You can access Standard and Advanced mailboxes using Microsoft Outlook 2003.

You can connect to your mailbox using either the POP3 or IMAP protocols. As a rule of thumb it is better to use POP3 if only one computer accesses your mailbox, while it is better to use IMAP if you have a number of computers that will access your mailbox.

Step 1: Open Outlook 2003, click Tools in the top menu, then click E-mail Accounts.

Step 2: Select Add a new e-mail account, then click the Next button.

Step 3: Depending upon your favoured type of connection. Select POP3 or IMAP from the list of available server types, then click Next.

Step 4: Enter your name in the Your Name text-box and your email address in the E-mail Address text-box.

Step 5: Enter your full email address in the User Name text-box and your mailbox password in the Password text-box.

Step 6: In the Incoming mail server text-box, enter your mailserver – e.g. mail.yourdomain.co.uk

If this is a Standard mailbox and you connect with a provider other than Fasthosts Broadband or Dial, follow your provider’s instructions for setting up their SMTP server, then skip to step 11.

Step 7: In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) text-box, enter smtp.fasthosts.co.uk.

If you are using a Standard mailbox with Fasthosts Broadband or Dial, skip to step 11.

Step 8: Click the More Settings button.

Step 9: Click the Outgoing Server tab.

Step 10: Select My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication, ensure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected, then click the OK button.

Step 11: Click the Test Account Settings button and correct any errors that it identifies.

Note: Outlook’s Test Account Settings procedure occasionally fails even if the account settings are correct. If it repeatedly fails and you are certain that the account settings are correct, skip to step 12, then test your setup by sending an email to yourself.

Step 12: When the test gives you the message Congratulations! All tests completed successfully, click the Next button, then click the Finish button.