TeacherPat: Opening an E-mail Account

Before you get to the computer, think of several sign-in names that begin with a letter; use only letters, numbers and the underscore symbol (_); and contain no spaces. Write the possibilities here:
Think of a password that is at least 6 characters long, that uses only letter and numbers, that contains no spaces, and that will be easy for you to remember. [You will use this password every time you check your mail.] DO NOT WRITE IT HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE.
Think of a question to which only you would know the answer and think of the answer. [If you ever forget your password, hotmail will ask you this question and you will respond with your answer.
Hotmail will then allow you into your account so you can choose another password and then open your mail.] Do NOT use the question “What is my mother’s maiden name?” DO NOT WRITE YOUR QUESTION AND ANSWER HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE.
Turn your computer on and wait until the desktop shows on the screen.
Double click on the icon for the Internet browser (usually Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or AOL’s Netscape).
When the home page of that browser appears on your screen, go to the place toward the top of the screen marked “Address” or “Location”. Erase what is there and type
When the hotmail home page comes on the screen, look under “Security Options” in the middle of the screen. The top option is “Public/shared computer”. Point your cursor to the circle in front of those words and click. A black dot should appear in the circle. [By doing this, you are preventing the person who uses your computer next from reading your e-mail or tampering with your account.]
Look toward the top of the screen for the words “Sign up” underlined in blue. Place your cursor over those words and wait for the cursor to change into a picture of a hand pointing. Click when this happens.
The screen will change to a form for you to type in your registration information. The cursor is placed in the first box, ready for you to type in your first name. Type the information into each box and hit the Tab key to move to the next box.
For many of the boxes, you will see a downward pointing arrow toward the right of the box. If you point your cursor to that arrow and click, a list will appear. If you move your cursor down the list, each item will be highlighted one by one. When the true answer is highlighted, click, and that answer will appear in the box. Then you can Tab to the next question.
Microsoft will not let you register unless you answer all the questions on the registration form. However, it is dangerous to tell your true birth date over the Internet, so I advise using January 1 of your birth year instead. For occupation, everyone should list “student”.
When you have finished typing the answers to all the registration questions, point you cursor to the words “Sign Up” in the lower right hand corner. Click it.
A popup box will appear in the middle of your screen. Click on the “Continue” button.
If you have chosen a sign-in name that someone else has previously registered, you will be given some alternatives. You can choose one of them or try another variation. If you have chosen a sign-in name that no one else has, you will get a message congratulating you on your successful registration. Click on the “Continue with hotmail” button.
The screen will change to a very long document containing all the terms of use for Hotmail. Use the scroll arrows to move down as you read. At the end, click the “I accept” button.
The screen will change to a form allowing you to sign on to all sorts of groups and services. Ignore them all. Scroll down to the bottom and click the “Continue” button. Click on the “Continue” button when the popup box comes to the center of your screen.
The screen will give you another group of newsletters, etc., you can subscribe to. Ignore them all and click on the “Continue to email” button. When the popup box appears again, click on “Continue.”
The screen will change to the way it will look when you use your e-mail account. Notice the four tabs marked “Home,” “Inbox,” “Compose” and “Address Book”. If you click on “Inbox” you can see the messages waiting for you (in this case, just a notice from Hotmail saying that you are successfully registered). If you click on “Compose”, you can send an e-mail message.
Click on “Compose”. The blinking cursor is in the To: box. Type in

and Tab (four times) down to Subject. Type

(or some other words) in the subject line.
Point to the large box and click to make the cursor appear there. Type your message to me (including your name!) and click on the “Send” button. When the popup box appears, click on the “Continue” button.
The new screen will tell you that the message was sent successfully. Click OK.
When you are through sending messages, click on the X in the upper right hand corner of the screen to exit Hotmail and the Internet.