if you don't want to pull remote images.

Or run a script, et. al

[Brett_Tabke]

Anyone have any good guides for living with the evil spam and virus magnet known as Outlook?

[jim_w]

I run Norton Firewall. It comes with anti-virus and kills them before they get to outlook. It updates itself as well. Cost about $50.00

It funny, cause I usually get a Norton update and then within hours to a day get a IE update, or vise-versa.

Also if you have the pane view turned off, you can right click on suspicious files, go to properties, click on the 2nd tab card Details, and click on message source. It shows the message in text. If there is a virus in it, you can see the UUCode.

[mivox]

Anyone have any good guides...?

*snigger*

Sure. Look for what's most commonly known as "uninstall directions"... ;)

[Mardi_Gras]

Brett -as for Outlook Express, wouldn't setting Tools>Options>Read to "Read All Messages In Plain Text" solve the problem?

As for the "evil spam and virus magnet", I've coexisted peacefully and virus free with it for several years :) Let me know if you have any problems that an initial exorcism doesn't cure;)

[WebGuerrilla]

BT using Outlook. I can't even begin to explain how amusing that is. :)

[jim_w]

Mardi_Gras

that is only the default to compose mail.

[edit]never mind. OE 6 apperently has a new option finally![/edit]

[edit]but it doesn't even have a 'what's this help attached to it :-( [/edit]