Question About Thunderbird

I am trying to help my parents make some changes to their computer. I'm trying to create an uber simple application because their level of expertise is low end beginner level.

They have Windows 7/ Office 2010 and ATT is their internet provider. Currently they are using att yahoo mail. So they aren't currently using any program on their computer to download email. They like using yahoo mail to check/send mail etc.... The problem occurs when they try to send email via shortcut like on craigslist. The system defaults to Outlook which they don't even have set up because they like checking their mail on yahoo. They ONLY need a default email client when trying to send mail through a shortcut link since they currently check their email via remote access. Would Thunderbird work for this? Does it (unlike Outlook) have settings that would allow them to continue to get their mail via att yahoo mail, yet use Thunderbird when an Outlook type application is needed? My big concern is that when they send an email through Thunderbird it will download all the emails and disallow the download through att yahoo mail.

Hopefully I am explaining this sufficiently. I just don't want to set up Thunderbird only to find out they are having trouble accessing and sending mail the way they have become accustomed.

Thanks in advance!

 

Did the PC come with a trial version of Office. Sounds like it did. That is where the outlook is coming from.

I have been using WLM (Windows Live Mail) on all my Win 7 machines and love it. Little of OE and Outlook rolled into one. Free download from M$.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=56883de5-2024-4631-806e-757693072a1c

Brother has same setup as your parents do and uses WLM.

 

Teaching them something new would send them into a tailspin. Could I download windows live mail and use it just as an outgoing server? Or set it so it won't download their incoming email?

 

Little more info here on Yahoo Mail.

http://social.answers.microsoft.com...k/thread/ad779ee9-76bf-4e52-a707-3f5538c48a98

 

Thanks

Thanks so much Mr. Bill. I'm going to leave this open until I try it, but it looks like downloading the yahoo toolbar will allow me to set yahoo mail as their default client...

 

That is what it looks like. Can always hide it if you want to. Don't know what would happen if you did what it said then uninstalled it. Worth a try. Could always download it again I guess.

 

what browser are they using? If Firefox, then you can have it default to yahoo automatically: under Tools, Options, Applications, find the mailto, then in the drop down on the right, select yahoo mail.