nPOPuk

Page updated 1 November 2012

Downloading the Program

You should obtain the appropriate version of nPOPuk for your hardware and mail service from the Downloads page. (GMail and Yahoo, for example require a connection through SSL. Your ISP may also require this facility).

Additionally, if you are not familiar with configuring mail programs, you should consider seeking a Setup file for your mail provider. Some, for popular mail services, are offered on our Downloads page. If you use the mail address provided by your ISP then you may find a suitable file on a CD that they provided.

Below installation of the Win32 version of nPOPuk is described. The versions that run on other platforms have near identical functionality and users familiar with their devices should have little difficulty applying to them what they read on this site.

Installing the Program

The ZIP file that you download contains a folder and three files. The files include the program itself, a licence file for a component used in creating nPOPuk and a "readme" text file. The Resource folder contains the larger icons and toolbars used by the program that are illustrated on this site. If you fail to copy this folder to your installation folder then smaller simpler toolbar buttons and mail list icons will be used.

NOTE: If you are upgrading from an early version of nPOP you are strongly advised to read Section 3 of the "ReadMe" file.

It used to be recommended that a new "nPOPuk" folder be created within the "Program Files" folder on the C: drive, and these files be copied there. However, since the introduction of Windows Vista and its system file protection measures, it is now suggested that you create this folder within a "Portable Applications" folder within your user area. (The readme and licence files can be opened in NOTEPAD. If you follow good practice and store the original ZIP file somewhere safe, the licence and readme files, once read, can be deleted as they not required to run the program.)

Once the program file (and optionally, the Resource folder) 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.

Automatic Configuration

As the Main Window opens for the first time, it is overlaid with a Welcome dialogue. It is assumed you will use a Setup file to help fill in the necessary details for setting up nPOPuk to connect to your email account. If you wish to enter the necessary settings manually, then clear "Use setup file" checkbox and turn to the Manual Configuration section below for guidance.

If the checkbox is not cleared, on clicking the "OK" button a standard Open Dialogue will appear, to allow you to browse for and select the setup (Install) file to be used.

Once the .ins file is selected and opened a series of prompts will appear.

NOTE: The exact prompts depend on the mail service to which you are connecting and appear within the field. Take care to read them before you start to type, as they disappear as you make your entry.

Typical prompts include:

Your Name:

Enter your name as you would wish it to appear on your outgoing mail. Use Initial capital letters and spaces between your forename and family name.

username:

The name used to login to your mail account. For web-based mail services, such as Hotmail, GMail and Yahoo, this will be the part of the email address that appears before the "@" symbol. For other accounts, particularly those associated with ISPs, you should refer to their documentation.

email address:

Enter your full email address.

password:

Enter the password required to access your email account. The password dialogue is the only Setup file dialogue to include a specific prompt. Your password will be cloaked with asterisks as you type.

Once you have completed the various prompts, the Account Settings dialogue will appear with the necessary entries made to enable you to collect and send mail. By default, connection is set to LAN. This setting should work for most modern network connections, whether wired (using Cat5 Ethernet cable from a DSL or cable modem) or wireless (WiFi).

If you use a dial-up modem to connect to your ISP, you should select the "Dial-up" radio button on the Connection tab of the dialogue. The remainder of the page then becomes active and you can select the connection required from the drop-down list and enter the username and password required for that connection.

Having completed all prompts and confirmed the Connection tab shows the correct option, you can click the "OK" button on the Account Settings dialogue and complete initial configuration. As you do so an nPOPuk.ini file is created in the same folder as the nPOPuk program. (See the Important Note below.)

Should you wish to add further accounts to nPOPuk open the MAILBOX menu and select Add.... To learn about all the other features and settings available, turn to the User Guide section.

Manual Configuration

If you wish to add the details of your first account manually, clear the "Use Setup file" option on the Welcome Dialogue then click the "OK" button. You will be taken to the Account Settings dialogue where you can add your first account.

For those used to configuring a mail program adding accounts should be straight forward. The User Guide provides any further information you may need. You are encouraged to read the Mailboxes and Global Options sections of the guide to understand the general scope of the settings and controls available. Advanced users should also investigate the nPOPuk.ini file, which allows further options to be set, not configurable in any other way.

nPOPuk is useful for more specialist mail tasks. Command Line Options are available that can be used, when launching the program, to start nPOPuk ready to write a new message, with much of the message pre-composed. There's a footnote on the Global Options page that provides guidance for those who only wish to use nPOPuk as a Mail Checker (i.e. to confirm the presence of mail on the server).

In use nPOPuk has a range of sophisticated facilities that may not be immediately obvious to a new user. As with any program you are urged to read the full User Guide.

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 INI files, and depending on the version of Windows and the location of the file that may include nPOPuk.ini. Should your computer develop a problem and a System Restore be executed, the record of each account's transactions with the server may be reset to those applicable at 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. Once the restore is completed the nPOPuk.ini file should then be overwritten with your renamed file. However, there is a more sophisticated alternative that requires editing the nPOP.ini file.