[Spambayes] Newbie

[Kenny Pitt]

Nikki Thorne wrote: 
> I have installed python & spambayes.  I am using outlook express 6
>  with windows ME (bad, bad, bad...)

What SpamBayes version did you install?  The 1.0a9 version includes an
install wizard for the POP3 proxy application that will get things up
and running quickly without the need to separately install Python.

> I cannot figure out which port to use when configuring http proxy.
> I have my mail server, but no port #.

Hopefully you have things running to the point where you can access the
SpamBayes configuration page.  In the "POP3 Proxy Options" section,
enter the name of your mail server in "Remote Servers".  If you don't
have a specific port # then the default is probably correct.  If you did
have a specific port for your mail server then you would enter
"server_name:port" here.  In "SpamBayes Ports" you enter a port that
will be used locally, which doesn't have to match your mail server.  You
can try 110 which works in most cases and requires the fewest changes in
your Outlook Express config, but it occassionally conflicts with another
program such as an anti-virus utility.  I use 9110 here.  The important
thing is to remember this number because you will need it when setting
up Outlook Express.

Under "SMTP Proxy Options", leave the Remote Servers and SpamBayes Ports
boxes blank.  You shouldn't need these.

After saving your configuration, open Outlook Express and go to Tools >
Accounts to modify your e-mail account settings.  I'm assuming that you
had Outlook Express working properly before you installed SpamBayes.  To
connect through SpamBayes, you'll need to change your incoming mail
server (on the Servers tab) to localhost.  If you used something other
than 110 for the SpamBayes port earlier, then go to the Advanced tab and
change the incoming mail port to match.

At this point, SpamBayes should be analyzing all your messages and you
will be able to use the "Review messages" page in the UI to start
training it about what you consider spam.  However, Outlook Express
won't do anything different with the messages yet.  You need to set up
some rules in Outlook Express to move spam messages to a separate
folder.

First, go back to the SpamBayes configuration page and scroll down to
the "Header Options" section.  In "Classify in subject header", turn on
the check next to "spam" and "unsure".  Back in Outlook Express, create
two folders named something like "Spam" and "Possible Spam".  Now go to
Tools > Message Rules > Mail.  Create a new rule and select "Where the
Subject line contains specific words" and "Move it to the specified
folder".  In box 3 (Rule Description), click on the underlined "contains
specific words", enter "spam," and click Add then OK.  Now click on the
underlined "specified" and select the "Spam" folder you created.  Name
this rule "Spam Messages" and click OK.  Repeat this process to create a
"Possible Spam Messages" rule to move messages containing "unsure," to
your "Possible Spam" folder.  Finally, click OK on the Message Rules
dialog and Outlook Express should be ready to filter your mail.

Sorry if this sounds a bit complicated, but we can't integrate as
closely with Outlook Express as we can with full Outlook so you have to
do a lot more setup for yourself.  We're working on a configuration
wizard that will hopefully automate a lot of this eventually.  If you
have any further questions, please post back to the mailing list.

-- 
Kenny Pitt