I have a couple of questions about using outlook express to read
newsgroups.
I'm new to using it. I always used Google Groups before but the group
I frequent is overwhelmed with sporge so I needed some way to filter.
That's why I went to outlook express.

1) I can only at messages going a few days back. Is there any way to
look at older messages?

2) In the view menu, I'd like to hide ignored messages, but in order
to do that I have to hide read and ignored messages. Is there any way
to hide ignored messages but not hide read messages, or perhaps some
workaround to accomplish the same thing?

Thank you.

1: Tools | Options | Read. Uncheck: Get XXX headers at a time. Then, right
click on the newsgroup in the Folder Tree | Properties | Local File | Reset.
Switch to another folder and then back and all available messages will be
downloaded again.

2: In View | Current View | Customize Current View, there are some
workaround options, such as Hide Flagged Messages and flag them instead, or
Hide Watched and Ignored Messages, but the pickings are lean. I just delete
what I don't want.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
Imperial Beach, CA


"gearhead" <nospam@billburg.com> wrote in message
news:33f0503a-f966-4002-bc9c-f83c79f5fe91@a70g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>I have a couple of questions about using outlook express to read
> newsgroups.
> I'm new to using it. I always used Google Groups before but the group
> I frequent is overwhelmed with sporge so I needed some way to filter.
> That's why I went to outlook express.
>
> 1) I can only at messages going a few days back. Is there any way to
> look at older messages?
>
> 2) In the view menu, I'd like to hide ignored messages, but in order
> to do that I have to hide read and ignored messages. Is there any way
> to hide ignored messages but not hide read messages, or perhaps some
> workaround to accomplish the same thing?
>
> Thank you.

A1. Tools > Options > Read > Get XXX headers at a time

You may set this option as high as 1,000. Right-click on the newsgroup in
Folders pane > Synchronization Settings > select New Messages Only. Now
every time you open the newsgroup (or hit F5), you will download the
next-newest set of headers/messages.

When you feel you've downloaded enough headers/messages, again right-click
on the newsgroup in Folders pane and select Catch Up Now. This will Mark as
Read all messages on the server, including ones you've not yet downloaded.
Now return to "Get XXX headers at a time" and uncheck the option completely;
then compact the folder.

From now on, OE will only download headers/messages posted to the server
since you last checked (polled) for messages.

You should probably visit this page, too:
http://www.insideoe.com/files/maintain.htm#cleannews (lotsa good stuff
there).

A2. See if you can configure a Custom View to accomplish what you want: View
| Current view | Customize current view.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

gearhead wrote:
> I have a couple of questions about using outlook express to read
> newsgroups.
> I'm new to using it. I always used Google Groups before but the group
> I frequent is overwhelmed with sporge so I needed some way to filter.
> That's why I went to outlook express.
>
> 1) I can only at messages going a few days back. Is there any way to
> look at older messages?
>
> 2) In the view menu, I'd like to hide ignored messages, but in order
> to do that I have to hide read and ignored messages. Is there any way
> to hide ignored messages but not hide read messages, or perhaps some
> workaround to accomplish the same thing?
>
> Thank you.

1) Tools, Options, Read Uncheck the Get xx headers at a time If that
doesn't help, the issue is likely that the news server you are using
does not keep messages for more than a few days. OE can't read messages
if the news server doesn't have them.

For best results, use the "msnews.microsoft.com" news server for reading
and posting messages regarding help with Microsoft products. This is
the news server that most of the regulars use. You'll get more timely
messages, and miss fewer of them. News messages often take days to
wander from server to server, and often get lost.

To set up an account for MSnews in OE
http://www.insideoe.com/resources/co...tm#setupmsnews

The "msnews.microsoft.com" news server is free to the public. However,
it only carries newsgroups to support Microsoft products. You'll also
find many newsgroups that your ISP doesn't carry. This server has over
2,000 Microsoft newsgroups.

2) Not that I'm aware of. I always hide read messages. Be aware that
OE is a caching news server. It keeps messages no longer than the news
server. Each time it checks for new messages it deletes old messages
that news serer has deleted. News servers typically keep messages from
a few days to a few months (tends to be longer in discussion groups,
shorter in binary groups). If you want to keep a news post
indefinitely, you must manually save it before the news server deletes
it. You can create folders under the LOCAL FOLDERS for this purpose.
Also be aware that threading in local folders is based entirely on the
Subject and not the way newsgroups thread.

--

Mike - http://pages.prodigy.net/michael_santovec/techhelp.htm


"gearhead" <nospam@billburg.com> wrote in message
news:33f0503a-f966-4002-bc9c-f83c79f5fe91@a70g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>I have a couple of questions about using outlook express to read
> newsgroups.
> I'm new to using it. I always used Google Groups before but the group
> I frequent is overwhelmed with sporge so I needed some way to filter.
> That's why I went to outlook express.
>
> 1) I can only at messages going a few days back. Is there any way to
> look at older messages?
>
> 2) In the view menu, I'd like to hide ignored messages, but in order
> to do that I have to hide read and ignored messages. Is there any way
> to hide ignored messages but not hide read messages, or perhaps some
> workaround to accomplish the same thing?
>
> Thank you.