(POP or IMAP - see the sidebar elsewhere in this chapter), incoming server (for example, mail.earthlink.net) and outgoing server (for example, smtp.earthlink.net). Your e-mail service provider typically offers this information on its Web site. Figure 10-2 shows how I set up Thunderbird to use my own e-mail provider, but of course, your settings are different. Figure 10-2: The Server Information screen of the Account Wizard. The Use Global Inbox check box is offered for people with multiple e-mail accounts. By default, Thunderbird combines e-mails sent to each account into a single Inbox for your convenience. If you intend to use multiple accounts and want to keep them separate, deselect this check box. 5. On the User Names screen, enter your current account login information and click Next. In addition to your account server information, Thunderbird also needs to know your e-mail account name for both incoming and outgoing mail (these are usually identical for most e-mail providers). Usually, but not always, your account username is the part of your e-mail address before the @ sign. For example, if your e-mail address is jennysmith@earthlink.net, your username is probably jennysmith. 6. In the Account Name screen, enter a name for the new account and click Next. People you e-mail cannot see this Account Name. It's for personal purposes, to allow you to identify this account if you create additional accounts in the future. By default, Thunderbird names the account by using your e-mail address. 7. On the Congratulations! screen, verify the accuracy of the information you entered, decide whether to download messages now, and click Finish. This screen provides an overview of the information you entered. If any information is wrong, click Back until you return to the screen where you entered the information, and then correct it. (You can modify account information in the future by choosing Tool Account Settings.) Otherwise, you're finished with account creation. By default, Thunderbird downloads all the messages from your e-mail provider's server when you click Finish. If you'd rather download them later, deselect the Download Messages Now check box. Warning If you allow Thunderbird to download your messages here and you have a POP account, your messages will be removed from your e-mail service provider and will exist only in Thunderbird on your current computer. If you're just giving Thunderbird a trial run, this may not be the best idea. To instruct Thunderbird to leave the messages on the server, uncheck Download Messages Now and visit the Account Settings window, as I discuss in the sidebar "POP versus IMAP."   TECHNICAL STUFF POP versus IMAP I generally ignore the technical nitty-gritty when possible, but you should understand an important distinction between POP and IMAP accounts. With a POP account, your e-mail remains on your e-mail provider's servers until you choose to download it to an e-mail program. After you download it, the e-mail is removed from the server and exists only on the computer and in the program to which you downloaded it. You would generally use this kind of account only if you use a single computer and e-mail program. By contrast, with an IMAP account, your e-mail remains on your e-mail provider's servers until you manually delete it. This kind of account is a good choice if you need to access your e-mail from multiple computers because anywhere you go, your e-mail is available. As the world grows more connected and more people need this kind of access, IMAP accounts are becoming the clear favorite. If you use a Web-based mail server, you already enjoy the benefits of IMAP.