It's been quite a few years since I used Outlook Express, but I still think I like it better than Outlook. Have furn with your new toy, OldFixer!

I just got a new desktop also because my XP was
outdated. I really like 8.1. It is quite different though.
Just click around and have fun.
I've linked to a helpful site.

Here is a link that might be useful: 62 Tips

I've been sticking to Windows 7. Kudos to you for tackling Win 8.1. Enjoy your new PC.

Using the classic shell download will help a lot in making it as you like it has great options to get it more like older versions.
Classic Shell

and it is free.

I recently bought a new HP Pavillion 500 from Costco....thank goodness they have a 90 day, no questions asked, return policy.
It came with Windows 7.
I set it up and almost immediately got the blue screen of death.
I called HP tech support.....in India. I had a difficult time understanding the woman.
I called Costco Concierge service the next morning and things when better.
I had to go a complete factory restore. It still didn't work.
Finally had to send it to be repaired....Fed Ex brought a shipping box....but someone at HP forgot to include the pre-paid mailing label. It took almost a week to get one, which was delivered by Fed Ex.
I got the computer returned and it took about a week and when I set it up again, nothing had changed. Even the screen stating Windows had unexpectedly shut down.
A new wireless card had been installed but it seems like no one checked to see if there were any other problems.
I called the special tech support number and got someone in Indiana. The guy was excellent....it took about two hours to get things to work.

And then the updates wouldn't upload. And then, once again I got the blue screen of death.
I took the computer back to Costco Tuesday.
Now I will wait to decide what I am going to buy and I will certainly buy it at Costco.
I think I will probably go with Windows 8.1.
The month I had it was a nightmare except for the tech in Indiana who had the patience of a saint.

HP isn't the top quality name in PCs it once was. You may want to try a different brand. I don't know how much you want to spend, but I've had great experience with the likes of Lenovo and Asus, and Sony All in Ones.

Costco also wouldn't be my first choice for sellers either, because their MO seems to entice buyers with PCs that are 50% over-equipped sold at 25% off list price. Translation - you get a great price on something that costs more than necessary because it has stuff you don't need. As an example - I see they have a Dell with display on their site today, 12 GB of RAM, 1 TB hard drive, $100 savings, only $899. Trust me, these mega specs aren't needed to surf the internet, any more than a Ferrari is needed to go to the store to buy eggs. If you process video or other graphic intensive applications, different story. Also, I would avoid Dell for the same reasons as HP, its products aren't what they used to be.

I've purchased 3 PCs from Amazon in the last 6 months. One was dead on arrival, and was returned the next day using a prepaid shippling label they emailed to me immediately. The second one I tried for a few days and didn't like it, again, it was returned for a full refund using a shipping label emailed to me within 3 minutes of the phone call. If you don't like Amazon, there are many other sources that carry a wider range of prices and choices than Costco does.

I agree strongly with everything Snidely said.
I buy my computers online at Dell.
I've never had any problems with them.
I got this perfectly adequate PC for under $600.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dell 3000 series

Happy with the new $400 machine direct from HP, free shipping. More than what I need. WalMart also has a good return policy, but I would avoid big box stores too. Outlook is about the same as express, just don't use all the extra features. Next to install the new FTM genealogy program, then see if it will 'import' the complete backup files. Will also fiddle with the old machine. Nothing wrong with using XP, but I think it's an electronic/mechanical failure beyond useful repair. Heck, I've still got a WIN 98 that works fine.

Well, surprise. Ran the Recovery procedure and the problematic XP machine is back in normal operation again, back to like new original factory start up. Anything extra I had installed is gone, wiped clean. That's nice, start fresh. So guess there will be (another) computer to play with. Just what I need, another large piece of crap sitting around! Maybe somebody would buy it for $50?

I bought an Asus with Windows 7 Professional at Best Buy two years ago, and it has worked well. The processor is a so-called 5 core AMD. One of the 'cores' is the video display. I prefer Intel over AMD, but since it is working, its hard to argue with sucess and price.

A few years back, folks over-clocked the AMDs to get more peforrmance and in many cases that was a poor idea. If the chip is fast enough at native speed, leave it alone. If you want/need more speed get a different processor nad you have to also get a mother board taht supports the greater speed. Today's computers are so fast that there is no need to push the processor. That can shorten the life as well.