Stop Spam In Outlook Express

The message rules for Outlook Express are made up of different sections, four of them:

1) Select the conditions for your rule:
2) Select the actions for your rule:
3) Rule description. Here there are underlines values you will edit.
4) The name of the rule.

So in each rule I'll number each section it belongs so if you see the same number listed more than once, there are more items selected in that section so check each box.

So, off to the races.

Rule #1

I name this one No @ because this is the one that the From line is empty. No respectable mail list will send you one with these lines empty.

Tools | Message Rules | Mail

Press the New button.

1:  Where the From line contains people.
2:  Delete it from the server.
3:  click on the 'contains people'
 

A Select People dialog appears,  type  in the character @ and then press the Add button or press ENTER.

Now press the Options button. Select Message does not contain the people below.

Press the OK button. It will now read Where the From line does not contain the '@'

Press the OK button.

4:  name the rule  No @

Press the OK button and the first rule is now set. You'll notice a check box next to it, that's for you to select to turn it on (checked) or off (unchecked).

Rule #2

This is where I get those that have nothing in the To: or Cc:  lines.

1:  Where the To or Cc:  line contains people.
2:  Delete it from the server.
3:  click on the 'contains people' and type the @ character. Press the Options button and Select Message does not contain the people below.  Press the OK button then press the OK button again.

4: name the rule No To: or Cc: line

Press Ok button and the rule is set.

Rule #3

This rule is one I use to set the color for the people's e-mail I allow in my Inbox and do highlight it with some color. I don't do all of them, just particular ones. You'll have to decide if you want to use this rule, it's just useful to me to tell from a distance who the e-mail is from. It has nothing to do with spam and then you also have to decide who you want to allow in your Inbox.

1: Where the From line contains people
2: Highlight it with color
2: Stop processing more rules.
3: click on 'color' and select a color to use.
    select 'contains people'  and type in the person's e-mail address. Note, don't type their name because the filters work on the e-mail address and not the display name. Press the Add button and then the OK button.
4: name the rule the particular person's name.

Press the OK button, this rule is now set.

Rule #4

This rule is set up to allow only particular people in your Inbox. Again, you may not want to use this rule but it's helpful to me because particular e-mail from family or some others is a bit more important than the rest.

1: Where the From line contains people
2: Stop processing more rules.
3: select 'contains people'  and type in or select from your address book the people you want to add to the list. Press the OK button to finish adding from the address book and press OK again to close the list.
4: name this rule Allowed to Inbox

Press the OK button and this rule is set.

Rule #5

This rule is duplicated numerous times for me. This is used to filter the mailing lists I subscribe and move them to their own folders. This one you have to look at how the list arrives each and every time. It may have the same subject, the same reply address (From line) or the same To: line. So for the first section, you have to select the appropriate line.

To see how the message headers arrive, press CTRL F3 and look at several of the messages to see what's the same thing.

1:  Select one of the first three lines in this section accordingly to how you are going to filter it.
2:  Move it to the specified folder
2:  Stop processing more rules.
3:  select the 'contains people'  or 'contains specific words'  whichever it may be and add the information you need, be it the e-mail address or the words in the subject line.
4: Name the rule the name of the mail list

Press OK and this rule is set.

You can copy the rules and make changes as needed. On some it may make it a bit faster to set up.

Rule #6

This rule is where I check all the rest of the mail coming in against my e-mail addresses in the To: or Cc: lines. If it's not any of mine it gets put in the Deleted Items folder.

1: Where the To: or Cc: line contains people
2: Move it to the specified folder
2: Stop processing more rules.
3: select 'specified'  folder and select the Delete Items folder or create a new folder to put it all in.
3: select 'contains people'  and put in all of your e-mail addresses.
Press the Add  button or ENTER after each one. Now, press the Options button.

Here you have one choice to make if you only have one e-mail address listed. There are two choices if you have more than one.

For only one address, you will only select the Message does not contain the people below.  then press the OK button twice then name the rule in section 4.

For more than one e-mail address, you will select the one above but also Messages matches any one of the people below.  You will see it there is an OR between each address. The logic is as follows, If it's not this one  OR not that one OR not that one.......  then it doesn't match what you want. Press the OK button then press the next OK button.

4: name this rule JUNK   or whatever you want.

Rule #7

This is my last rule in the line. It's for everything else that hasn't been filtered and it's moved to my Stuff folder.

1: For All Messages
2: Move it to the specified folder
2: Stop processing more rules.
3:  select specified'  and select or create the folder you want it to be moved to.  You can't select the Inbox and if you could, it would defeat the purpose of this rule. It for all the mail from anyone else that may send e-mail to your e-mail addresses that are checked.

4: name the rule:    The Rest Of It

Press the OK button and the rule is set.

Press Ok button again and you e-mail is now set to be filtered. Your load of spam will be cut considerably from being noticed.

 
SpamAssassin filters in Outlook
  • Start Outlook
  • Click on or select "inbox" in your mail folders (NOTE: you may have to turn on folder view if it is not already on to select the Inbox folder.)
  • Right click with your mouse on the inbox folder and from the popup menu select "new folder"
  • For the name of the folder enter "spam mail" and click ok
  • From the outlook menu list click on "tools" and select "rules wizard" or "rules and alerts"
  • Click on "new"
  • Select "start from a blank rule"
  • Highlight "check messages when they arrive"
  • Click "next"
  • Scroll down and look for the line "with specific words in the message header" and place a check in the box to the left of it.
  • In the box below, click on the underlined words "specific words"
  • A new option box will open, enter "X-Spam-Status: Yes" (without quotes) and click the "add" button (be sure you leave a blank space between the colon and the word Yes)
  • Click "next"
  • Look for "move to a folder named" and place a check in the box to its left
  • In the space below, click on the underlined word "specified"
  • From the folder list, scroll to and select the folder spam mail, the folder you set up in steps 3 and 4.
  • Click "next" and "next" again and for the name of the rule enter "spam marking"
  • Click "finish" (NOTE: Make sure that there is a check in the box to the left of the rule you just created and click ok.)
  • This should move much of the spam you receive to the spam mail folder where you can review and delete it.
Thunderbird Spam Assassin Filters
  • Start Thunderbird.
  • Go to the tools menu and click on "message filters:"
  • On the window that pops up, click "new" to create a new message filter for spam.
  • Give the filter a name (such as "spam") and click on the down arrow of the drop box that currently says "subject". Find "customize:" at the bottom of the list and click on it.
  • In the pop-up window, under "new message header:" type X-Spam-Flag. Click on the "add" button next to it, and it will move it to the box below. Click OK.
  • If it doesn't automatically change the first drop-down box to "X-Spam-Flag" that you just added, click on the arrow again and choose it from the list. In the 3rd box, type yes.
  • Click the check box next to "move to folder" and select the folder that you want to move spam to. Click "ok"
  • Your new filter should show up in the list now, you can close the window and you're done!

This should move much of the spam you receive to the spam mail folder where you can review and delete it.

Junk mail controls in Thunderbird

Thunderbird has a very good built in spam filter that is trainable and will catch most spam messages.
  • Start Thunderbird.
  • Go to tools in the top navigation bar.
  • Click on tool you should see an option for junk mail controls, click on this option
  • Click the check box which says trust junk mail headers set by: then in the drop down box which is next to it select to use spam assassin.