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Internet FAQs - How to Configure E-mail

This page gives you step-by-step instructions on setting up e-mail for the most popular Windows and Macintosh e-mail programs. If your e-mail client does not appear in this section, you should be able to use the information on this page to configure your e-mail.

Windows
How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook Express 5.x - 6.x
How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 98
How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 2000
How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 2002 / Outlook XP / Outlook 2003
How to create a new E-mail account in Communicator 4.5
How to create a new E-mail account in Netscape 6.x - 7.x

Macintosh
How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook Express 5 on a Macintosh
How to create a new E-mail account in Entourage on a Macintosh (OS X)
How to create a new E-mail account in Mail 1.0 on a Macintosh (OS X)
How to create a new E-mail account in Mail 1.2.5 on a Macintosh (OS 10.2.x)

 

How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook Express 5.x - 6.x

1. Open Outlook Express
2. Click the Tools | Accounts menu
3. Click on the Mail tab and then click on Add | Mail
4. In the Your Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send. Click Next
5. Enter your full e-mail address, then click Next (userid@rcn.com)
6. In the My incoming mail server is a ______ server list, select Post Office Protocol (POP3)
7. In the Incoming Mail (POP3 or IMAP) server box, type pop.rcn.com
8. In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) server box, type smtp.rcn.com and click Next.
9. In the Account Name box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol.
10. In the Password box, enter your password then click Next
11. Do NOT select Log on using Secure Password Authentication
12. The friendly name will default to the incoming mail server (pop.rcn.com)  You can change this name to any name you prefer.
13. Click Finish
14. Select the new account, click Properties
15. Click the Connection tab
16. Under Choose Connection Type, select the method you use to connect to the Internet
Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN) for cablemodem users
Connect Using My Phone Line for dial-up users
17. Click the Servers tab
18. At the bottom there's an area for Outgoing mail server. Check box that says, "My server requires authentication."
19. Click the Settings button
20. Make sure option "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" is selected
21. Click OK
22. Close the Accounts window

 

 

How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 98

1. Open Outlook 98
2. Click the Tools | Accounts menu
3. Click on the Mail tab and then click on Add | Mail
4. In the Your Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send. Click Next.
5. Enter your full e-mail address, then click Next (userid@rcn.com)
6. In the My incoming mail server is a ______ server list, select Post Office Protocol (POP3)
7. In the Incoming Mail (POP3 or IMAP) server box, type pop.rcn.com
8. In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) server box, type smtp.rcn.com and click Next.
9. In the Internet Mail Logon box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol.
10. In the Password box, enter your password then click Next
11. Do NOT select Log on using Secure Password Authentication
12. The friendly name will default to the incoming mail server (pop.rcn.com)  You can change this name to any name you prefer.
13. Click Finish
14. Select the new account, click Properties
15. Click the Connection tab
16. Under Choose Connection Type, select the method you use to connect to the Internet
Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN) for cablemodem users
Connect Using My Phone Line for dial-up users
17. Click the Servers tab
18. At the bottom there's an area for Outgoing mail server. Check box that says, "My server requires authentication."
19. Click the Settings button
20. Make sure option "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" is selected
21. Click OK
22. Close the Accounts window

 


How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 2000

1. Open Outlook 2000
2. Click the Tools | Accounts menu
3. Click on the Mail tab and then click on Add | Mail
4. In the Your Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send. Click Next
5. Enter your full e-mail address, then click Next (userid@rcn.com)
6. In the My incoming mail server is a ______ server list, select Post Office Protocol (POP3)
7. In the Incoming Mail (POP3 or IMAP) server box, type pop.rcn.com
8. In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) server box, type smtp.rcn.com and click Next.
9. In the Internet Mail Logon box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol.
10. In the Password box, enter your password then click Next
11. Do NOT select Log on using Secure Password Authentication
12. The friendly name will default to the incoming mail server (pop.rcn.com)  You can change this name to any name you prefer.
13. Click Finish
14. Select the new account, click Properties
15. Click the Connection tab
16. Under Choose Connection Type, select the method you use to connect to the Internet
Connect Using My Local Area Network (LAN) for cablemodem users
Connect Using My Phone Line for dial-up users
17. Click the Servers tab
18. At the bottom there's an area for Outgoing mail server. Check box that says, "My server requires authentication."
19. Click the Settings button
20. Make sure option "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" is selected
21. Click OK
22. Close the Accounts window

 


How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook 2002 / Outlook XP / Outlook 2003

1. Open Outlook 2002 / 2003
2. Click the Tools |  E-mail Accounts menu
3. Select Add a new e-mail Account then press Next
4. In the Server Type dialog box, click POP3, and then click Next
5. In the Your Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send.
6. Enter your full e-mail address (userid@rcn.com)
7. In the User Name box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol. 
8. In the Password box, enter your password.
9. In the Incoming Mail (POP3 or IMAP) server box, type pop.rcn.com
10. In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) server box, type smtp.rcn.com
11. Click Test Account Settings. 

This is a new capability in Outlook. This feature calls a dialog box that displays, in a step-by-step manner, each phase of testing the configuration that you have just input. The following occurs when you click Test Account Settings:

  • The connectivity of your system to the Internet is confirmed. 
  • You are logged on to the SMTP server. 
  • You are logged on to the POP3 server. 
  • It is determined if the POP3 server needs to be logged on to first. If necessary, Outlook automatically sets Log on to incoming mail server before messages are sent. 
  • A test message is sent. This message explains any changes that Outlook made to your initial setup.
12. Click Next
13. Click Finish


How to create a new E-mail account in Communicator 4.5

1. Open Communicator 4.5 
2. Click on Edit | Preferences.
3. Click the "+" next to Mail & Newsgroups
4. Click on Identity. 
5. In the Real Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send.
6. Enter your full e-mail address (userid@rcn.com)
7. Click on Mail Servers. 
8. Click Edit.
9. In the Incoming Mail server box, type pop.rcn.com
10. The server type is POP3.
11. In the User Name box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol. 
12. In the Outgoing Mail (SMTP) server box, type smtp.rcn.com
13. In the User Name box, again, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol. 
14. Click OK


How to create a new E-mail account in Netscape 6.x - 7.x

1. Open Netscape 6
2. Click on Tasks | Mail
3. On the Account Wizard screen, click in the circle next to ISP or E-Mail Provider, then click Next.
4. On the Identity screen, in the Real Name box, you may enter anything you choose. The name that you enter here will show up in the "From" field on any e-mail you send. 
5. Enter your full e-mail address (userid@rcn.com)
6. Click Next
7. On the Server Information screen, select POP mail server from the Server Type drop-down menu.
8. On the Incoming Server section, type pop.rcn.com
9. On the Outgoing Server section, type smtp.rcn.com
10. Click Next
11. In the User Name box, enter the part of your e-mail address that comes before the @ symbol. 
12. Click Next
13. On the Account Name screen you can change this name to any name you prefer.
14. Click Next
15. On the Congratulations! screen, click Finish.


How to create a new E-mail account in Outlook Express 5 on a Macintosh

1.

 Open Outlook Express.

2.

 Click on the Tools menu, then click on Accounts in the list that appears.

3.

 Make sure the Mail tab is selected, and click the New button. This will bring up the Account Setup Assistant.

4.

 The first thing asked for is your Display Name. This is the name that others will see when they receive an e-mail from you. Type your full name or nickname, and click the Right Arrow at the bottom of the screen.

5.

 On the next screen, make sure the button is selected that shows  I already have an e-mail address that I would like to use.  Type your full e-mail address on this line, then click the Next Arrow.

6.

 The wizard will ask you for the e-mail server names. Make sure that POP is selected in the drop-down box at the top of this screen. For the Incoming mail (POP, IMAP) server, type: pop.rcn.com.

7.

 For the Outgoing (SMTP) server, type: smtp.rcn.com.

8.

 Next, enter the internet mail logon information. For Account ID enter your username.  (The username is all of the characters to the left of the "@" sign in your e-mail address.)
Example: If your e-mail address is john_doe@rcn.com, your username would be john_doe.

9.

 Check the Remember Password box if you want Outlook Express to remember your password, or this can be left blank and Outlook will prompt you for your password each time you check your e-mail. Click the Next Arrow.

10.

 Enter a name for the account in the Account Name field. This filed is used to distinguish from other accounts on this computer if you have more than one e-mail account.

11.

 Click Finish to complete the wizard.


How to create a new E-mail account in Entourage on a Macintosh (OS X)

1. Open the Entourage application.
2. Click on the Tools pulldown and choose the Accounts option.
3. Click on the New Mail Account button.
4. The Account Setup Assistant should appear.  Type your name or nickname in the Your Name field.
5. Click the bottom Right Arrow to continue.
6. Choose the first option, I already have an e-mail address I'd like to use.
7. Type your e-mail address in the E-mail Address field.
8. Click the bottom Right Arrow to continue.
9. Select the pulldown, My incoming mail server is POP3 server.
10. In the Incoming Mail Server field, type your POP3 server address:  pop.rcn.com.
11. In the Outgoing Mail Server field, type your SMTP server address:  smtp.rcn.com.
12. Click the bottom Right Arrow to continue.
13. In the Account ID field, type your incoming mail server username.  (The username is all of the characters to the left of the "@" sign in your e-mail address.)
Example: If your e-mail address is john_doe@rcn.com, your username would be john_doe.
14. In the Password field, type your incoming mail server username's password.
15. Enable the Save Password feature to have your password remembered by Entourage.
16. Type your e-mail address in the Account Name field.
17. Enable the Send & Receive All schedule for this e-mail account.
18. Click the Finish button to complete the mail account setup.
19. Your e-mail account is now configured.


 How to create a new E-mail account in Mail 1.0 on a Macintosh (OS X)

1. Open Mac OS X Mail.
2. Click on the Mail pulldown and choose the Preferences option.
3. Select the Accounts icon and click on the New Account button.
4. Click on the Account Information tab.
5. Click on the Account Type pulldown and choose the POP Account option to configure a POP3 account.
6. Under the Account Description, type your e-mail address. This will be the name displayed in the accounts window and is used for account identification purposes only.
7. Type your full e-mail address in the E-mail Address field.
8. Type your name or nickname in the Full Name field. This will be displayed in the From field of your outgoing mail messages.
9. In the Host Name field, type the incoming POP3 server name:  pop.rcn.com.
10. In the Username field, type your username.  (The username is all of the characters to the left of the "@" sign in your e-mail address.)
Example: If your e-mail address is john_doe@rcn.com, your username would be john_doe.
11. In the Password field, type your e-mail account password.
12. In the SMTP Host field, type the outgoing mail server address:  smtp.rcn.com.
13. Click the Account Options tab.
14. Enable the option to Delete messages on the server after downloading.
15. Click OK.
16. Close the Mail Preferences window. 
17. Your e-mail account is now configured.


How to create a new E-mail account in Mail 1.2.5 on a Macintosh (OS 10.2.x)

1. Open Mail.
2. Click on the Mail | Preferences menu.
3.  Click on the Accounts icon.
4. Click on the Add Account button.
5. Select POP under the Account Type pulldown.
6. Type your e-mail address in the description field.
7. Type your e-mail address in the e-mail address field.
8. Type your name or nickname in the Full Name field.
9. Type the incoming POP3 mail server in the Incoming Mail Server field: pop.rcn.com.
10. Type your incoming POP3 mail server username in the Username field.  (The username is all of the characters to the left of the "@" sign in your e-mail address.)
Example: If your e-mail address is john_doe@rcn.com, your username would be john_doe.
11. Type your incoming POP3 mail server username's password in the Password field.
12. Select Add Server from the Outgoing Mail Server pulldown.
13. Type the outgoing SMTP server address in the Outgoing Mail Server field: smtp.rcn.com.
14. Click the OK button.
15. Click on the Special Mail Boxes tab.
16. Specify your Sent, Junk, and Trash preferences to suit your needs.
17. Click on the Advanced tab
18. Make sure that the following options have a check beside them:
  • Enable this Account
  • Include when automatically checking for new mail
  • Remove copy from server after retrieving a message
19. Your e-mail account is now configured.
RCN makes setting up your email software quick and easy. Using our EZ Email Set up page makes configuring your mail a matter of point and click.
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Download RCN's handbook for all the features and instructions for cable TV, phone and internet.

  All areas except Chicago (PDF, 1.28 MB)
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Also available are the new RCN Email and Dial-up Configuration Instructions (PDF, 1.65 MB).
 		   

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