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Computer Tamers
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 By Sheila Alder |
This information is for those of you with Sympatico, or those with friends and family on Sympatico, as I strongly advise you to share this information with them as soon as possible!
Please note: If you need help with configuring your email, software (including Eudora or other email readers) please contact us and we'll be pleased to help you.
Bell/Sympatico has forged an alliance with Microsoft/MSN. What this means to Sympatico's existing customers who were customers before June/04, is that the old email servers are being phased out, and all those people will have to switch their "current Sympatico e-mail service to Sympatico Mail enhanced by MSN". (Those who became customers of Sympatico since June/04 are already on the new service.)
Once you have done the conversion, your email account will have 2 Gigs of space on the server, and attachments will be allowed up to 20 MB for the primary account, although lower levels apply to additional email addresses on the system. Attachments of that size are much larger than I recommend sending! Your friends and family may not be on a high speed service, and will not appreciate tying up their phone line to wait for your large email to download.
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Summary of what follows:
- If you do this yourself, you can continue to use your choice of software on your computer, and you will not have to install the software provided by MSN, which may conflict with your antivirus program, browser, email program, and more
- If you choose to go with the "automated" version of the switch, which will happen if you do not do the "upgrade" yourself, you will be forced to install the MSN Premium software on your computer, with the MSN (Microsoft) browser, antivirus program, and more; note that the "automated" MSN software option ONLY works for more modern computers, and if you do not cancel the MSN Premium service within the first month, you'll be charged a minimum of $6 per month on top of your regular Sympatico connection charges to keep the software/service
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There are two ways to do the email upgrade, and only one I advise!
Option 1, which I advise, is very time-consuming, and can be confusing, which is why I've prepared this information page.
- Your primary email account must be converted first, then your additional email addresses must be converted separately
- Close all programs on the computer, then connect to Sympatico
- Go to http://upgradecentre.sympatico.ca using only Internet Explorer (which I normally recommend that people do not use!)
- Click on the link at the top right of the window that says "Help/FAQ" and read EVERYTHING so you know what to expect
- Please note that those who have already allowed Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) to be installed on their computers may experience difficulty and need to follow the special instructions for Windows XP users
- Follow all steps in order, using the "Upgrade Wizard", paying particular attention to the screen that will warn you not to close it until finished, or you'll have to start over!
- You have to register your Sympatico email address with MSN Passport.net (ie. Hotmail) and set a new password for that login, after you've logged in the first time to it with the temporary password you'll be issued during the upgrade process
- I recommend using the same password you use now for your email, to save confusion, however there are "rules" about length of password and the use of numbers and letters that might make this unacceptable to the MSN service
- Your email program has to have the port numbers changed for it to connect to the new email servers, and it can take several days after you make the switch for the servers and your email program to talk to each other (and they do not give instructions for changing port numbers in Eudora, which I recommend using - contact me for details)
- You can get your email until then (or anytime thereafter) on the web via the MSN Hotmail service, or the identical but differently-named Sympatico Web Mail at http://msn.sympatico.ca
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Option 2, which I do not recommend is to change your account to the MSN Premium service, which will make the conversion automatically for you, after you have installed the new MSN Premium software, and connected using it.
- If you choose to go with the "automated" version of the switch, which will happen if you do not do the upgrade yourself, you will be forced to install the MSN Premium software on your computer, with the MSN (Microsoft) browser, antivirus program, and more; details of what is included, and the prices for the service, are at: Bell's Sympatico website
- Note that the "automated" MSN software option
ONLY works for more modern computers; specific requirements include:
- Multimedia PC with 500MHz processor or faster (800MHz recommended)
- Minimum 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended)
- Up to 320 MB of hard disk space needed to install (after install, up to 180 MB may be needed to run the service)
- 256-color VGA or higher resolution graphics card (SVGA recommended)
- Minimum 800x600 resolution recommended
- 16-bit sound card and speakers - If you do not cancel it within the first month, you'll be charged a minimum of $6 per month on top of your regular Sympatico connection charges to keep the software/service
