Q I’ve recently started using email and I find that when I send a message the recipient sees my username as the ‘name’ on the message rather than my real name.

The username was supplied by my ISP and it doesn’t really relate to my actual name. In fact, some of my relatives actually deleted one of my emails because they didn’t recognise it.

As you can imagine, I find this quite annoying. Is it possible to change the email username so it’s closer to my actual name?
David Wareham

A While it’s not possible to change your username, it’s easy to change the email program so that it displays your real name. Your username is set by the ISP, so getting a new one would mean getting a new email address.

To change the name that people see, however, open Outlook Express, then click on the Tools menu and select Accounts. Choose the Mail tab and find the email account you’re using, select it and then click on Properties.

Find the section marked User Information and change the Name box to your own name – this is what will show up in other people’s inboxes alongside your messages.

Click OK and then Close. You may find that, once you’ve changed the name, it’s worth sending a quick test message to your own address to make sure it looks right.