How do I set up Outlook to work on a small home network?

I am trying to set up Outlook (from Office XP) to work in my small home
network, since the student/teacher edition is a three pc license. I am
having trouble figuring out how to get everything set just so that when I
check email from one computer, then check it the next day from somewhere
else, it shows the same emails in my inbox, not a unique set for each
computer station based on what emails I checked from there only. I am
totally new to this, so nothing is too basic. I just want to be able to log
in on my computer downstairs or upstairs and check email without having to
run to another room to be sure I have previously checked messages. My wife
would also like to have this feature, because she is frustrated with having
to check email from the same computer all the time, as well. Hard to justify
having a network if you cannot use it to its potential.

Set computers to leave a copy of mail on the server so all your messages
will be available for download by both machines. Set one of the machines
(doesn't matter which) to remove messages from the server after a period of
time so they don't pile up down at your ISP.

Ask your ISP if his email server supports IMAP clients; if the server
supports webmail, there's a chance it supports IMAP also. If it does,
problem solved! Reset both machines to use IMAP for receiving; IMAP stores
mail on the email server at your ISP, giving both machines the ability to
view all email from anywhere (including out of town with a notebook via
dialup). Mail deleted at one machine deletes from the server and this
change is reflected on both.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE --
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-S/U -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

"Whitson" wrote in message
...
I am trying to set up Outlook (from Office XP) to work in my small home
network, since the student/teacher edition is a three pc license. I am
having trouble figuring out how to get everything set just so that when I
check email from one computer, then check it the next day from somewhere
else, it shows the same emails in my inbox, not a unique set for each
computer station based on what emails I checked from there only. I am
totally new to this, so nothing is too basic. I just want to be able to
log
in on my computer downstairs or upstairs and check email without having to
run to another room to be sure I have previously checked messages. My
wife
would also like to have this feature, because she is frustrated with
having
to check email from the same computer all the time, as well. Hard to
justify
having a network if you cannot use it to its potential.