Checking Your Email Remotely

If you are not at school and want to check your school email account, there are two methods you can use:

"Method A, Quick, using just the internet " or

"Method B, Download some software, then use the software on the internet"

This page covers Method B.

For Method A, see Checking Email by Internet

Method B - CONNECTING TO THE FIRST CLASS SERVER USING THE INTERNET

BEFORE YOU START you will need to download SortArc's FirstClass Client from the vendor.

It's free and easy to do. Start your internet browser and go online normally. Go to SoftArc's web site: http://www.firstclass.com/clientdownloads/

Download either the Windows or the Mac file, depending on which type of computer you are on. Download just means copy the program to a location on your computer. Note the name and location of the file (program) that is being sent to your computer. Download the Full Version of the program. The latest Windows and Mac versions are 8.3

The easiest place to download to is your desktop.

Exit your browser.

On a Mac, go to the desktop and click on the Install FirstClass Client icon.

On a PC click on Start, Run. Type in the filename, hit OK OR if the icon is on your desktop, double click on the icon.

On either type of machine go through the installation process. accept all the default options. On a PC choose a typical installation.

Start the FirstClass Application

On a Mac or a PC click on the First Class Icon.

[If you can't see the icon on a PC, do this. On a PC click on Start, Programs, FirstClass, FirstClass. OR Hold down the Windows key [located near the spacebar] and tap the R key, Type in C:\Program Files\First Class\fcc32.exe.]

Configure your Settings

Fill in the Service Setup form. (Click the Setup button at the login screen if you have to.)

Connect via: should be home.fc

Your User ID should be left blank.

Your user ID is your First Class email user name which may or may not be the same as your school network login name. In most cases your email user name is your last name. Where there is more than one person with the same last name, last name plus first initial is used. For example your network login name might be smith, your mail login name jsmith and your email address name john_smith ( as in john_smith@mvyps.org ). You would use jsmith here. At school you should not enter your username here but rather enter it each time you log on. At home, depending on your situation, you might or might not enter it here.

DO NOT enter your Password. Not entering it requires you to enter it each time you log on. If you did enter it here anyone with access to your computer could log on and send email as if they were you.

Do not check the box marked "Log in automatically".

In Server: enter the address mvyps.org

Note: use all lowercase letters, no spaces

(172.20.1.21 also works, but only in school, out of school use 216.20.17.21)

Click Save.

To use the software you have just installed log onto the internet as you normally do. Then start the First Class program (there is probably an icon for it on your desktop.) You don't have to exit your browser software such as Firefox or Internet Explorer but you may.

When you start First Class you should get a screen that looks like the one below. Enter your mail account user name (if you haven't saved it) and your password.

Click Login.

For instructions on using First Class, see Using First Class Email