FAQs

» I've just enrolled can I access the system straight away?

You will be notified by email to your personal email address when your Unimail account is available. Until this time you will receive all official communication from the University to your personal email address as in previous years.

Unimail accounts are automatically created and will be available after you are fully enrolled. Please contact your nearest Faculty Office, or student information office for information on your enrolment status.

If you can't access your Unimail account after you have received the email confirming your Unimail account is ready, please contact your nearest IT Help Desk.

» How do I access the new service?

To access your Unimail account just log into UDo and click on the Unimail link.

UDC delegates: To access your Unimail email account, just log into the UDC Portal and click on the Unimail link.

Please make sure that you're logged out of any Hotmail or Windows Live accounts before accessing Unimail.

You may need to change your password in UDo before logging into your Unimail account for the first time.  You can do this here:

You will need to log into UDo/UDC with your new password before accessing Unimail. You can access UDo here:

Note: Please speak to your nearest help desk for detailed information about resetting your password.

You'll be notified by an email to your personal email address when your Unimail account is available. Until this time you'll receive all official communication from the University to your personal email address as in previous years.

Your Unimail account will be available once you're fully enrolled. Please contact your nearest student information office, or Faculty office, for information on your enrolment status. If you're fully enrolled and still do not see the Unimail link in UDo/UDC after receiving an email confirming that your Unimail account is ready, please contact your nearest IT Help Desk.

» Which web browsers work with Unimail?

Unimail works with most common web browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome.

Most features are supported in Firefox 3.0.1 and above as well as in Safari 3.1 and above. However, to get full functionality in Unimail you will need to use Internet Explorer 7 and above.

What do I get if I use:

Internet Explorer 7 and above?

Full functionality including setting up rules and drag and drop.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1 and above?

Nearly full functionality including setting up rules. Drag and drop is not available.

Apple Safari 3.1 and above?

Nearly full functionality including setting up rules. Drag and drop is not available.

All other web browsers including Opera, Google Chrome and those web browsers running on Linux?

Limited functionality. Setting up rules and drag and drop are not available when using these web browsers to access Unimail. You will still be able to send and receive emails, view your calendar and contacts.

Please read Microsoft's help page for more information and remember, you can also speak to your nearest IT Help Desk.

» What will my email address be?

Log into UDo and click on the Unimail link to access your email.

UDC delegates: To access your Unimail email account, just log into the UDC Portal and click on the Unimail link to access your email.

Please note: Your student ID number appended with "@unimail.derby.ac.uk" is not your email address. This is only used during the registration process. Your email address can be found either by looking above the "Access your Unimail Account" link on the UDo/UDC Homepage, or by following the instructions below:

1. From the webmail window, click the small down arrow to the right of the Help button (a question mark on a blue background) at the top of the window under your name.
2. From the drop-down list, click About.
3. A new window will open. Your email address is shown next to Mailbox owner: near the top of the window.

» Why is the "Provide Account Information" page showing my email address as my student number followed by "@unimail.derby.ac.uk"?

Your student ID number appended with "@unimail.derby.ac.uk" is not your email address. This is only used during the registration process. Your email address can be found either by looking above the "Access your Unimail Account" link on the UDo/UDC Homepage, or by following the instructions here.

» Where can I get help using Unimail?

Along with these FAQs, help is available from any of the IT Help Desks and Libraries at the University. Once you are logged into Unimail, you can get help at any time by clicking on the Help icon in the toolbar.

You can also find further help using Unimail on the Microsoft Outlook Live website.

» Will this be the only email service I can use?

This is not a mandatory service. If a faculty or academic chooses to accept emails from students via other sources, they are free to do so. However, this is not recommended as we cannot guarantee that the University will receive emails from any other source.

» Why can't the University guarantee receiving emails from other sources?

IT Services has a duty to stop malicious and unwanted spam emails getting into the internal email system. Because there are a vast number of different email service providers and address combinations we cannot guarantee externally sent emails will get past our spam filter system. Conversely, we cannot guarantee that emails from the University will get past your own email service provider's spam filter system. Students using the new Unimail service will not experience this potential issue.

» Will this affect the emails I get from the University and UDo Course Resources?

The Unimail address will replace the preferred email address of students and therefore communications from the University will be sent to this address. With UDo Course Resources, this means when an academic sends an email to his or her class, the email will automatically be sent to the Unimail address for those students.

If you opt out of the Unimail service any communication from the University, including any emails via UDo Course Resources will be sent to the alternative email address you provide. However, students are reminded that the University cannot guarantee to receive emails from any other source than the Unimail service.

» Can I opt out of the new service?

Yes. You may opt out of the Unimail service by contacting your nearest IT Help Desk to arrange this. However, students are reminded that the University cannot guarantee to receive emails from any other source than the Unimail service.

Alternatively, a rule can be set up to forward your Unimail email automatically to an address of your choice. Click here for instructions.

Please note that once you opt out of the Unimail service, it will take a minimum of 24 hours for the University systems to reflect this change.

» Why did you replace the old student email service?

The student email system (NIMS) used prior to Unimail was almost 10 years old and had outdated functionality. The University is constantly looking for ways to improve its services - the new Unimail system has better functionality and provides a better service for students.

» How do I change my email password?

If you want to change your email password you simply change your UDo/UDC password using the following link.

Your Unimail username and password are the same as your main network account username and password.

Note1: You will need to log into UDo/UDC with your new password before accessing Unimail. You can access UDo here:

Note 2: Please speak to your nearest helpdesk for detailed information about resetting your password.

» How do I send a message?

» I'd like to set up a meeting with other students, how can I do this?

Your Unimail calendar can be used to organise your time at the University, whether social or work-related. You might want to arrange a meeting for a project group you're a member of, for instance.

To set up a meeting, use the following instructions:

1. Click "Calendar" at the bottom left of the Unimail window. This will show today's date. If you wish to set up the meeting, first choose the date of the meeting from the Calendar at the top-left of the window, then choose the time for the meeting by either double clicking the appropriate time in the day view, or by clicking the "New" button near the top of the window.

2. From the new appointment window, give the meeting a name by typing it into the "Subject:" field.

3. Give the meeting a location by typing it into the "Location:" field.

4. You can now change the start and end times for the meeting by selecting the appropriate times next to "Start time:" and "End time:".

5. To invite others to your meeting, click the "Invite Attendees" button at the top of the window.

6. You can now enter the email addresses of the people you would like to come to the meeting. Either type in their full email addresses or, if they are in your Contacts list click the word "To..." and click "Contacts" from the new window to show your list of Contacts. Click the names of the people whom you would like to invite and click the "To" button to add them to the "Meeting recipients" list. Click OK.

7. You can view the availability of those attendees with Unimail addresses. To do this, click the "Scheduling Assistant" tab near the top of the new appointment window. Times when people are unavailable (busy) are shown in blue, with free times shown in white. Although those without Unimail accounts can be invited to meetings, their times are shown as having "No Information" in the Scheduling Assistant.

8. Finally, click the "Send" button to send your meeting request to the invited recipients.

» Can I forward my Unimail email to another email account?

Yes. A rule can be set up to automatically direct any email received to your Unimail mailbox to a mailbox of your choosing.

Please note, if you do set up redirection from Unimail to your personal email address, we cannot guarantee delivery of messages sent from your personal email account to the University. For this reason, it is recommended that you use your Unimail account to email your tutors.

To set up redirection, use the following instructions:

(If you do not see the option to set up a rule, it may be because the web browser you are using is unable to display this. Please click here for more information.)

1. Click the "Options" button near the top of the webmail page
2. Click "Organize E-Mail" from the list on the left hand side
3. Under "Inbox Rules", click "New"
4. From the new window, under "Apply this rule...", select "[Apply to all messages]" under "When the message arrives, and:"
5. Under "Do the following:" select "Redirect the message to..."
6. In the new window that appears, type in the email address which you wish to redirect your Unimail emails to in the box under "Message recipients:" which is at the bottom of the window. Click "OK" (n.b. you may need to click this button twice)
7. In the "New Inbox Rule" window, confirm that you are happy with the rule and that your email address is correctly listed. Click "Save"
8. 8. To return to your mailbox, click "My Mail" in the top right of the window.

To turn off redirection, simply click "Options", "Organize E-Mail", click the rule which you wish to turn off and select "Turn Off". If you wish to delete the rule, rather than turn it off, simply click the rule and then click the black "X" button.

» I'd like to see email from my personal account in my Unimail mailbox. Can I do this?

Yes. Unimail has the ability to pull email in from other email accounts so that you don't have to check each mailbox individually. To set this up, do the following:

Please note: If you do not see the option to set up an Account, it may be because the web browser you are using is unable to display this. Please click here for more information.

1. Click "Options" at the top of the Unimail page
2. On the "Account" page, scroll down to "Other Accounts"
3. Click "New" under "Other Accounts"
4. In the "New Account" window, enter the email address and password for the account which you wish to retrieve email from and click "Next"
5. If successful, you will see a message stating that your accounts are now connected. Click "Finish" to complete the setup process.
6. You will then be returned to the "Account" page where you should be able to see the account you just added listed under "Other Accounts". The status of email retrieval should be listed next to the account name.
7. Click "My Mail" at the top of the Unimail window to return to your mailbox. You should eventually see email from the account you just added arriving in your Inbox.

Please see Microsoft's FAQs for retrieving email from other accounts here: http://help.outlook.com/en-gb/140/cc825484.aspx?ref=search&sl=1

» I'd like to set up my favourite email program for Unimail. Can I do this?

Yes. Please follow the instructions here http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc875899.aspx. These instructions cover many of the most popular email applications including Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007, Mozilla Thunderbird, Entourage and others.

You will need to enter the following when prompted:

POP server name: outlook.com
SMTP server name: pod51002.outlook.com

Username: yourstudentnumber@unimail.derby.ac.uk

When you change your UDo/UDC password, you will also need to remember to change the password in the email client that you're using to access Unimail to the same password.

Please note, although this is available it is not a Learning and Information Services supported service. Microsoft have produced a number of guides to the service which are available from http://help.outlook.com

» I'd like to see my Unimail email on my mobile phone. Can I do this?

Yes. If your phone is able to download messages using POP then you will be able to send and receive Unimail emails using it.

You will need to enter the following when prompted:

POP server name: outlook.com
SMTP server name: pod51002.outlook.com

Username: yourstudentnumber@unimail.derby.ac.uk

Please note: Your student ID number appended with "@unimail.derby.ac.uk" is not your email address. Your email address can be found either by looking above the "Access your Unimail Account" link on the UDo/UDC Homepage, or by following the instructions here.

When you change your UDo/UDC password, you will also need to remember to change the password in your phone's email client that you're using to access Unimail to the same password.

Phone-specific Instructions:

Apple Iphone: http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc188654.aspx

Blackberry Curve: http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc511385.aspx

Blackberry Pearl: http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc825487.aspx

Motorola RAZR: http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc875917.aspx

Please note, although this is available it is not an IT Services supported service. Microsoft have produced a number of guides to the service which are available from http://help.outlook.com

» I don't see a link to Unimail in UDo/UDC, why is this?

You will be notified by email to your personal email address when your Unimail account is available. Until this time you will receive all official communication from the University to your personal email address as in previous years.

Your Unimail account will be available once you are fully enrolled. Please contact your nearest student information office, or Faculty office, for information on your enrolment status. If you are fully enrolled and have received the email confirming that your Unimail account is ready and still do not see the Unimail link in UDo/UDC, please contact your nearest IT Help Desk.

» After clicking the Unimail link in UDo/UDC I'm taken to a page with "Account" at the top instead of my mailbox. What do I do?

To access your mailbox from this page, you will need to click the "Mail" link at the top of the page.

If this happens again the next time you access Unimail, please report the problem to your nearest IT Help Desk.

» Emails from my friends/family are going straight into my junk email folder. How can I stop this?

Unimail is treating these emails as spam. To prevent this, either drag the messages into your Inbox or open the message by double clicking it and click the "Not Junk" button.

» I've tried to set up a meeting with other students, but when I check the Scheduling Assistant, it shows "No Information" for one or more of them. Why is it doing this?

The Scheduling Assistant can only check the availability of those with Unimail email accounts. It is unable to check the availability of those with email accounts outside the "unimail.derby.ac.uk" domain.

If the person showing "No Information" has a Unimail address, please check that it has been typed correctly. You will need to speak to the person in order to check their email address is correct.

» I've tried to drag an email into another folder but it is not letting me do this. Why not?

» I've tried to send an email to 200 people but it is being rejected. Why is this and is there a way around it?

You can send a message to a maximum of 100 recipients. In order to send to more than this number, please split the recipients between multiple email messages. Please note: you can only send to a maximum of 250 unique addresses per day.

For a description of the recipient and sender limits in Unimail, please see http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/dd630704.aspx.

» I'm trying to send an email with a large attachment but it is being rejected. Why is this happening?

Unimail has a maximum attachment size limit of 25 MB. You will not be able to send your message if you exceed this limit. If you are sending a number of small attachments, the total of which exceeds the 25 MB limit, try putting some of the attachments into another email message. Also, remember that the person's mailbox which you are trying to send the attachment(s) to may have a maximum size limit for attachments which it receives. If this is the case, you will receive an "undeliverable message" from the recipient's mailbox.

Please see http://help.outlook.com/en-us/140/cc990225.aspx for a description of attachment size limits in Unimail.