Outlook Express 5.X Settings

Open Outlook Express and click Tools on the menu bar and select Accounts.
Click on the Mail tab. Click the Add button and select Mail.
Type in a Display Name for the email account. This is the name that will appear in the 'From:' address of sent messages. Click the Next button.
Type in your Email address in the designated field. Click the Next button.
Enter the appropriate account information:
1. Choose IMAP server from the drop down window. Type imap.charter.net for the incoming mail server. Type smtp.charter.net for the outgoing mail server. Click the Next button.
The Account Name will already be entered. Type your password for the account. Click the Next button.
Note: When changing your Email password on Charter.net you must also change it in Outlook Express
Click the Finish button to save the email settings.

Open Outlook Express and click File on the menu bar, select Identities, and select Add New Identity.
Type a name for your new Identity and click OK. It is recommended to not require a password; losing that password could result in a useless identity and lost email.
After you click OK, it will give you the option to switch to the identity you just created so that you can set up your mail accounts.
When you see this prompt you can set up the new email address the same way your email account was created in the original identity. (If this is the first time you have set up a Charter email account, please reference the Adding an Email Account in OE 5.x document that has also been sent to you.)
If you ever need to manage your existing identities, click File on the menu bar, select Identities, and select Manage Identities.
In the Manage Identities window, you can create a New identity like you did in the above process, Remove an existing identity, or change the name of the identity by clicking on the Properties button.

Open Outlook Express. Click on View then click on Layout.
Uncheck "Show preview pane header" and "Show preview pane" then click Apply and OK.
You will now have to double-click on the email to view it. This should help reduce the risk of getting a virus.

These settings should be applied to your Desktop Computers. Your mobile devices (including laptops) should use these settings.

To prevent losing your Email or Email folders when switching from POP settings to IMAP:

If you had "Leave messages on server" enabled since initial Charter.net Email setup, follow these steps:

Create an imap enabled account for the Email address you want to switch to within same Email client. (Most modern Email clients can have both a POP enabled and IMAP enabled mailbox/account that share the same account credentials)
Delete your pop mailbox account from the Email client

If you did NOT have "Leave messages on server" enabled since initial Charter.net Email setup or unsure, follow these steps:

Ensure that you have the option "Leave messages on server" checked in your account settings on your Email client. This setting should be available under "advanced settings" or something similar, depending on the client.
If you have the option to disable Send/Receive in your Email client, disable it to ensure no new messages are delivered to the POP enabled mailbox/account.
Create an imap enabled account for the Email address you want to switch to within same Email client. (Most modern Email clients can have both a POP enabled and IMAP enabled mailbox/account that share the same account credentials)
Move messages and/or folders by creating a storage or data folder (Outlook calls these PST), then drag and drop the messages/folders you wish to keep into the new folder.
When you have moved over all of your Emails/Folders you can delete your pop mailbox