with Other Email Programs

Updated December 2003

Table of Contents
  1. Obtaining the Most Current Version of This Guide
  2. Introduction
  3. Overview
  4. Changing Settings in your email program
  5. What to Expect
  6. Creating a Filter
  7. Take a Look at the User's Guide


Obtaining the Most Current Version of This Guide

This guide for Junk Spy was current when issued. But as programs are updated, sometimes changes are necessary in the supporting documentation. The most current version of this guide is always available to you on the Junk Spy website where you can view and/or download it.


Introduction

To effectively intercept your junk mail, Junk Spy works between your email program and your mail server. To make this possible, there are a few settings you will need to change in your email program so that it retrieves your mail through Junk Spy. The purpose of this document is to walk you through those changes.


Overview

Normally when you get your mail, your mail reader contacts your mail server and asks it for your mail. However, when you are using Junk Spy, getting your mail needs to be done differently. Junk Spy will get the mail from your mail server and then your mail reader will get it from Junk Spy. To do this, Junk Spy needs to know where to get the mail, so you will change your mail reader to pass that information along too.

There are just two basic steps to get everything running smoothly. You'll:

All of the changes you'll make to your email settings relate to retrieving email. There won't be any other changes to your mail reader's configuration.

Note also that if your email program allows you to have several email accounts, you can use Junk Spy with as many of them as you want. If you have multiple accounts in your email program, just make the changes for each account that you want Junk Spy to monitor.


Changing Settings in Your Email Program

There are two elements of information that need to be changed so that your email program will retrieve its mail through Junk Spy. Open the settings for your program that relate to retrieving mail.

CAUTIONS:

First, look to see if the type of incoming mail server you use is an option. If so, and if it specifically indicates you are using something other than POP3, you may not be able to use Junk Spy with this account. Contact support for more information.

Second, look at the incoming mail server field. If this contains:

  • localhost
  • 127.0.0.1
do not immediately proceed with the changes below. Entries like these usually mean that an antivirus program is checking your mail in a way that will require special settings beyond those described here. See the Antivirus Coexistance Information page on the Junk Spy website and contact support if you need more information.

Otherwise, now you are ready to make changes.

To begin,

Thus, for example, you have changed the settings from something like:

Incoming mail server:  mail.isp.com
User name:  fred
to:
Incoming mail server:  localhost
User name:  fred/mail.isp.com

Be sure to save your changes so that your mail reader and Junk Spy are now working together.

NOTE: If you ever need to get your mail without having it processed by Junk Spy, just change the settings above back to what they were before you started. There is no need to undo the other changes you'll be making below or to "uninstall" Junk Spy.


What to Expect

You're now ready to start Junk Spy. Double-click on the program object in the Junk Spy folder to start it.


You'll see that Junk Spy takes up very little space on your desktop.

The little z's on the right in the Junk Spy window shown above tell you that Junk Spy is snoozing, and that's how it is much of the time. It will spring into action just as soon as your email program starts to retrieve your mail. As it is working, the image will change to reflect what's being done - connecting, looking for mail, analyzing a message, checking with external junk mail resources, marking a message as junk, and so on.

Your email program now gets your mail through Junk Spy, so they are both working at the same time.

How will you know what's junk? That's easy - junk mail will be marked as "JunkEmail" in the subject of the message. Rather than having it mixed in with your other mail, you might be able to have your mail reader put it all into its own folder if you would like. In that case, you'll want to create a filter in your mail reader as explained below.


Creating a Filter

Most mail programs expect to receive each message that was available when it connects to your mail server. Therefore, rather than simply removing your junk mail, Junk Spy can send a replacement message for each junk message that is detected. Junk Spy's replacement messages are easily identifiable, and you will want to create a filter to delete or move them.

When you create a filter, you should set it to look for the text

X-Junkmail: Yes
in the header of the message. If this text is found, the message should be moved into the appropriate folder (perhaps one you label Junk Mail), or perhaps deleted. Consult the documentation of your email program for the specific details of this process.

NOTE: Not all email programs allow you to filter on arbitrary portions of the message header. So if you can't find this option in your email program, or it just doesn't seem to work, contact support for other options.


Take a Look at the User's Guide

It's time to start looking at Junk Spy's User's Guide. You'll find out about Junk Spy's settings and other usage information.

Right click on the white area in the Junk Spy window and you'll see the menu for Junk Spy. Information about all those menu options and Junk Spy features are explained in the User's Guide. You'll find the User's Guide is an option on Junk Spy's Help menu. The User's Guide is also available by going to the Junk Spy folder on your desktop. You'll find the User's Guide in it in the Documentation folder.

Because the guide is on-line, so it is just a mouse click away. It's a good reference that you should find useful.


Copyright 1999 - 2003, Sundial Systems Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Junk Spy is a trademark of Sundial Systems Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.