 Contents
To view a list of topics, click Help Topics.


Bulletin board overview
MSN bulletin boards (sometimes called message boards, newsgroups,
forums, or discussion groups in other online services) are areas
where members post electronic messages for other members to read
and respond to at their leisure. You can compose or read a
bulletin board message while you're disconnected from MSN.
Members post messages to ask and answer questions, offer
opinions, share facts, and to distribute files that other members
can copy (download) to their own computers. While most bulletin
boards are public, there are also private bulletin boards that
allow only certain individuals access privileges. In addition,
some bulletin boards are read-only.
For more information about bulletin boards, click a button.
     Bulletin boards differ from e-mail and chats      
     Bulletin boards have managers      
     Bulletin boards can include files       

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How bulletin boards differ from e-mail and chats
Using a bulletin board is different from using e-mail because
when you send a message to a bulletin board, you send it to an
area on a computer to which all members have access. When you
send an e-mail message, you specify the individuals or groups who
receive the message.
A bulletin board is different from a chat because people who have
posted messages are not necessarily online at the same time.
Chat's are more like conference calls: everyone is online at the
same time. 


Bulletin boards have managers
Each bulletin board has a manager you can contact by e-mail if
you have a request, want to report a problem, or would like to
discuss the bulletin board. For example, you might contact the
manager to request a private bulletin board or report a posting
that you think is inappropriate.

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Bulletin boards can include files
A file library is a bulletin board that is used primarily for
storing files you can copy to your computer. The files are stored
in bulletin board messages. You can open any of these messages
and copy the attached file to your computer. 

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Copying files to and from a bulletin board
You can use a bulletin board message to exchange files with other
MSN members or to copy (download) files from a bulletin board's
file library.
To make a file available to the other bulletin board members, you
create a message, attach the file (or files), and then post the
message. After a forum manager verifies that it does not contain
viruses or illegal or inappropriate content, the message will
appear on the bulletin board.
To download (copy) a file from a bulletin board, you open the
message to which it's attached and then save the attachment to
your computer. Before you copy a file, you can view the file
properties to get information such as its size and whether
there's a fee for copying it.
Files waiting to be copied are shown in the File Transfer Status
window. You can control how and when the files are copied from
this window.

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wnloadingFiles;A_DisplayingAttachments;A_BBFTQ;")} Related
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nloadingFiles;A_DisplayingAttachments;A_BBFTQ;")


Working with the file transfer queue
When you copy an attached file or send your own message with an
attachment, the file is placed in a transfer queue. You can
display the status of files waiting to be transferred and
manipulate the files in the queue. 
For example, you can release files to transfer if they are on
hold, or you can remove them from the queue. You can also change
defaults, such as the destination folder that contains your
copied files on your computer, or specify whether you want the
file to be decompressed when it reaches its destination.

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erAutoDisconnect;A_ChangeDefaultFolder;A_ChangingCompressionStatu
sDownloading;A_PausingFilesInQueue")} Related
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rAutoDisconnect;A_ChangeDefaultFolder;A_ChangingCompressionStatus
Downloading;A_PausingFilesInQueue")


 BBS window
When you enter a bulletin board, MSN displays the BBS window with
recently posted messages or files. Messages and files that appear
in bold type haven't been opened. 
The BBS window may appear in one of three views Conversation
view, List view, or File view. You can switch between views
depending on your needs, and you can sort messages in all three
views by author, subject, and date.
To see more about views in the BBS window, click a button.
     Conversation view
     List view
     File view

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erview;A_ChangeBBSWindowViews;A_ExpandingCollapsingBBSConversatio
ns")} Related
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omBBSOverview;A_ChangeBBSWindowViews;A_ExpandingCollapsingBBSConv
ersations")


Conversation view
Use Conversation view when you want to follow the sequence of
replies to a specific message.
The following table lists the message icons and their functions.
Icon Function  
     Replies to this message are hidden.     
     Replies to this message are listed.     
     Indicates a message with no replies.    
     Indicates unread conversations and messages. 

List view
Use this view if you want to see only the most recent postings
without seeing which messages are related.
Messages are listed in the order each was sent to the bulletin
board. You can sort the messages by subject, author, size, or
date.


File view
Use this view if you want to see which messages have attached
files you can copy to your computer.
Only messages that have attached files are listed. 
Bulletin boards used strictly as a file library, rather than a
place to reply to messages, may be restricted to File view only.


To enter a bulletin board
1    In MSN Central, click Categories.
2    Double-click the icons or folders you want until you find
the category of information you're interested in.
2    Double-click a bulletin board icon to enter that bulletin
board.

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To switch views in the BBS window
     Click the View menu, and then click Conversation, List, or
Attached Files for the view you want.

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To contact a bulletin board manager
1    Click the bulletin board icon.
2    Click the File menu, and then click Properties.
3    Click the Context tab.
4    Send e-mail to the person listed as the forum manager.

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ngOnlineOffenses")


To open a bulletin board message
     Double-click the message.
Tips
     If you don't want to open all the messages in a bulletin
board, you can still mark them as read. Then you can quickly
identify the unread messages you do want to read because they
will be the only messages listed in bold text.
     In File view, even if a message contains only the attached
file icon, you must open the message before you can copy the file
to your computer.

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ations")} Related
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ingBBSThread;A_MarkingIndividualArticlesReadUnread;A_PrintingBBSM
essage;A_ReplyingBBSMessageEMail;A_ExpandingCollapsingBBSConversa
tions")


To delete a bulletin board message
     Send e-mail to the bulletin board manager. 
     After you post a bulletin board message, you can't delete it
yourself.
Note
     Messages are deleted automatically after the expiration date
established by the forum manager.

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To format text in a bulletin board message
1    Select the text you want to format.
2    Click the Format menu, and then click Font.
3    Select the font, style, size, and other effects you want.


To compose and post a bulletin board message
1    In the BBS window, click the Compose menu, and then click
New Message.
2    Click the Subject area and type a brief description of your
message.
3    Click the message area and type your message.
4    Click the File menu, and then click Post Message to post the
message to the bulletin board.
Notes
     If the New Message command is not available, the bulletin
board is read-only.
     Bulletin board postings may take as long as several minutes
to be displayed in the listing. Even using the Refresh command on
the View menu may not list your messages immediately.

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ingBBSMessage;A_ReplyingBBSMessageEmail;A_DeletingBBSMessage;A_Fo
rmattingText")

To mark bulletin board messages as read or unread
     In the BBS window's List view or Conversation view, click
the message, click the Tools menu, and then click the marking
option you want.
Notes
     Messages are automatically marked as read after you open
them. If you don't have time to read a message, you can mark it
as unread to remind yourself to read it later.
     Unread messages are indicated by bold text.


To move between bulletin board messages
     With a message open, click the View menu, and then click the
appropriate command to move to the next or previous message or
subject.

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To print a bulletin board message
     With the message open, click the File menu, and then click
Print.

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To post a reply to a bulletin board message
1    With the message you want to reply to open, click the
Compose menu, and then click Reply to BBS.
2    If you want, you can click the Subject area and type a new
description for your reply.
3    Click the message area and type your response.
4    Click the File menu, and then click Post Message.
Note
     If the Reply to BBS command is not available, the bulletin
board is read-only.


To reply by e-mail to a bulletin board message
1    With the message you want to reply to open, click the
Compose menu, and then click Reply by E-mail.
2    If you have more than one profile available, you may see a
Profile Name box. Select the name of the profile that contains
The Microsoft Network, and click OK.
3    Click the message area and type your message.
4    Click the File menu, and then click Send.


To sort messages in the BBS window
     To sort bulletin board messages:
     By subject, click the Subject column heading.
     By author's name, click the Author column heading.
     By size, click the Size column heading.
     By date, click the Date column heading.

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To display new messages in the BBS window
     Click the View menu, and then click Refresh.
Notes
     Refresh the BBS window if you want to see any new messages
that were posted after you opened the window.
     The BBS window is automatically refreshed every few minutes.
     Bulletin board messages may take some time to display.


To display information about a file before copying it
1    Open the message containing the file you want more
information about.
2    Double-click the attached file's icon.
Note
     For Help on an item in a dialog box, click   in the
upper-right corner, and then click the item.


To forward a bulletin board message by e-mail
1    With the message you want to forward open, click the Compose
menu, and then click Forward by E-mail.
2    If you have more than one profile available, you may see a
Profile Name box. Select the name of the profile that contains
The Microsoft Network, and click OK.
3    In the To box, type the names of the people you want to
forward the message to. 
     Separate multiple names with a semicolon.
     If you need to look up names, click the To or Cc button. 
4    Click the message area and type your message.
5    Click the File menu, and then click Send.

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To expand or collapse bulletin board conversations
     In the BBS window:
     To show all messages in one conversation, press SHIFT and
click  .
     To show a message and all the replies to the message, click 
.
     To collapse a conversation, click  .
Tips
     To show all messages in all conversations, click the View
menu, and then click Expand All Conversations.
     To hide all messages except the original message for each
conversation, click the View menu, and then click Collapse All
Conversations.

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To display information about the sender of a bulletin board
message
     With the message open, click the Tools menu, and then click
Member Properties.

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Using the keyboard to navigate among bulletin board messages
Key or key
combination    
Action    
LEFT ARROW or
UP ARROW  Go up one message   
RIGHT ARROW or
DOWN ARROW     Go down one message 
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW or
SHIFT+UP ARROW      Select the current and previous messages     
SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW or SHIFT+DOWN ARROW   Select the current and
next messages  
PAGE UP   Go to the first message displayed on your screen  
PAGE DOWN Go to the last message displayed on your screen   
HOME Go to the first message in the bulletin board     
END  Go to the last message in the bulletin board 
SHIFT+PAGE UP  Select the current and previous messages on your
screen    
SHIFT+PAGE DOWN     Select the current and next messages on your
screen    
SHIFT+HOME     Select the current and all previous messages 
SHIFT+END Select the current and all next messages     
ALT+TAB   Toggle among MSN windows and other programs  
SHIFT+CLICK    Expand the entire conversation, including all
nested conversations     
BACKSPACE Go back to the previous folder you had open  


 To read bulletin board messages offline
1    In the BBS window, select the messages you want to read.
2    Press ENTER.
3    Click the File menu, and then click Sign Out.

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l;A_ComposeBBSMessageOffline")


To compose bulletin board messages offline
1    Click the File menu, and then click Sign Out.
2    Compose your new message or your reply.
3    To connect to MSN and post the message you composed offline,
click the File menu, and then click Post Message.

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l;A_ReadBBSMessageOffline")


To view a list of topics, click Help Topics.


To copy (download) a file from a bulletin board 
1    In the BBS window's File view, double-click the message that
contains the file you want to copy (download).
2    Click the icon of the file.
3    Click the File menu, and then click Save.
4    Click Attachments.
5    Click Download File.
Tips
     Before you copy a file, you will see its properties to find
out its size, how long it will take to copy, and if there is a
fee for copying the file.
     You can copy a file to your computer and run it by clicking
Download and Open File. 

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ownloading;A_ChangeDefaultFolder;A_ChangeQueueDefault;A_Uploading
Files;A_CopyingToFromBBSOverview;A_TransferAutoDisconnect;A_Remov
ingFilesInQueue")} Related
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StatusDownloading;A_ChangeDefaultFolder;A_ChangeQueueDefault;A_Up
loadingFiles;A_CopyingToFromBBSOverview;A_TransferAutoDisconnect;
A_RemovingFilesInQueue")


To copy (upload) a file to a bulletin board
1    Compose a new message.
2    Click in the message where you want to insert the file.
3    Click the Insert menu, and then click File. 
4    Click the file you want to send with the message.
5    Click Insert, and then click Close.
6    Click the File menu, and then click Post Message.
Note
     Your message will not appear on the bulletin board until a
forum manager has scanned the file for viruses and illegal or
inappropriate content.

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sferAutoDisconnect;A_RemovingFilesInQueue;A_ContactingAForumManag
er")} Related
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;A_TransferAutoDisconnect;A_RemovingFilesInQueue;A_ContactingAFor
umManager")


To change the default file transfer destination folder
1    In the BBS window, click the Tools menu, and then click File
Transfer Status.
2    Click the Tools menu, and then click Options.
3    In the Default Download Folder box, type the path to the
folder where you want to store files that you copy from the
bulletin board. 

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lt")} Related
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efault")

To hold or transfer files in the transfer queue automatically 
1    In the BBS window, click the Tools menu, and then click File
Transfer Status.
2    Click the Tools menu, and then click Options.
3    Click Pause Files As They Are Queued to turn this option on
or off. When this option is turned on (checked), files are placed
on hold when they enter the queue. When this option is turned off
(cleared), files are copied immediately after entering the queue.

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faultFolder")} Related
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geDefaultFolder")


To hold files in the transfer queue
1    Click the Tools menu, and then click File Transfer Status.
2    In the queue, click the files you want to hold in the queue.
3    Click the File menu, and then click Pause. 
Notes
     When you want to restart the transfer, click the file to
select it, click the File menu, and then click Restart.
     If you want to rearrange the files in the transfer queue,
pause the file that you want to transfer first, then pause the
file you want to transfer second, and so on. The files are
rearranged in the order you paused them.

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gFilesInQueue")} Related
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RomovingFilesInQueue")


To remove files in the transfer queue 
1    Click the Tools menu, and then click File Transfer Status.
2    In the queue, click the files you want to remove.
3    Click the File menu, and then click Remove.
Note
     To remove a file that has already begun transferring, click
the file in the queue, click the File menu, and then click Pause.
Click the File menu again, and then click Remove.

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To disconnect automatically after files are transferred
1    Click the Tools menu, and then click File Transfer Status.
2    In the File Transfer Status window, click the File menu, and
then click Transfer And Disconnect.
Note
     This operation disconnects you from MSN if this file
transfer is the only MSN service you are using at the time. If
you're using other services, you'll remain connected to MSN.

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To change the compressed file options
1    In the BBS window, click the Tools menu, and then click File
Transfer Status.
2    In the File Transfer Status window, click the Tools menu,
and then click Options.
3    Click the Compressed Files options you want to turn on or
off. An option is turned on when it's marked with a check.
Note
     If you choose not to have files automatically decompressed
after they're copied, you can decompress the files later.

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essingDownloadedFiles")} Related
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ssingDownloadedFiles")


To decompress files after they're copied
1    In MSN Central, click Categories.
2    Click Computers And Software, and then click Shareware.
3    Double-click the Shareware BBS.
4    Copy the PKZip compression utility to your computer.
5    Decompress your files using PKZip.
Note
     PKZip is a common shareware utility that you can use to
compress files before you copy (upload) them to MSN and to
decompress files after you've copied (downloaded) them to your
computer.

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Help is available for each item in this group. Click   at the top
of the dialog box, and then click the specific item you want
information about.


Automatically copies (downloads) files to your computer as they
are added to the download queue. If this box is checked, you must
select the files you want to download, and then click Pause.


Deletes compressed files (*.zip) after they are decompressed and
copied (downloaded) to your computer.

Decompresses files when they are copied (downloaded) to your
computer. Before being copied to your computer, these files are
typically stored in a compressed form (*.zip). To use them,
however, you must decompress them.


Specifies the default path to the folder that will contain the
files you copy (download) from MSN. To change the default
destination, type a new path or click Browse.


Click to browse for the folder that you will use as the default
destination for files you copy (download) from MSN.


Displays the number of times this file has been copied
(downloaded) by MSN members. 


Displays the date that this file was copied (uploaded) to MSN.


Displays the amount of time it will take to copy (download) this
file from MSN to your computer, given the speed (or baud rate) of
your current connection. 


Displays the name of the file.


Displays the price (if any) associated with this file.


 Displays the size of this file in bytes, kilobytes(K), or
megabytes (MB) . 

Indicates whether the forum manager has approved this file for
downloading.


Click this to add this file to your download queue and begin
copying (downloading) it to your computer.


Displays the time and date when the bulletin board message was
posted.


Displays the size of the bulletin board message.


Displays a unique identifier for the bulletin board message.
Usually, this field is used only by forum managers.


Specifies the number of files attached to the bulletin board
message.


Specifies the number of times members have copied (downloaded)
the bulletin board message to their computers.


Indicates the cost to copy (download) the bulletin board message
to your computer.


Yes indicates that the forum manager has virus-checked the
message before copying (uploading) it to the bulletin board.
No indicates that the message has not been virus-checked. You
will not be able to copy (download) files to your computer before
they have been checked for viruses.

Displays the name of the forum manager for this service. This is
the person to contact if you have any questions or comments about
the service, or if you observe any inappropriate online behavior
in the service.


Displays a description of the bulletin board or file library as
provided by the forum manager.


Downloads the selected file, and runs it on your computer.


Click this to attach the selected file to your bulletin board
message.


Click this to copy the text from the selected file to your
bulletin board message.


Click this to save the bulletin board message as a text file with
the name and location specified. Any attachments will not be
saved with the message.


Click this to save one or more attachments with the name and
location specified.


Lists all files attached to the bulletin board message. Click one
or more attachments to save, and then click OK.


Click this to align the selected paragraphs with the left edge of
the message window.

Click this to align the selected paragraphs with the right edge
of the message window. 


Click this to center the selected paragraphs between the left and
right edges of the message window.


Click this to format the selected paragraphs as a bulleted list.