How do I use Mailshell to clean spam from my existing email accounts?

Premium users can have up to three existing email accounts cleaned by Mailshell. Messages will be retrieved from the account, filtered by the Spam Catcher, and delivered to a Mailshell address. There are several advantages to doing this: Mailshell's advanced filtering technology will remove any spam sent to these addresses, making sure you only receive the messages you want, and you can check all of your email addresses in one place.

To set up your accounts, go to the Clean Existing Email section of Spam Filtering. If you aren't currently cleaning any accounts, you'll be taken straight to the basic setup page; if you are, you'll see a list of addresses you are currently cleaning and can click the "Add Account" button to add another. You'll need to provide Mailshell with your email address and password and choose which Mailshell address you want to receive the cleaned messages. Once you have accounts set up, you can edit the setup information, edit the address options, disable or enable accounts, and delete accounts from this page.

If you want to continue using the service you use now, we recommend that you set up another address with that service and forward your cleaned email there. (For instance, if you use AOL, you could set up another address for your account and forward messages there so that you can continue using the setup you're familiar with.)

If you have the free trial service, this feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.

If you don't want to retrieve messages or if your free trial period has ended, you can also try to forward your current email address to Mailshell--many ISPs and email services let you forward email to a different address or to set up a filter that will forward, although some do not. For example, if you want to forward your Yahoo! email you could create a yahoo@your-name.com disposable address, then set your Yahoo! email to forward to that address. Use the Address Options for yahoo@your-name.com to set the Spam Catcher strength and other settings to whatever you like. You will now receive all of your Yahoo! email at Mailshell and have all the benefits of Mailshell filtering. (If you do decide to do this, note that you should also add the address you're forwarding from to your Approved Senders list. Because the Spam Catcher normally penalizes messages that aren't addressed directly to the Mailshell address that receives them, messages that are simply auto-forwarded are more likely to be filtered out as spam even if they aren't. By adding the address you're forwarding to this list, the Spam Catcher won't apply that penalty and will be able to assess the messages more accurately.)

How do I use a desktop client like Outlook to send and receive messages?

Mailshell supports both POP and IMAP access when using a desktop client like Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, and Netscape Messenger. This feature is available only to Premium users.

To learn how to set up POP access, click here; to learn how to set up IMAP access, click here.

How do I protect myself from email-borne viruses, hidden tracking devices, and unwanted pornographic images?

Premium users can use the Virus Protection setting to protect them from email-borne viruses, tracking devices, unwanted images, and other security problems. When this feature is turned on, Mailshell will remove all images, attachments, java, and javascript from messages you receive through Mailshell. (If you are concerned about missing important parts of messages, you can also save a copy of the full, unaltered message.)

You can change this setting for individual disposable addresses by using Address Options. You can also reset all of your settings or just the default setting for newly created and pending addresses in the Spam Catcher Settings section of Spam Filtering.

If you have the free trial service, this feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.

How do I forward my disposable addresses to different forwarding addresses?

Premium users can select different forwarding addresses for each Mailshell address:

• First, add all of the forwarding addresses you wish to use.



• Next, update the delivery settings for whichever addresses or features you want to use those addresses.

How do I send attachments?

Premium users can attach up to three files to outgoing messages as long as their total size does not exceed 1.5 MB. To do so, from the Compose page section of Check Mail, click the "Add/Delete Attachments" link. Then:

• Click the "Browse" button. In the window that appears, select the file you wish to attach and click the "Open" button.



• Click the "Attach File" button. The file will appear in the "Attached files" box along with the size of each. (Please note that the files will be uploaded to Mailshell's servers from your computer when you click this button. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection and the size of the attachments, this may take some time.)



• If you wish to attach another file, repeat the above steps. If you wish to remove a file, click the "remove" link next to that file.



• When you have attached all your files, click the "Done" button.

You will return to the Compose page and the attached files will be displayed. You can change which files you attached by clicking the "Add/Delete Attachments" link again.

If you have the free trial service, this feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.

How do I use a registered domain for my disposable addresses?

If you have the Premium Service and would like to use a registered domain (your-name.com) instead of a Mailshell subdomain (your-name.mailshell.com) for your disposable addresses, you can do so by clicking the "Wouldn't you like to have "your-name".com?" link in the Disposable Email Addresses section of Spam Filtering. You will be asked to select from a list of available domains or enter a new one to search for. (If you already own a domain, you can also use that domain with Mailshell.)

Registered domain names are limited to 63 characters and can use only letters (a-z), and numbers (0-9), and they are not case-sensitive (e.g., "joe.com" is the same as "JoE.com"). Domain names containing hyphens (-) are not supported.

Please note: Mailshell does not offer web hosting services for domains registered with us. If you wish to have a website associated with your domain, the Premium Service gives you the option of either forwarding your domain to an existing website or specifying the IP address of an existing website.

How do I track messages?

If you have the Premium Service, you can track messages you compose on Mailshell's site and know when the recipients have opened the message. To have the message tracked, simply check the "Track Delivery" box when composing a message. You can then go to your Sent folder to view information about the message: the "Tracking Status" column will display a link that says either "Not Opened" or "Opened:" and the date on which the message was first opened. (If the message was opened today, you will also see the Pacific Standard Time it was opened.) If you sent the message to multiple recipients, this link will display only the date it was first opened by any of those recipients; you can click on the link to see when each individual recipient opened it.

If you would like to track most of your messages, you can change the default for Track Delivery; you also have the option of receiving an email receipt when messages have been opened.

If you have the free trial service, this feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.

How do I send encrypted messages?

If you have the Premium Service, you can send password- or PGP-encrypted messages when you compose on Mailshell's site. To do this, check the "Send Encrypted" box when composing the message. When you send the message, you will be prompted for additional information:

• If you wish to use password encryption, enter a password, an optional hint that the recipient can use to guess the password, and an expiration time. When the recipient receives the encrypted message, they will see the hint (if given) and be asked to enter the password before they can view the message. Once the time you have selected has elapsed, the message will be automatically deleted.



• If you are sending to a single recipient and that recipient has a registered PGP key, you have the additional option of using PGP encryption instead of password encryption. If the recipient has more than one registered key, use the menu to select the key you wish to use (normally, the most recent key is the best one to choose).

Click the "Send" button when you are done.

If you have chosen password encryption, your recipient will receive an email asking them to enter your password before they can then view the message. If you have chosen PGP encryption, your recipient will receive the encrypted message and will need to decrypt it using their own software.

If you have the free trial service, this feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.

Please note: For security reasons, if you choose PGP encryption and are saving the message in your Sent folder, the message will be stored encrypted; you will not be able to decrypt it to view its contents. Also note that you can't add attachments to encrypted messages.

How do I point my personal domain to an existing website?

The Manage Your Domain Address page in Options lets you redirect the personal domain you use for your disposable addresses to Mailshell's site, your Mailshell account, an existing website, or an IP address, letting you control where someone goes when they enter "http://your-name.com" or "http://www.your-name.com" into a browser.

To change where your domain is pointed, click the "Manage Your Domain Address" link in Options and use the buttons and fields provided to make your selection:

• Mailshell Home points your domain to the Mailshell front door. (This option lets Rewards Members earn credit for referrals by letting people use their personal domain to sign up with Mailshell.)



• My Mailshell account points the domain to your Mailshell start page. If you have "Remember me" checked on the computer you are using, you will be taken directly to your account; otherwise, you will be asked to sign in.



• An existing website at lets you specify the URL of an existing website; when someone enters your domain in a browser, they will be redirected to this site. (This option is available only to Premium users.)



• IP Address lets you specify the IP address of an existing website; when someone enters your domain in a browser, they will be redirected to site at that IP address, but their browser will still say that they are at your domain. If you choose to specify an IP address, the change can take up to five business days to take effect, a time period that will also apply if you have selected the IP address option, it has taken effect, and you subsequently choose another option. (This option is available only to Premium users with a registered domain. Please note, though, that it is unavailable if you have done an MX update for an existing domain.)

If you have the free trial service, the full feature is available during the 30-day trial period after you first sign up. Once that period has expired, you can upgrade to the Premium Service to continue using it.