Back in the day many of us used the included Outlook Express with Windows. It was fast and easy to use so why not? That said Outlook Express isn’t available with Windows Vista or Windows 7; you can't download it or run it on either version of Windows. However, you can install an e mail program from another company or use Windows Live Mail, Microsoft’s “improved” version of an email program. Here are our favorite choices.

1: Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird comes to you from the same group that developed the popular Mozilla Firefox web browser. After missing Outlook Express and getting tired of Windows Live Mail I finally switched to Thunderbird Portable. You simply extract it to a folder and run it. Backing it up is as easy as moving the entire folder somewhere else. The spam filtering is good but seems to occasionally allow email marked as spam to get through and a few other glitches you most likely will never notice. Where it also excels is add-ons. If the program does not do what you want, find an add-on that does. They install easily and are stable. Thunderbird remains a Majorgeeks Pick and our favorite choice. It is updated frequently. If you prefer an installer version then download it here.

Download at http://majorgeeks.com/Mozilla_Thunderbird_Portable_d4423.html

2: Windows Live Mail

Windows Live Mail is actually better than Outlook Express as far as security goes. It has good spam filtering and phishing protection. Personally, we found it a bit more difficult to use and wish it had an Outlook Express mode to simplify it and make it more comfortable but overall it’s still pretty good. You do need to have a Windows Live account; an unnecessary and annoying step in my opinion especially given that by default it wants to install all of the Microsoft Live programs. Typical Microsoft; it’s pretty good but not great.

Download at http://majorgeeks.com/Windows_Live_Mail_d5670.html

3: Pegasus Mail

Pegasus Mail has been around since 1990 and once again it looks a lot like Outlook Express with a lot more features. It is lightweight and multi-lingual. The list of features here for such a lightweight email client is impressive. Spam filtering, multiple identities, HTML mail generation, offline mode, SSL support, help files, drag and drop support, multiple users and more. Maybe the name isn’t the greatest, but don’t overlook this one.

Download at http://majorgeeks.com/Foxmail_d2055.html

4: Foxmail

Foxmail is a lesser known client from China. It is light weight and can also do HTML templates, test search, attachment preview, calendar and it even supports Exchange account. It may lack a lot of features that larger, more popular email clients have but once again if you want an Outlook Express look and simplicity, this might be the one.

Download at http://majorgeeks.com/Foxmail_d2055.html

5: IncrediMail 2

Let me avoid being beat up by the cyber bullies and explain why Incredimail is on this list. You wouldn’t catch a geek using this unless he wanted to lose a hard earned man card. It’s cute. Really cute. You get lots of 3D effects, smilies, animations, emoticons, backgrounds and an adorable barking dog to name a few. Again, it has a similar look to a bubbly Outlook Express. I have it installed on my wife’s computer and notice server errors and other bugs that she deals with. I have suggested Thunderbird but so far have been ignored. If cute is your thing, this is the one you want. Your Mom or Grandmother will LOVE it.

Download at http://majorgeeks.com/IncrediMail_2__d2049.html