As with other popular services, you can download Comcast messages and store them on your computer using programs such as Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Outlook etc. This is typically done by setting up the email account in the software by providing the login information (username and password) and the incoming and outgoing mail servers.
And once the messages are downloaded to the local computer they would be available even without an Internet connection. However, to send messages and to download new ones, you need to get back online.
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How to download Comcast email messages
Depending on the operating system your computer is running, you first need to choose an email client. The table below lists the default email clients on popular operating systems.
| Email program | Operating System |
|---|---|
| Outlook Express | Windows XP |
| Windows Mail | Windows Vista |
| Windows Live Mail | Windows 7 Your computer might not have this program pre-installed. If so, download Windows Live Mail for free and use it on XP, Vista and Windows 7 computers. |
| Macintosh OS X | |
| Thunderbird | Linux Thunderbird is a free email client from Mozilla (Firefox developers) can be installed on XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac and Linux operating systems. |
Thus, you can get Comcast email on a new Windows 7 computer using Windows Live Mail (recommended by Microsoft) or Thunderbird. For professionals and business people I suggest using Outlook, a full-fledged email program that features a calendar utility and integrates well with other Microsoft products. However, this program is not free; Outlook costs about $110.
Setting up Comcast email to download on your computer
Once you’ve chosen the client, the next step is to set up and configure Comcast email so that messages are downloaded and stored on your local computer. I’m sure you already know the username and password of the account. You also need the Comcast incoming and outgoing mail servers.
The steps needed to set up the email account in the program are quite simple; below are links to articles that have detailed instructions along with screenshots.
For those with a technical bent, we use POP (Post Office Protocol) to download Comcast email to the computer. POP or POP3 ensures that messages are received by the email program and it works in conjunction with SMTP which is responsible for sending out email. By the way, you can also use POP to get Comcast on the iPhone.
Why should you download Comcast email? Advantages!
There are several advantages of using an email program such as Outlook Express.
- Messages are available even without an internet connection
- You can backup important email messages with ease
- Enables you to preserve a copy on the local computer
- You are no longer constrained by the amount of storage space provided by the ISP
- Email messages can be made available on different computers if one leaves a copy of the message on the server
Final note: At the time of writing, Comcast supports only the POP email protocol. To get Comcast via IMAP, you can use a little trick – first forward messages to a service that supports this protocol and then download messages to your computer.
