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The WURD E-Mail FAQ

E-Mail is redefining business and personal communication. This page answers common questions about e-mail, and it gives a few tips and tricks to help you make the most of your AT&T Worldnet Service e-mail account. If you're new to using e-mail, please read our E-Mail Tutorial.

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Does AT&T Worldnet Service provide more than one e-mail address per account?

Yes, they do. You can have up to 5 additional e-mail addresses as sub-accounts to your master e-mail account. Each of these additional sub-accounts will also have 25 megs of free Web space allotted to them.

  1. The master account owner is the only one that can create secondary e-mail accounts.
  2. The master account owner picks the e-mail IDs for those new secondary e-mail accounts.
  3. As part of the create a new e-mail ID process, the master account owner picks the passwords for the new secondary e-mail accounts, fills out member profile information, decides whether the owner of the secondary e-mail account can or cannot modify that profile information and, whether that information is listed or unlisted. Once set, this information cannot be over written by the secondary e-mail account owner, unless this person happens to know the master account owner's e-mail password or the master account security word. If you want to be the only one to make changes to the member profile information, do not tell anyone the security word and e-mail password for the master account.
  4. Once the new secondary e-mail accounts are created, the master account owner provides the new e-mail ID and the new e-mail password to the owner of the secondary e-mail account. Upon receipt, the secondary e-mail account owner can authenticate (as sub-account), and change the e-mail password to something of their choosing. If this is done, the secondary e-mail account can only be read by those knowing the new password.
  5. As part of the master account's options, the master account owner can RESET a secondary e-mail account's password. The secondary e-mail account owner will then lose access to their e-mail, because their old e-mail password would no longer be valid.
  6. A master account owner can disable an secondary e-mail account. Additional information on changing or deleting a secondary e-mail account.
  7. If a master account owner sets up a secondary account with listing preference as Unlisted then the secondary account's setup will, by default:
    • Be unlisted with the AT&T Worldnet Service directory.
    • Be set as Unlisted in the PWP Profile listing.

For additional information, see AT&T Worldnet Member Services.

If you want detailed instructions on setting up your additional e-mail addresses, see Adding E-Mail Addresses

If you want detailed instructions on setting up personal Web pages for each of your e-mail addresses, see Registering for Personal Web Pages @att.net

If you still need additional e-mail accounts, there are a lot of e-mail services available, with varying capabilities. If you want information on some of these, check out the C/Net Freemail review.

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Does AT&T Worldnet Service provide e-mail forwarding?

Yes, you can now forward your AT&T Worldnet e-mail to any valid e-mail address. You will need to authenticate and then get to the e-mail forwarding page. Follow the instructions, being very careful to accurately enter the correct e-mail address, where you want your e-mail forwarded.

For complete instructions on how to forward your AT&T Worldnet e-mail, see Automatic E-Mail Forwarding.

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Does AT&T Worldnet Service provide technical support for my E-Mail software?

AT&T Worldnet Service supports software that is installed from an AT&T Worldnet Service disk or downloaded from an AT&T Worldnet Service Web page. Phone support is available by calling 1-800-400-1447.

For online help configuring your co-branded and not-so-cobranded e-mail software, WURD maintains instructions for working with various e-mail clients (software).

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What is spam?

Spam is unsolicited commercial e-mail. It is the equivalent of the junk mail you find regularly in your postal mailbox. For a more complete explanation of spam, visit the WURD Spam Tutorial. For tips on how to identify and fight spam, visit our Spam Fighting page.

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What is a MAPI client?

The short answer is that MAPI is an accepted standard for e-mail exchange, newer than the POP3 standard that is currently used by most ISPs.

MAPI stands for Messaging Application Program Interface; a Windows program that lets you interact with your e-mail while in various Windows applications. It's a messaging structure or standard that helps enable various software programs and platforms to interact with a variety of messaging systems seamlessly.

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What is the difference between an e-mail and a post?

An e-mail is an electronic message sent from one person to another. A post is a message sent to a bulletin board called a newsgroup, where many people can read the message. To find out more about Newsgroups, read our Newsgroup Tutorial.

Netiquette says that posts are public messages, while e-mail is viewed as a private conversation. It's usually a breach of manners to post a private e-mail message in a newsgroup.

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What is my e-mail ID and how does it differ from my e-mail address?

If your e-mail address is me@att.net, me would be your e-mail ID and me@att.net would be your e-mail address. Your e-mail ID is what is to the left of the @ sign. People who e-mail you need the full e-mail address to reach you via e-mail.

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What is Web based e-mail and how is it different than regular e-mail?

With Web based e-mail you can view your e-mail via the Internet instead of downloading it through your e-mail software. To try Web e-mail. You can access your e-mail from another ISP.

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Where can I find information on reading and composing my e-mail offline?

You'll find some information in our tutorial on Saving Time.

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Where can I find information on configuring my e-mail software for AT&T Worldnet Service?

You can gain access to the AT&T Worldnet Service e-mail servers by using postoffice.worldnet.att.net as the pop3 server, and mailhost.worldnet.att.net as the smtp server. If you need more help, we have provided configuration information for a number of e-mail clients. You will also find links to the latest versions of the software.

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Can I forward my AT&T Worldnet e-mail to my work's e-mail account?

Yes, you can now forward your AT&T Worldnet e-mail to any valid e-mail address. Additional information is available.

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Can I shorten my e-mail address from me@worldnet.att.net to me@att.net?

Yes, e-mail that is addressed to me@worldnet.att.net or me@att.net will both reach me and only me at this time. However, e-mail that is addressed to me@worldnet.att.net will always work.

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Can I forward my office e-mail to my AT&T Worldnet account?

Forwarding e-mail from a different ISP or Online Service to your AT&T Worldnet account is solely a function of the sending other service provider's capabilities. You will need to ask them how to forward that e-mail. AT&T Worldnet Service is capable of receiving forwarded e-mail, and does so automatically.

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How do I clear a stuck message from my mailbox?

We often see complaints about AT&T Worldnet members attempting to retrieve their e-mail only to have the download get stuck on message X of Y. The reason this occurs may be due to a corrupted e-mail message that is plugging up your mailbox or it may just be a huge binary someone sent you. There is a way to get rid of the offending message without having to download it and without having to call customer service. Just follow the instructions we have provided for you.

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How do I access my e-mail while out of the country?

AT&T Worldnet Service has very few international access numbers. However, you can dial into any AT&T Worldnet access line when overseas and access your account. You will incur long distance charges for these calls, but it will make your e-mail accessible while traveling. If you will have access to another Internet service provider, we have additional options.

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How do I access my e-mail from some other ISP or while using DSL?

You have several options as outlined below.

If your e-mail program allows SSL connections to e-mail servers, you can use it to access your AT&T Worldnet e-mail. If you're computer savvy enough to configure your software without any help, you'll find all of the information you'll need in our configuration information.

We've provided detailed instructions for the following e-mail applications:

Note: You can't use the Norton 2000/2001 e-mail virus check while downloading with a server that requires SSL. Please read this additional information.

If your e-mail program doesn't provide SSL support, you need to use a helper program, an SSL wrapper called Stunnel. See the following page for download and setup information.
Stunnel and AT&T Worldnet Service

We've provided detailed instructions for using Stunnel with the following e-mail applications:

As another option, you could forward your e-mail to your other ISP. For complete instructions on how to forward your AT&T Worldnet e-mail, see the following page:
Customer Care - Automatic E-Mail Forwarding

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I get an error message every time I send e-mail to my AOL friends?

AOL filters mail if the address of the sender does not match that of the actual server sending it. Thus, if you are logged onto AT&T Worldnet and sending mail as me@elswhere.com, AOL will recognize that your stated e-mail address and your true address don't match up. When that happens, AOL frequently bounces your e-mail (thinking it is probably SPAM).

When sending e-mail to friends at AOL, it's best to ensure that you are sending the mail from the same account you are logged onto or AOL may not deliver it.

If you continue to have problems sending mail to AOL addresses, please contact the AOL Postmaster at postmaster@aol.com.

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I get a performance access violation when attempting to access my e-mail?

This message is received when the AT&T Worldnet servers are temporarily unavailable. Please wait a few minutes and try checking your e-mail again.

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Where can I find help using my e-mail software?

If you're new to e-mail, and need a basic tutorial, read our E-Mail Tutorial.

If you need help configuring your software, see E-Mail Clients. You can find additional help for your software on the AT&T Worldnet Service Using E-Mail page.

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How do I configure my e-mail software for more than one e-mail account?

Not all e-mail applications can be configured to access more than one e-mail account. However, there are a few that do. We've provided instructions for several of them at WURD.

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We have more than one e-mail address in our family. How can we keep our e-mail separate?

You have several options for doing this... some easier than others. If you use User Profiles for your Windows desktop already, this is probably the best way to go. However, you do have other options. Some e-mail programs allow you to set up individual password protected profiles, and others will allow you to filter e-mail into folders. We've provided instructions on how to set up these profiles and/or filters at the links shown below.

Password Protected Profiles:

E-Mail Filtering:

Other e-mail programs might also allow you to set up user profiles or filters. See the Help file for your e-mail program, and/or E-Mail Clients for additional information.

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How do I change or delete one of my additional e-mail IDs?

To change or delete one of your additional e-mail IDs, go to the following url. After authenticating, click the e-mail account you no longer wish to use and choose the appropriate action.

You'll find additional information at Creating or Changing an Additional E-mail Address

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People tell me that I'm sending funny looking characters in my e-mail. How do I fix that?

It could be caused by several things. You might be sending e-mail in HTML to someone whose e-mail program can't read it properly, you might be using a non-standard character set, or, the recipient of the message is probably not using a MIME capable program to receive your message.

First, check to see which character set you are using. The default is the Western character set, but sometimes, that setting is changed accidentally.

Outlook Express
Go to Tools on the menu and select Options. Click the Read tab, and then the Fonts button. Make sure that the Western character set is selected.

Netscape 4.x
Go to Edit on the menu and select Preferences. Under Appearance, select Fonts and make sure that the Western character set is selected.

If the Western Character set is already selected, you are probably sending messages in HTML.

Outlook Express
If you want to send plain text e-mail to just one person, go to Tools on the menu and select Address Book. Highlight the person's name, right click and select Properties. Place a check mark in the Send e-mail using plain text only box.

If you want to send to everybody in plain text, go to Tools and select Options. Click the Send tab, and select Plain Text as the mail sending format.

Netscape 4.x
If you want to send plain text e-mail to just one person, go to Communicator on the menu and select Address Book. Highlight the person's name, right click and select Properties. Make sure that the Prefers to receive rich text (HTML) mail box is unchecked.

If you want to send to everybody in plain text, go to Edit on the menu and select Preferences. Under Mail & Newsgroups, highlight Formatting, and select Use the plain text editor to compose messages.

If the person receiving your e-mail complains about equal (=) signs, the recipient of the message is probably not using a MIME capable program. In this case, you should send your e-mail messages to this person using 7bit/8bit instead of quoted printable.

Outlook Express
Go to Tools on the menu and select Options. Click the Send tab, and then the Settings button for your preferred Mail Sending Format. For Encode text using, select None.

Netscape 4.x
Go to Edit on the menu and select Preferences. Under Mail & Newsgroups, highlight Messages. Select Send Messages that use 8-bit characters, select As is.

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How do I send e-mail using my own e-mail account rather than the main e-mail account? I'm using the co-branded version of Outlook Express.

When you are ready to send your message, go to the File menu, select Send Message Using and then select your own e-mail account. The message will be sent using the information (reply to, e-mail address and name) of the account you choose.

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How do I fix my spell checker in Outlook Express 5? It used to work in OE4 before I upgraded.

You aren't alone... The instructions below have worked for quite a few people.

First of all, back up your registry.

Click the START button, then click Run, then type in regedit and press the ENTER key. This will start the registry editor.

  1. Click the + sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  2. Click the + sign next to Software
  3. Click the + sign next to Microsoft
  4. Click on Shared Tools

Now double click the SharedFilesDir key in the right window pane.

  1. Press the END key on your keyboard.
  2. Add a \ (backslash) to the end of the Value Data line.
  3. Press ENTER or Press the OK button.

The final value should then look like this:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\

Close Regedit.

Please be very careful while editing the registry, and always remember to back it up first.

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I get a Page Cannot be Displayed message when I'm using Encompass to read my e-mail.

This means that one of your e-mail messages is corrupt. The only recourse is to delete the corrupt message so that you can read the rest of your e-mail. You can do this by following the procedure below:

  1. Close the Encompass browser/e-mail program.
  2. In Windows Explorer, go to c:\program files\encompass\mail\user1
    Note: In most cases, there will only be one user folder. If there is more than one user folder, check for the folder with the most recent files in it.
  3. Each e-mail message will be listed as an individual html file.
    Note: If you cannot see the dates associated with the files, right click the explorer window and select Details to display dates.
  4. The corrupt e-mail will be the most recent date in the list. If there is more than one file shown with the same date, double click on each file individually. The file will open in a browser window. The file that will not display properly is the corrupt e-mail message.
    Note: A message from AT&T Worldnet Service that is known to have caused this problem was dated December 20, 2000.
  5. Delete the corrupt e-mail message.

You should be able to view your e-mail messages properly at this point.

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My e-mail application doesn't provide the necessary SSL support for accessing my AT&T Worldnet e-mail from another ISP or using DSL. Is there any other way that I can make it work?

In order to send mail using an e-mail program that doesn't have the SSL support needed for AT&T Worldnet Access to Worldnet from Anywhere, you need to use a helper program, an SSL wrapper called Stunnel. See the Stunnel page for download and setup information.

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How do I send e-mail containing clickable links to an AOL user?

If you want to send e-mail containing clickable links to your friends using AOL 5 or earlier, you have to type the HTML code or their e-mail reader won't recognize it as a link. For example, if you wanted to send them a link to the WURD, you would put the following in your message to make it a clickable link in their e-mail reader.

<a href="http://www.wurd.com"> WURD</a>

If your friend uses AOL 6 or later, just send the message in HTML rather than plain text. Check the Help section of your e-mail application for instructions on sending in HTML.


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