nPOPuk

Installation

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• SET UP
• BASIC USAGE
• CONTROLS
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• INSTALLATION
• MAILBOXES
• GLOBAL OPTIONS
• INI FILE
• COMMAND LINE

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  On this page:
• Downloading
• Installing
• Configuring
• - POP3
• - SMTP
• - Connection
• Options

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  Also try:
• Search Site

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Page updated 24 August 2009

Downloading the Program

You should obtain the appropriate version of nPOPuk for your hardware from the Downloads page.

Here installation of the Win32 version of nPOPuk is described. The other versions have near identical functionality and users should have little difficulty applying what they read on this site to them.

Installing the Program

The ZIP file that you download contains just two files, nPOPuk.exe and a "readme" text file.
NOTE: If you are upgrading from an earlier version of nPOP you are strongly advised to read Section 5 of the "ReadMe" file.

It is probably best to create a new "nPOPuk" sub-folder, within the "Program Files" folder in which to place these files. (The "readme" file can be opened in NOTEPAD. If you follow good practice and store the original ZIP file somewhere safe, the readme file, once read, can be deleted as it not required to run the program.)

Once the program file is in your chosen folder, you should create any desired Desktop icon or Start Menu option by right-dragging on the program icon, and dropping at the required location. A pop-up menu appears and you should select the "Create Shortcuts Here" option.

Your shortcut or menu option will probably have a name such as "Shortcut to nPOPuk.exe". If you wish, you can change this to something like "nPOPuk Mail" by right-clicking over the icon and choosing "Rename", from the pop-up menu.

You now need to run the program to configure it for your use and so complete installation.

Configuring the Program

As the Main Window opens for the first time, it is overlaid with a welcome dialog. In many cases, a Template file can be used to help fill in the necessary details for setting up nPOPuk to connect to your e-mail account. If the "Use template" box is checked, a file open dialog will come up to allow you to browse to and select the template. Regardless of whether a template is used, the Account Settings dialog will appear, and you will need to complete or verify entries on three of these tabs for initial configuration of the program. If you are not ready to create a new account, you can click Cancel and nPOPuk will not create or modify any files.

If you click the "OK" button before all the required settings have been made, you can re-open the dialogue by opening the "Mailbox" menu in the Main Window and selecting "Edit...".

The Settings on the Signature and Filter tabs are not crucial to making your connection and can be skipped over during initial configuration. Should you wish to take advantage of these facilities, see the Mailboxes page for more details.

POP3 Settings

You need to complete the following fields on the POP3 tab in order to be able to pick up mail from your ISP's mail server.

Account name:

For most people this can be the name of the ISP. Accurate spelling is not vital and abbreviations can be used. The field is only used to identify which account is selected if you are using more than one e-mail account.

TIP: If you do expect to use more than one account and the Command Line Option to select a particular account on launching nPOP then avoid using spaces in the account name.

POP3 server:

You need to enter the server name here - with complete accuracy!
Those transferring their details from Outlook Express can find them by selecting ACCOUNTS from the TOOLS menu. Click the PROPERTIES button and on the dialogue that appears, select the SERVERS tab. The details can be copied from the "Incoming mail (POP3)" line and pasted into this field.

Port:

The default setting of 110 will work with most servers. Leave this unchanged unless your ISP or mail provider advises you otherwise. (The most likely reason for changing the setting occurs when the mail server uses SSL.)

Username:

This is your account user name, used to logon to your Mailbox.
Outlook Express users should copy the details from the "Account name:" line, on the SERVERS tab of the Account Properties dialogue.

Password:

This must be entered manually and cannot be copied from an Outlook Express (or any other program's) password box.

Enable APOP:

APOP is a method used by some servers to authenticate a user as they log on. Leave this unchecked unless your ISP or mail provider advises you otherwise.

Enable SSL:

Secure Socket Layer is a method of achieving higher levels of security in the exchange of mail. Leave this unchecked unless your ISP or mail provider advises you otherwise.
Once checked the SETUP button becomes active and a further dialogue can be opened (See SSL dialogue below). Select the two options as required by your mail service.

Exempt from Check all

This option is not relevant until additional accounts have been created and can be ignored at this stage.  (See  Account Settings page)

Disable RETR command:

 The RETR command is used by most servers simply to retrieve full messages. However, some servers are set also to delete mail when messages are retrieved.

TIP: If you find messages disappearing from account then your server probably is set up to delete messages on retrieval.  (Google operates GMail and GoogleMail accounts this way.)  For such accounts check this box to force nPOPuk to use the TOP command instead.  This avoids the problem and messages can be kept in account Mailboxes until specifically deleted.

SMTP Settings

On the SMTP tab, you need to complete the fields listed below in order to be able to send mail through your ISP's mail server.

Name:

This setting controls how your name will be displayed on outgoing mail. Use conventional capitalisation and spacing, e.g. "Jo Smith".

Mail address:

Complete this accurately!
Those transferring their details from Outlook Express can copy their address by selecting ACCOUNTS from the TOOLS menu. Click the PROPERTIES button and on the dialogue that appears, select the GENERAL tab. The details can be copied from the "E-mail address:" line and pasted into this field.

SMTP server:

Again, complete this accurately!
For Outlook Express users, this can be copied from the "Outgoing mail (SMTP):" line of the SERVERS tab on the Account Properties dialogue.

Port:

The default setting of 25 will work with most servers. Leave this unchanged unless your ISP or mail provider advises you otherwise. (The most likely reason for changing the setting occurs when the mail server uses SSL.)

Enable SMTP-AUTH

SMTP-AUTH is a more secure method of posting mail. If your mail provider requires this setting, check the box. The SETUP button then becomes active and an additional dialogue opens. Complete the fields, as required.

Outlook Express users can copy these settings from the similar facility on the SERVERS tab on the Account Properties dialogue.

Enable SSL:

Secure Socket Layer is a method of achieving higher levels of security in the exchange of mail. Leave this unchecked unless your ISP or mail provider advises you otherwise.
Once checked the default port changes to 465 and the SETUP button becomes active and a further dialogue can be opened. On the "Set SSL" dialogue, select the options required by your mail service.

NOTE: If setting up an account that uses SSL, you must have installed, in the same folder as "nPOPuk.exe", the three additional files "libeay32.dll", "npopssl.dll" and "ssleay32.dll". These are available in a single ZIP file from the Downloads page.

POP before SMTP:

Some SMTP servers are set up to demand that the POP3 server is logged into first as an authentication method.  No mail is retrieved during this operation.  Check this box if your mail service indicates that it uses this protocol.

NOTE: The "Always Bcc" options is not essential for initial configuration and can be ignored at this stage. It is discussed on the Mailboxes page.

Connection Settings

By default, connection is set to LAN. If necessary, select the "Dial-up" radio button. The remainder of the dialogue then becomes active.

Drop down the "Connection:" list and pick the name of connection that you are going to use for the account. Complete the "Username:" and "Password:" fields.

Outlook Express users can reveal these settings by selecting the CONNECTION tab on the Account Properties dialogue, then clicking the SETTINGS button. This opens a further multi-tabbed dialogue. Select SECURITY on this and the required "User name:" is revealed. The password cannot be copied and pasted, and must be added manually.

NOTE: Those who frequently switch connection methods, or locations (e.g. They have nPOPuk installed on a pen drive or laptop computer), may have difficulty sending mail. This is not a restriction of nPOPuk but of server permissions. (There's further information on the FAQ page.)

The "Hang up and dial this account's server" option is not essential for initial configuration and can be ignored at this stage. It is discussed on the Account Settings page.

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You can now click the "OK" button and complete initial configuration. As you do so an nPOPuk.ini file is created (or re-saved if you are making changes to initial settings) in the same folder as the nPOPuk program. (See Important Note below)

If you wish to make changes to the account you have just created, open the MAILBOX menu, in the Main Window and choose EDIT. This re-opens the Account Settings dialogue so you can re-visit and change any of the account settings.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The nPOPuk.ini file not only holds program settings, but also data about the most recently downloaded mail. Windows' System Restore facility takes regular snapshots of all INI files, including nPOPuk.ini. Should your computer develop a problem and a System Restore be executed, the record of every account's transactions with the server will be reset to the system restore date, effectively corrupting the file. The simplest solution is to protect the file from reversion, by renaming it (e.g. nPOPuk.xxx) before undertaking a System Restore. A corrupt nPOPuk.ini will be created which should be overwritten with your renamed file.

Further Options

Having completed the initial configuration, you may want to add accounts.  General program behaviour can be controlled through the Global Options dialogue.  These affect those aspects of accounts that cannot be set individually and much else.

Advanced users should investigate the nPOPuk.ini file, which allows further options to be set, not configurable in any other way.

nPOPuk also allows for Command Line Options that can be used when launching the program. These allow you to start nPOPuk ready to write a new message. Any of the following elements of the message can be pre-determined:

For those who only wish to use nPOPuk for checking for the presence of mail on the server, there's an answer within the FAQ section that provides guidance.