E-mail Filters with Outlook Express

Outlook Express allows you to set up filters to sort your email into different folders, or delete certain messages. You can use this functionality, in conjunction with the Spam Tagging service available on mail.rochester.edu and troi.cc.rochester.edu, to filter unwanted messages out of your inbox.

With spam tagging enabled, all spam-identified messages will have a subject that begins with:

        Subject: ~SPAM=[SCORE]~

The SCORE here is the rating the spam detection software has given a particular piece of email. This rating is based on an extensive scoring system that assigns values certain aspects of email messages. For instance, email messages that have words in all capitals will score higher than email messages that do not include "lines of yelling". If you are interested in the complete rules, check here: spam rules.

You can create a filter in Outlook Express to detect all messages tagged as spam and move them to a different folder.

Start out by clicking on Tools and selecting Message Rules ->Mail

In the window that appears, check:

1. Where the Subject line contains specific words and
2. Move it to the specified folder.

Then, in the last window, click on the link contains specific words.

Type in ~SPAM= and click the Add button. Click OK.

This will take you back to the main window.

• In the bottom window, where it says, Move to the specified folder, click on specified.
• Click New Folder.
• Type SPAM in the box, and then click OK.
• Click OK again to return to the main window.

Your filter is now complete. Your window should match the one below. You can name your rule whatever you would like; for example, SPAM.

When you are finished, click OK to start filtering your e-mail.

Any messages that come into your inbox tagged as spam will now be moved to your SPAM folder. Be sure to check the folder from time to time and delete your unwanted messages.

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