Microsoft Outlook Express 6 - Security & Virus Protection Features

Microsoft developed an email application that lets us manage, store, send and receive email messages. It is a quite famous email program and bundled with Internet Explorer Web Browser. Microsoft Outlook Express and Microsoft Office Outlook both are totally different applications however sharing the same architectural philosophy but
not the same codebase. To store contact information, Outlook Express uses Windows Address Book and integrates tightly. It can manage multiple POP, IMAP, MSN and Hotmail accounts.

Microsoft Outlook Express Versions available for Mac and Windows

For Mac

• Outlook Express 4 or 5

For Windows

• Outlook Express 4.0 - Windows 98
• Outlook Express 5.0 - Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)
• Outlook Express 5.0 - Windows 2000
• Outlook Express 5.5 - Windows Me
• Outlook Express 6.0 - Windows XP
• Outlook Express 6.0 SP2 - Windows XP
• Outlook Express 6.0 SP3 - Windows XP

Enhanced Security & Virus Protection features of Outlook Express

Warning for harmful E-mails
Outlook Express gives warning to the user when other programs like viruses or harmful attachments, try to send messages from the user's system. This “Warning about harmful e-mail” option is available in Tools Menu -> Options -> Security.

Blocks Harmful Attachments
This option is useful in cases of opening or saving any email attachment that is considered unsafe. Attachment manager gives the risk rating to the attachments, those are considered harmful. This attachment manager rates risks based on the contact type, extension, registered handlers etc. This “Blocking of potentially harmful attachments” (also configurable through Group Policy) option is available in Tools menu -> Options -> Security.

Option to Read Emails in Plain Text Format
Microsoft Outlook Express provides the option to read all email messages as plain text messages. “Plain text format option for reading of all e-mail” option is available in Tools Menu -> Options -> read.

Blocks Downloading of External Contents
When any email contains image reference and resides on the external server, Express 6 does not contact external web server to control the spam. “Blocking of the downloading of images and other external content in HTML e-mail” (this helps limit spam) is available in Tools Menu -> Options -> Security.


Microsoft Outlook Express 6 is more advanced and easy for the users. Outlook Express users who are already using older version of Express can upgrade to the new version(Microsoft Outlook Express 6) otherwise users can install it on the computer which is running Microsoft Windows 98 or later or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a (SP6a) or later. It is less required by heavy email users but Yes! for anybody else it is the perfect choice.