Windows Mail has been removed from Windows 7, along with several other applications. We'll look at where to find their replacements.
It's true - Outlook Express was replaced by Windows Mail in Windows Vista, but with the release of Windows 7 even that has disappeared, along with Windows Messenger and a few other items.
To be honest, that's good news for small business owners because neither outlook express or windows mail was a good solution for business email.
The official replacements are all now part of Windows Live. For Windows Mail, you can now download its replacement, the free Windows Live Mail. Miss your Windows Messenger? Grab Windows Live Messenger. These applications unblur the line between personal and professional, they are clearly designed from the ground up with "home based email" in mind.
Microsoft has an page specifically directing you to the replacement applications: Finding your applications in Windows 7 for home use.
So the replacements are there; Microsoft has simply removed the years of duplication by making Windows Live the official, single set of tools for family / home / personal communication you can download and use if you like.
The problem, of course, is migration. The Microsoft page above indicates that you can Import directly from Outlook Express and Windows Mail folders stored on your hard disk. I've also seen advice to actually download and convert to Windows Live Mail before upgrading or installing Windows 7. (There's even one hack out there that supposedly allows you to copy the Windows Mail executable from your Windows Vista system, but I don't recommend it.)
The full list of applications "replaced" by downloads from Windows Live includes:
•Outlook Express -> Windows Live Mail
•Windows Address Book -> Windows Live Mail
•Windows Calendar -> Windows Live Mail
•Windows Contacts -> Windows Live Mail
•Windows Mail -> Windows Live Mail
•Windows Messenger -> Windows Live Messenger
•Windows Movie Maker -> Windows Live Movie Maker
•Windows Photo Gallery -> Windows Live Photo Gallery
And as I alluded to earlier, there's no requirement that you download or use any of these replacements. In fact, it might be a fine opportunity to evaluate alternatives.
If you're using your email for business there are two applications I recommend to most all of my clients for small office email. For single stand alone home offices where not a lot of information (calendar, contacts, email) needs to be share internally with other employees Microsoft Outlook is the ideal solution, it comes standard with Microsoft office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and is great for solo-preneurs.
If you're in a shared environment Microsoft recomends you install an Exchange server allowing you to "exchange" information using, you guessed it, outlook. You can share contacts, calendars, to do items and even peek in on (and help deal with) each others emails! Problem is it's VERY expensive to implement for a small business, think $10,000 the first year and $3,000 in maintenance each year after that! Yikes! But there are more cost effective alternatives, namely HOSTED Microsoft exchange, just like we have others "host" our website, we can ask others to "host" our exchange data / email. The advantage here is a low monthly cost (as little as $10) for full Microsoft Exchange implementation, everything you have in outlook can be shared with coworkes easily regardless of their physical location AND it allows for real time blackberry synchronization (no more plugging in the blackberry cable!)
As a 3rd option for an almost NO cost solution, Google... that's right, Gmail, they'll let you, for a small fee, use their gmail service for your @mycompany.com email address, allowing web based anywhere in the world access to your email AND even offer resource (calendar, contacts etc) sharing with others in your @mycompany.com domain.
Looking for the RIGHT email solution instead of the one that "came with the computer"? Give us a call at The Technology Coach, your very own Small Business Technology Department.
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