First you need to know what the desktop is.

The desktop is a screen on your computer with a few icons (little pictures) on it. Some of the icons will be My Computer, Recycle Bin or Network Neighborhood and Outlook Express.

One of the icons will be Outlook Express. This looks like an envelope with two blue arrows over it.

1.Using the mouse, and the left mouse button, double click (click twice fast) on the Outlook Express icon.

Outlook Express will open up.

2.Now if you want to receive email, using the mouse left click once on the "Send/Recv" button. (next to the "New Mail" button")

 This window will popup. Your window will have different names and passwords in it than this one so don't worry if it doesn't say the same.

3. Left click once on the "Connect" button and it will dialup up and connect to get any new email you have.

Make sure the "Hang up when finished" box is ticked.

4. Now to read any email you have, left click once on "Inbox" (just under "Local Folders" on the left hand side) and your messages will be on the top right hand side.

Using the left mouse button, click once on the email you want to read and it will be shown underneath your messages.