singlestrike wrote:

i would like to switch on my computer and not have to manyally go and
look for mail but would rather if at all possible can i set it up to
behave the way my aol account worked by informing me that i had mail
each time i got mail and when switching on for the first time

How to do this is version dependent and you decided not to mention what
version of Outlook ypu're using, but for Outlook 2002/2003, press
ALT-CTRL-S, check the "Schedule an automatic send/receive every XX minutes"
option and enter a value for XX, with a minimum of about eight to ten
minutes. Then when you start Outlook, it will perform a send/receive to
start the timer.
--
Brian Tillman