The nearest thing to Outlook Express in Windows 7 is Windows Live Mail. OE is no longer available in any version of Windows 7. Can't help you with your specific problems, but if I recall correctly (I still use OE on my old XP desktop), you cannot insert pictures into Windows Live Mail either; they have to be attached. This is supposedly for security purposes. I don't think it's possible to have music in e-mails, either. The "junk" mail issue should get better as Outlook "learns" what mail is legitimate. You might be able to set up a "white list" of senders whose e-mail should come into your INBOX rather than the JUNK. I have no idea about the encrypted e-mails, but perhaps someone who uses Outlook will be able to help.

There is a very effective program that you can download for free called "Spam-Aid", it will block ALL messages that are from anyone that is not listed in your address book.It is installed on your computer as a separate program and you can use it, or bypass it to check your email the usual way without anything being blocked. Just keep in mind when using Spam-Aid to check you mail, EVERYTHING is blocked and deleted at the server except for messages from those that are listed in your address book. It is very effective at what it does, I use it and am well pleased with it. I might add that the program does have a way for those whom you know that are not listed in your address book to get a messsage delivered to you by way of a "password" which they can obtain from a clue you give them in setting up the program. Just check it out, you may want to use it, you may not - but it works. http://www.topshareware.com/Spam-Aid-download-12249.htm

Owbist: You beat me to it! I just wrote this all out - too good to delete - so I'll publish it anyway :-) Try this: Open Create Mail then click view > Toolbars > Check the Formatting bar. There should then be a formatting bar just at the top of the mssg pane you will be typing in. Now you should see B I U A for bold, Italic, Underline, Color. Now when you highlight a word just click on the A in the format bar to pick the color instead of thrashnig all the way thru the format maze..... If this formatting bar does not appear you are not in Rich Text format. You don't say if you are having this problem with newly created mail or when replying. If you go to the main window > Tools > Options > Send > then see if there is a check in the "Reply to mssg using same format in which they were sent". Uncheck that and see if it fixes you up. In other words if you relpy to a mssg recieved in HTML you have no choice but HTML formatting unless you uncheck as above.

be very careful with incredimail! it does it's own spamming and calls home from your pc which is the part I do not like, I would be sure to set firewall to block. Applications like IncrediMail, call back home every four hours to download IncrediMails own form of SPAM (advertisements) via a call to 206.82.140.163:80. This is some info you should be aware of, this is quoted from the wiki which I will link to. Quote: Technical There is much controversy over the usability and viability of HTML email in general. Due to its heavy and very visible use of HTML formatting in its default out-of-box configuration, Incredimail finds itself at the forefront of this controversy as what many of the detractors of HTML email consider an extreme "worst-case example" and many of the proponents consider "fun and friendly." Some argue that the program increases message sizes (and consequently download times for recipients) and uses more bandwidth than text-only or HTML mail. In addition, the (default) heavy use of HTML and embedded images in Incredimail is difficult to tell from spam in automated filters; at times high-profile pump-and-dump penny stock spammers have used this similarity to sneak their payloads through those automated filters.[9][10] Preferences within the program can be set, however, to send mail in a plain-text format. In addition, Incredimail makes extensive use of the registry and system directories which is not properly rolled back with its uninstallation script. This has frequently required manual registry edits to fix the damage if a user decided later to remove the program.[11] Legal Finally there has been a good deal of controversy over the privacy policy of the company which produces Incredimail. The program collects data such as how many emails are sent, how many pictures are sent in those emails, dates and times the user has the program open, and more.[12] Verbiage from the EULA Incredimail users must accept in order to install the program is also a source of controversy, as this EULA provision at one time specifically granted the Incredimail corporation "an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, display, perform, modify, transmit and distribute" any email sent using the program itself. This text has since been modified to restrict these rights grants more reasonably to unsolicited email sent to the Incredimail corporation, however. Further controversy over potential security issues within the Incredimail client and service seem born out by the "Risks" clause in the current EULA, however, which includes very forbidding (and unusual in an email client, see the Thunderbird EULA for a contrasting example[13]) text about "hacking, cracking, nuking," and more: Incredimail and unfortunately it is very difficult to get rid of incredimail, in fact microsoft has written articles about just that, this is a link to pchell instructions on how to try ( note they offer an uninstaller for sale, it should be able to be done with out that) How to Uninstall or Remove Incredimail Here is a link that might be useful: microsoft article