Thanks... I read the info in the link but still leaves a lot I don't understand. Back to the question from my first post:
"I use Windows Live mail but my Internet provider is the one that my account is through ....in other words
"Myname@charter.net" is my email address. I guess I don't even quite understand how that works ....
So if I didn't have another way of following my email, I would have to go to my internet provider's web site and login each time to view any mail there at their server ?
Since I use the Windows Live email "application" ??? on my desktop PC, I can always have a dedicated place to click on to bring up my email program and do whatever from there.... this seems to work most simply and quickly for me. But.... since my email address contains the provider's name rather than "live" or "hotmail" for example, what is the relationship between the provider and my Windows Live email application? Is that still considered using a "3rd party" email method? With the Windows Live on my computer, isn't it an application, or program for that matter, so it is different from say a Yahoo or GMail email system.....
Sorry for making this complicated but I would just like to get the overall picture of the relationship in this scheme I'm using for email.... who provides what and how is it accessed ... and what can I expect from each or how else could things be set up.
I do notice now that since I've been put on an IMAP protocol, I no longer can tell when someone has already viewed new emails. If my wife has checked email and clicked on the header (I have it set for new, unread ones, to have the type in bold until clicked) and I go to my iPad at another time of the day to check for new email, all new ones will already appear as read... type is no longer bold. This makes it harder to spot the new messages so I have to closely look for them rather than have them be apparent with bold type as before. With the POP3 system, it wouldn't matter which computer had checked new email, the other would still show them in bold until also read.
Any thoughts on these questions? Thanks! BTW I am using an HP 110 desktop with the AMD Phenom IIX4 925 @ 2.8Gig 64 bit and 8Gig RAM running Windows 7 Home SP1