If you’ve ever noticed the link to MSN Explorer in the Start Menu of Windows XP and wondered what it does, you’re not alone. In fact, in the midst of a long list of other programs, many people don’t even notice the program at all. Still, MSN Explorer can add some convenient features to ordinary tasks such as checking your email or surfing the Web.
Although new versions of MSN Explorer are no longer available for download from Microsoft, this program is still functional and worth using for its numerous features and ease of use. The initial MSN Explorer setup screen provides some insight into all of the things you can do with this program, as it describes itself as “. . . the all-in-one software that makes it easy for you to get more from the Web. Browsing the Internet, communicating with friends, managing finances, listening to music, shopping, and all your other favorites are a snap with this friendly package. . . .” We’ll explore some of the features and functions available in MSN Explorer.
 Get Started
When you open WinXP’s Start menu, you need to click All Programs to access MSN Explorer. If you don’t see MSN Explorer here, you can install it. Navigate to Add Or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, and click Add/Remove Windows Components. In the Windows Components Wizard, select the MSN Explorer checkbox and click Next to proceed with the installation. You need to insert your WinXP installation CD if prompted. When installation is complete, click Finish, close all open items, and restart your computer. |
After setup, MSN Explorer will display a tutorial you can follow to familiarize yourself with the program’s features. |
To set up MSN Explorer, open the Start menu, navigate to All Programs, and click MSN Explorer. When the Welcome screen appears, click Continue. Next, select your Country/Region and click Continue. The following screen gives you three connectivity options: You can choose to sign up for MSN Internet Access and get a new MSN email address, sign up for MSN Internet Access but keep your existing email address, or opt out of MSN Internet Access. If you already have an existing MSN Internet Access account, or if you signed up for one at a store, select the No, I Already Have Internet Access radio button. In order to select one of the first two options that let you sign up for MSN Internet Access, you need a modem installed on your computer. After you make a selection, click the Continue button.
The following screens will vary depending on which connectivity option you chose. Proceed through the setup wizard, entering the appropriate information where necessary. When setup is complete, the MSN Explorer main page displays with a link to a tutorial to help you get started.
Menu Items & Toolbars
The MSN Explorer display is divided into three parts. There is a menu bar at the top, and the My Stuff bar along the left column, both of which you can use for navigation. The remainder of the screen displays any features or Web sites you access. In the upper-left corner where the menu bar and My Stuff bar intersect, you’ll see Back and Forward buttons that let you move among previously viewed pages.
Menu bar icons. The first item in the top menu bar is the Home button. Click this button and your customized home page takes up the bulk of the MSN Explorer screen at startup. You can customize the Home display with news, weather, entertainment, and sports information. Because this is a customized version of the MSN.com site that is tied to your user account, you will see this same information whenever you use your MSN username and password on another computer.
The E-mail button provides access to your email account. Because the email program in MSN Explorer is Web-based with information stored on Microsoft servers, you can access your email account from your home computer using MSN Explorer and from any other Internet-connected computer using the MSN.com Web page. We talk about MSN Explorer’s email features later.
The Favorites icon lets you create bookmarks to Web pages you want to keep handy. As with your email, Microsoft stores your Favorites on its servers, so you can access the information from any computer that has an Internet connection. |
MSN Explorer provides a quick and easy way to access some of the most popular MSN features. |
The Online Contacts icon gives you the tools for chatting with any of your online buddies using Windows Messenger. You also have access to another form of connectivity via the People & Chat icon. If you are a member of any MSN Groups, you can easily access them from People & Chat.
The Money icon provides a direct link to the MSN MoneyCentral Web page. Where you can access tools for paying bills online, managing your finances, and more. The Shopping icon links you to the MSN Shopping site, which lets you access stores and deals. The Music icon provides one-click access to the MSN Music Web page. And the final icon in this menu bar is Games, and it gives you access to various games you can play online. You may need to install a small plug-in in order to be able to play some of the games listed here.
My Stuff menu bar. The My Stuff menu bar gives you easy access to your online calendar, stock portfolio, groups, horoscope, and photos. Here, you’ll also find a Search field along with MSN Music controls. My Stuff is customizable, so you can tailor information to fit your needs or add links to My Files, My Settings, My Sports, My Maps, My Travel, My Movies, My Shopping, My Car, My Radio, and My Mobile. For greater viewing space when viewing Web pages and email, you can shrink the My Stuff bar so it only displays icons.
Email Management
Because MSN Explorer simply provides a link to your Web-based email account, you can easily access Hotmail or MSN mail from any Internet-connected computer. What’s more, you also have the ability to check and send messages, spell check messages, manage contacts, add attachments to email, and more.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a good way to back up our email messages from MSN Explorer. It appears, however, that you can back up individual messages using the Save As command in the File menu if you access your email account directly from the Web and not from MSN Explorer. You also don’t have the capability of backing up contacts from a Hotmail account, but you can import them: Open the Contacts tab and click Import Contacts under the Tools heading at the left. You can import contacts in Outlook 2000/2002/2003, as well as Outlook Express 6. 
by Jennifer Johnson
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