Luckily, there's an easier way. With remote mail fetching (a.k.a. POP3 or POP mail), I can get all my mail delivered to one place.


POP what?
Remote mail fetching uses something called POP3, which stands for Post Office Protocol. Basically, it's a set of rules and guidelines that most e-mail services use that allow messages to be sent, received, and stored by mail servers.

When you set up remote mail, you're telling one mail service to forward the messages from that account to the account you have on another service.

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Forwarding MSN TV mail
There are two main steps involved in getting your MSN TV mail forwarded. First you'll need to make a few easy changes to your MSN TV settings. Then you'll need to set up your other mail account.

To take care of things on the MSN TV side, choose Settings on your Mail list page, and then choose Remote mail. On the page that follows, choose Remote MSN TV mail. You'll then be asked to create what's called a POP3 password, which you'll use to allow access to your MSN TV mail remotely. Note that this password is not the same as the password you use when you sign in to MSN TV (if you have a sign-in password). After you've created a password, place a check in the box labeled Allow remote access.

For a step-by-step overview of these instructions, see the Setting up remote MSN TV mail page.

Once you've taken care of the MSN TV side, you'll need to set up your other mail account to fetch your MSN TV e-mail. Since each mail program is different, your best bet is to look for something labeled "POP3," "remote mail," or "add an account" in the Options or Settings section of your mail program, and follow the instructions you see there.

Whatever mail program you use, it'll ask for at least three things: your POP3 name, your POP3 password, and the name of your POP3 server. Your POP3 name is simply your MSN TV e-mail address minus the @webtv.net or @msn.com. For example, if your e-mail address were yourname@webtv.net, your POP3 name would be simply yourname.

Your POP3 password is the password you created in the first step above. (Remember, this isn't the same password as the one you use when signing in to MSN TV.) Finally, MSN TV's POP3 server name is pop.webtv.net.

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Forwarding other mail to MSN TV
To get e-mail from other accounts forwarded to MSN TV, you'll need your POP3 name and password for that account, as well as the mail service's POP3 server name. (To find out the server name for another mail service, you should contact that service directly.) Once you have this info, you're ready to set things up on MSN TV.

To begin, choose Settings on your Mail list page. Then, choose Remote mail. On the following page, choose Other remote mail. You'll see a series of screens that will walk you through the set up process; be sure to read the instructions on each screen. For step-by-step instructions, check out the Setting up other remote mail help page.

After you're done, return to your Mail list. Choose the Fetch button on the left to have MSN TV check for mail on your other account. If there are new messages on that account, they'll appear right in your MSN TV Mail list. You can use the Fetch button to check for new mail anytime you're connected to MSN TV.

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More info
Want to learn more about using remote mail with MSN TV? Check out the remote mail help section. You may also want to refer to your other mail program's help section on using POP3 mail. Finally, check out some of the MSN TV users' newsgroups if you'd like to pick your fellow users' brains for info and tricks about using remote mail.

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