What email service are you using? They each do things differently…...

I have a yahoo and a gmail, live com, (hotmail), I am trying to see which one has the most number of handy features.

If you’re using an online service, there really isn’t anything you can do to get it onto your USB drive in a fast manner. Those services simply don’t work that way. At least, that I know of. If you’re using a client like Outlook or Thunderbird, it could be done, but I don’t think there’s any way to do it straight from the browser.

Of those three mail services, Gmail has the most features, the easiest way to set up custom filters, the only spam filter that really works, and it’s also accessible via Thunderbird (YAY!) and Outlook/Outlook Express (BOO! Hiss!). I don’t think Yahoo allows that option, and I know Hotmail doesn’t unless they changed pretty recently.

And for added fun, use Thunderbird:Portable edition so that you not only take the e-mails with you, you can use the same client (custom settings and all) on any computer and leave no trace after you’re gone.

@BhacSsylan You are correct, there really isn’t a way to do it from the browser. That is why being accessible from a client is a good thing, and it’s even better if the client resides on the same USB drive ;)

What @BhacSsylan said. Theoretically, you could set up your yahoo/gmail/live/hotmail account to forward your mail to an Outlook or Thunderbird account, then use those clients to save the emails as files. I haven’t tried it before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Someone may have written some kind of third party program to do this with the online email services, but I haven’t heard of any….wouldn’t hurt to dig around the internet I guess.

@lilikoi
@jerv
@BhacSsylan
Thank you all for your help. So, among the things you mentioned, which of them can you do on a pubic (library, internet cafe, etc) computers? A few things I try to do they say “no that can’t be done on a public computer”.

@flo Well, most of the public computers I’ve been on allow you to save to a USB Flash drive, though I don’t know if they allow you to execute programs from there and I know that most do not allow you to install anything.
However, the PortableApps stuff leaves no trace on the PC; they install nothing and run entirely on the USB drive.

@jerv , thanks for the answer. I will have to continue next time.

@jerv
@lilikoi
@BhacSsylan
1)Can you tell me why the word “online” is used when refereing to the free email accounts yahoo, hotmail etc? I am trying to find out what the basic difference is between those and Outlook, Thunderbird, are offline? Aren’t they all online?

2) What does “execute a program” mean?

1) So, the email accounts you mention as ‘Online’ have two basic differences from the ‘offline’ ones of thunderbird and outlook, etc. The first is that those supply you with an actual e-mail address, xxxx@hotmail.com, or whichever. Thunderbird does not, and I’m not sure about outlook but i believe it doesn’t. The ‘offline’ programs are for getting, sorting, and otherwise dealing with your mail. They usually still have to work through another account, since you can’t get a xxxx@thunderbird.com account (at least, not without paying money).

The second difference is why they’re called online and offline. Online email are web sites, and all information, except some temp files, are online on the servers of the respective service. Hence storage limits on these accounts: you are using their storage, not your own. The Offline programs get your mail from these servers, and then store them on your computer (or flash drive), also called ‘stored locally’. So no, these programs interact with the online versions, but they are all running on your computer, and can run offline (you can’t get new mail while offline, but you can otherwise manipulate old mail), and store all data on your computer (or drive). This is why they might be good for you, since they allow you to back up that data, while online sites rarely have the option (though they tend to do their own backups).

2) ‘execute a program’ is simply another way to say ‘run a program’. Execute is just what the computer tends to call it.

Also, the portable apps thing @jerv mentioned may be blocked by a public computer, but it has the best chance of working, of all the options.

@BhacSsylan thank you so much. I just went to your questions to answer if I can, but you have just one question which I can’t answer.
– I don’t know what running a program is, what an example of a program, and the thing/s that (might?) be mistaken for a program are?

Oy. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that was what you were asking. A Program would be something like Word, or your internet browser, or most other things that start up and then allow you to deal with other files. An easy way to tell is that the main file of a program, the one that is used to start it, ends with .exe, which refers to ‘executable’, hence the term ‘execute a program’.

A portable program drive, as @jerv suggested, puts everything needed to run these programs, such as the .exe and other files, onto the drive, and so let you run them on any computer. Many programs can be put on one, for example my drive, which has my internet browser, thunderbird, an antivirus, a program akin to Word and Excel, and a few others. All of these are types of programs.

Soo.. does that help any? sorry for misunderstanding you the first time.

@BhacSsylan you didn’t misunderstand anything, it just happens to be a follow up question, my level of knowledge in computer use is low…, and you probably are used to dealing with people for whom that is basic.
I appreciate that detailed answer.It does help a lot. By the way if I happen to be on Word, and I want to use the back arrow, there is none, why is that?

Back arrows are for web-browsers and file managers only. The Windows desktop treats your computer a little like a website since they figure that most people nowadays use their computer mostly for browsing and the parallels between navigating the ‘net and navigating your own hard drive mean that it makes sense to use the same interface for both.
However, Word is a word-processing program and therefore has no need/use for such a feature; it’s about the same reason that I don’t have turn signals on my dishwasher.

@jerv thanks. I have been meaning to ask the question for a long time. Now I know what to do, reduce or minimize window. After using Word, I wanted to get back to the previous website that I was on. I had to find someone to show me how to get back.

One thing I hate about Windows 7 is the new and “improved” Taskbar.

On my WinXP system or any Linux system, I have a button for each open window that tells me exactly what each one is. Win7 makes an indiscernable halo around the icon and then, if you have multiple documents open, gives you a sub-menu if unreadable, indecipherable thumbnails.

Yet another reason to either stick with XP or go to Linux :P

@jerv And we’ve had this argument before. I find the taskbar excellent. So * pphhbt *

@BhacSsylan meh. Some people like slushboxes, some like driving with three pedals. I value control over ease of use or aesthetics, but to each their own.

@jerv
@BhacSsylan
@lilikoi
Thanks all. I have a limited amount of time, I just wanted to let you know that one of the computers (the one I use mostly) does not have a desktop like the others do. But I like the fact that it uses XP, and the fact like it very secure.
Re. is there a way of ensuring that public computer has erased all your stuff before you leave, because when I click what I am supposed to click, “Tools”, ...I don’t get the acknowledgement that it is done. How do I get that result?

The nice thing about PortableApps is that they leave nothing to erase if you run them from the USB stick as intended. For instance, if you run the portable version of Firefox or Chrome, the history and everything stays with the browser on your USB stick and leaves no trace on the computer.
You don’t get any acknowledgment of the fact that your tracks were erased simply because you left none :)

@jerv , oops, I forgot to separate the two items in my last posing.
It is good to know about Portable Apps. When I hear the word Apps I think of iphones, I don’t know why.
Are there people who specialize in public computers?

AFAIK, no. It’s fairly well assumed that 372% of Americans have a current-generation computer of their own with broadband internet access. The closest you can really get is to get stuff that will run from a USB stick
PendriveApps has even more stuff than PortableApps does, so give them a look-see as well.

@jerv I think my level of knowledge is lower that it might appear on this thread. I have to change the way I write.
Till next time.

@flo Fair enough.
Just so you know, installing the portable applications onto your USB stick is pretty simple; the process is fairly well automated, so all you really need to know is the name and drive letter of your USB drive (though it usually guesses that correctly on it’s own). I have installed them without touching the hard drive on the PC I was working on, so you should be able to do it on any computer.

@jerv I don’t know how this above posting ended up here. How do I remove it? It was meant to go to one of my latest questions.

@flo You could flag it and then the admins will swoop in like birds of prey and rip it from the page.

@jerv Thanks I didn’t even occur to me that I could flag my own posting.

@jerv
@lilikoi
@BhacSsylan,
Some computers at the bottom right of the screen, it acknowledges that the usb is inserted .Can you tell me what to do when there is nothing showing? I know when it shows it is mozilla Firefox, but it is public computers, so when it is IE, and it no possible to change it, to Firefox, what do I do?

Fluther,
I tried to flag the above (my posting), twice, last time as soon as I posted it, and then about an hour ago. It refuses to be flagged.

Because I have the PortableApps menu, most computers will autoplay my USB stick (even if autoplay is disabled for most discs) and put the POrtableApps icon in the status bar near the clock.

@jerv thanks so much. Could I ask you to lead me through the most basic usb use?

Sure. I will give you a few basics to go by.

1) Whenever possible, you want to “unmount” a USB drive before you remove it. On a Windows system, you will see a little icon in the lower-right corner near the clock that you click on and select “Safely Remove…”. (My system runs Ubuntu Linux, but since you don’t I won’t bore you with the details beyond saying that it’s different than for Windows.)

2) NEVER remove the USB drive while the light on it is flashing. That flashing means that it’s in the middle of a read/write cycle and thus removing it could screw things up to the point where the disc will need to be reformatted (at least) to make it work… assuming it ever works again.

3) Use name-brand USB Flash drives. I’ve seen a few drives break/fail in a variety of interesting manners, but I have yet to see a SanDisk go bad. For instance, I have a Sandisk Cruzer Micro that has been through the laundry at least half a dozen times (both wash and dry), slightly bent, buried in a snowbank for almost two months, and been X-rayed a couple of times, yet it hasn’t quit yet, nor has it lost any data. Lets see a PNY or store-brans USB drive do that!
I am biased towards SanDisk, but they are the best-known for a reason.

@jerv thanks so much. I see the “safely remove” when I am using firefox. It never appears when using IE. I don’t see anything right now at the corner. I have to continue this tomorrow. But thanks again jerv.

Odd, You should see it anytime you are in Windows, regardless of which browser you are using (or even if you don’t have a browser running) unless you hit F11 and go to a “full-screen” view that makes the entire taskbar disappear. It’s not part of any program; it’s part of the operating system.

@jerv I just found it I clicked on the << . I expected to see the words like when I use another computer.

-By the way I was told that if you take it out without using the“safely remove” it loses at leat part of the content and /or damages something or other. But before that I was told that I don’t have to worry about that if the “safely remove” doesn’t come up. What do you say you tell me about that?

-So now I have the usb on, the options are regarding images, pictures, or viewing my folders. Where is the option about saving an email, for example, or if I want ot download something…etc.?

If the light isn’t flashing then it’s usually safe to remove if you are running Windows. However, usually isn’t good enough for me so I do the “Safely remove…” thing. Or maybe it’s just because I am so used to Linux where odd things happen if you don’t.
Now, if the option doesn’t come up even when you show the normally-hidden stuff on the status bar (that is what that << thing is; it tells you that there are more icons in the bar) then odds are that the system doesn’t even know the drive is there so it is generally safe.

I set my browser up so that it always asks me where I want to save a file. Some people have theirs set to always save to the Desktop or a folder than they can never find, but if you’re running the browser from your USB stick then that won’t matter since you won’t be using their settings; you’ll be using your’s.
When you get that pop-up asking you were to save something, just tell it to go to the USB drive; you often have to go to “My Computer” to see it (and the other drives present). It makes it slightly easier if your USB drive has a distinctive name so that you don’t have to remember the letter on it (which can change). Many people forget to name their drives and then have a hard time finding them in the “Save…” dialog, but mine can’t be confused with any other drive.

If you are running Thunderbird from a USB stick and have it set up to grab your e-mails (as opposed to using a browser to get them) then they will automatically be saved. If not, then saving mail from a webmail account requires copying the text, making a new document on your drive, and pasting the text there. Attachments and images can be saved jsut as you would with any other download, but that is the only way to get a webmail from your browser to your USB. Thus, it really pays to use Thunderbird, even if it’s a little bt of a hassle to set up.

@jerv I just remembered that I used the “file”, “save as” steps to save my emails more than a year ago. I never had Thunderbird.
Re. safely remove, I never see any light flashing or otherwise.
I have to continue this tomorrow jerv. Till next time.

I

Nice thing about Thunderbird is that you’ll never have to do that again. Hell, it’ll save messages you haven’t even read yet!

My USB drives (all SanDisk) light up clear as day when they are plugged in and flash when they are being written to and/or read from. My old PNY did that too. Then again, I think it safe to say that any drive that doesn’t have that lights comes from someone I wouldn’t trust anyways.

Later.

@jerv I am sorry, of course the whole point of my question was to save myself the trouble of doing it one by one going thru “file” My brain was out of order.

-There is no clock at this computer, there is no <<, there is either a check mark in a green circle or a blue ball with some green strokes in it, it says “Internet” next to it. Or an eye in black and white, with a red ball with a white horizontal bar in the middle of it which is partly over the eye.
I have Kingston E by the way, but it is by clicking on “file” ...that I see that, there is no tab that says that.
The library people told me instead of the “safely remove”, close all your applications, since there is no “safely remove” here. It uses Windows 2003.

-Do you have a link you can recommend if I want to install portable applications to my usb?
Till next time.