Introduction
There are several reasons why someone might ask you to send them a copy of a message with full headers. The full headers include useful and sometimes necessary diagnostic information. Typical reasons include blocking spammers (unsolicited junk email), problems with delivery or receipt of a particular message, and certain virus troubleshooting issues that involve fake "from" addresses. To report spam, send the message with full headers enabled to "spam@uoregon.edu." Alternately, if you are working with a computing staff member on a problem, send the message with full headers enabled to them. In some email programs this is an easy task, however, both Outlook and Outlook Express are more difficult in this regard. This document also details how to turn off HTML email, which is a generally useful and courteous thing to do.

How to Do It
Select your email client from the list below:

Show me an example of a message with full headers.

Eudora:

  1. Select "plain text only" to turn off any HTML formatting that may be present.
    From the Tools menu select Options then Styled Text and click Send plain text only.
  2. Open the message in question so you can see it on your screen.
  3. Click on the "Blah Blah Blah" when reading the message.

  4. Forward the message on to the appropriate staff member.
    i.e. "spam@uoregon.edu"

  5. See the bottom of this document for an example of what a full header should look like.

Mozilla & Netscape (all versions):

  1. Turn off any HTML formatting that may be present.
    From the Edit menu select Preferences then Mail & Newsgroups. Click Send Format and select Convert the message to plain text...

  2. Open the message in question so you can see it on your screen.

  3. For Mozilla 1.4 and earlier: From the View menu select Headers and then All when displaying the message.

    For Mozilla 1.5 and later: From the View menu select "Message Source." You can then cut and paste the full-header
    from the top of the message. (There is an example full-header at the bottom of this page).

  4. Forward the message on to the appropriate staff member.

  5. See the bottom of this document for an example of what a full header should look like.

 

Outlook/Outlook Express:

  1. Open the message in question so you can see it on your screen.

  2. Turn off HTML formatting. From the Tools menu select Options... then click the Mail Format tab. At the "Compose in this message format" area select Plain Text.

  3. Outlook: From the View menu select Options... while viewing the message.
    Outlook Express:     From the Filemenu select Properties, then select the "Details" tab.

    Outlook: Outlook Express:

  4. Click anywhere inside the text frame that appears, then press the keys "CONTROL" and "A" which should select all of the text. This will make the text appear as inverse (shown below).

  5. After the text is selected, hold down the control key, and press 'C' to copy the text to the clipboard

  6. Compose a new message to "spam@uoregon.edu" (or appropriate address) and in the body of the message select paste (hold the control key and press 'V') which should paste the text into a new message. After you have pasted the text, send the message and you have completed the process.

  7. See the bottom of this document for an example of what a full header should look like.

Pine:

  1. Once Pine is open, press the "M" key to make sure you are at the main screen.

  2. Select "S" or arrow down to select "Setup"

  3. Select "C" for Config.
    (C) Config:
    Allows You to set as many features which are not turned on by default. You may also set the values of many options with that command.

  4. Find the "enable-full-header-cmd" (You may have to scroll down quite a bit). Use the "X" key to select that option, then press "E" to exit. Press "Y" when prompted to save your change.

  5. To display full headers, press "H" when reading the message.

  6. Forward the message on to the appropriate staff member.
    i.e. "spam@uoregon.edu"

  7. See the bottom of this document for an example of what a full header should look like.

 Mail for Mac OS X:
Mac OS X 10.0 through Mac OS X 10.2: Select "Show All Headers" from the View menu.

Mac OS X 10.3: From the View menu, select "Message" and then "Raw Source". 

Macintosh users please note: The screenshots here are for Windows, but you'll find that in most cases the menu locations are the same on the Macintosh. For example, the "blah blah blah" button in Eudora for Macintosh is the same button in Eudora for Windows.

What does a full header look like?
See the example below.

-----------------------Example Full Header Below----------------------------

Return-Path: <DUCKWARE@oregon.uoregon.edui>
Received: from donald.uoregon.EDUI (donald.uoregon.EDUI [128.223.32.6])
by shaney.uoregon.edui (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian -4) with ESMTP id
g9KNokms007589
for <jersmith@shaney.uoregon.edui>; Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:50:46 -0700
Received: from oregon.uoregon.edui by oregon.uoregon.edui (PMDF V6.1-1 #40185)
id <01KNW79ZQNGI8Y4XGZ@oregon.uoregon.edui> for jersmith@shaney.uoregon.edui
(ORCPT jersmith@oregon.uoregon.edui); Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:21:17 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from CONVERSION.oregon.uoregon.edui by oregon.uoregon.edui
(PMDF V6.1-1 #40185) id <01KNW79ZAWF48WVYVD@oregon.uoregon.edui> for
jersmith@oregon.uoregon.edui (ORCPT jersmith@oregon.uoregon.edui); Sun,
20 Oct 2002 16:21:16 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from oregon.uoregon.edui by oregon.uoregon.edui (PMDF V6.1-1 #40185)
id <01KNW79Z230G8WW14Q@oregon.uoregon.edui> for jersmith@oregon.uoregon.edui
(ORCPT jersmith@oregon.uoregon.edui); Sun, 20 Oct 2002 16:21:16 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from CONVERSION.oregon.uoregon.edui by oregon.uoregon.edui
(PMDF V6.1-1 #40185) id <01KNW79XT4XC8WVYVD@oregon.uoregon.edui>; Sun,
20 Oct 2002 16:21:14 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from hotmail.com ([62.17.149.100])
by oregon.uoregon.edui (PMDF V6.1-1 #40185)
Received: from hotmail.com ([62.17.149.100])
by oregon.uoregon.edui (PMDF V6.1-1 #40185)
with SMTP id <01KNW78CVNEE8WW11I@oregon.uoregon.edui>; Sun,
20 Oct 2002 16:21:14 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from unknown (32.159.120.58) by symail.kustanai.co.kr with
QMQP; Sun,
20 Oct 2002 16:19:56 +0700
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 09:12:30 -1000
From: taylors27888p70@hotmail.com
Subject: *****SPAM***** #1 DIET PILL! LOSE 10-15 LBS PER WEEK
7417cwbH5-328Udte3876o-21
Sender: DUCKWARE@oregon.uoregon.edui

[The text of the e-mail message is normally shown here]

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