New computer and email

I trashed my old computer and bought a new one. Can I have the same email address on it? If so, how can I use my new computer and that email address? If not, where do I go for another email address? I am a not tech savvy so please go easy on me.
Kimberly

Kimberly, the same email address will work on your new computer without problems. You don’t need a new account though you can get an email address for free from one of the three best email services in the world.

However, since I don’t know the operating system the machine runs or the email service and program Kimberly has been using, it’s not possible provide a precise answer. What I offer below is a general guide which, in one way, is good as it will also be helpful to others.

From where do you have the email address?

There are many different types of email accounts so we must first find out from where you have the email address. Based on this, you may be able to use email on your new computer right away or have the need to install additional software. Here is a quick list:

• Webmail email account
  The most popular email accounts are those provided by online services such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo. You can check these accounts using any web browser program such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera or Google Chrome. All you need to do is launch the program, load the login page and sign in with your username and password.
  Important: When troubleshooting email problems with the not-so-tech-savvy, I’ve noticed that many have forgotten the login details of their accounts because they used to have an icon on the desktop with the username and password already “fed” into the system. If you are in the same boat, you can quickly recover these by answering the security questions and/or having them sent to the alternate email address provided at the time of account creation. For further help, please read I forgot my Yahoo ID and password.
• ISP’s email address on new computer
  Just like the popular webmail services mentioned above, ISP accounts too can be accessed via a browser through the web based interface. However, if you want to download email to your computer you need a special program called an email client – more on these below.
• Web site email account
  Email accounts created on the web site hosting server can also be checked with a web based interface – if provided. Else you need to use an email program to get the messages to your computer.
• Email account provided by your office
  Because of the nature of such accounts and the security concerns, checking them can be as easy as opening the web based interface or installing proprietary programs.

Your new computer’s operating system

I assume your new computer runs the Windows operating system. Now there can be three scenarios (at the time of writing). The transition you’ve made may be from:

• Windows XP to Windows Vista,
• Windows XP to Windows 7, OR
• Windows Vista to Windows 7

You need to use an appropriate email program for your operating system. I’ll first brief you on the free email clients from Microsoft and then provide link to a page with alternatives.

Free email programs for your new computer

Both Windows XP and Windows Vista come with a pre-installed email program – Outlook Express and Windows Mail, respectively. But both these have now been discontinued. Microsoft has released the free Windows Live Mail client which works on all – XP, Vista and Windows 7.

There are alternatives, however – check the list of popular email clients from other companies. And if you had been using Outlook (do not confuse this with Outlook Express), you can install the same on your present operating system.

Conclusion: For your new computer, the old email address will work without problems. You can either take advantages of the web based interface (if provided) or install an email program to download and store messages on your local machine.