Web based email security questions?

[lectrocrew]

I hope this is the right area of the forum to post this. 
I use yahoo.com email and have for several years. I'm no guru with computer stuff and mainly just like to experiment with the mechanics of PC hardware ect. But I do have some stuff on my yahoo email saved folders that I don't really want viewed by just anyone. Lately I've noticed when I'm logged into yahoo mail the little circle looking thing in Vista that goes round and round when internet activity is processing just never quits going round and round. I don't know specifically what this means but I don't feel like Yahoo mail is secure as what I would like.
 A few years back I used Outlook Express as my email program with settings provided by my ISP (bellsouth.net) . All the messages, folders ect were saved on my PC rather than on the web.
!st question is -  is the pc based email, rather than web based, more secure?
2nd - why is the activity thing showing constant activity when I'm logged onto yahoo mail?|
3rd - I live in a separated half of a large house and my land lord just switched our ISP from DSL to cable. I don't really know exactly when I first noticed this problem  but I don't think the ISP change was the culprit, I believe I noticed it before that change.
4th - If I change to pc based email account, how is the best way to transfer all my yahoo mail account saved folders to either my hardrive or my pc based folders?
Sorry for so many questions but this is the place I get the best help.
 Thanks to everyone at CHP for that. 
Mike

[BC_Programmer]

1st: there is no such thing as "PC based" E-mail. What happens with ISP based E-mail is it get's automatically downloaded from their mail-server to your PC; or more precisely, outlook automatically downloads it. so it's really only as secure as their mail-server. (which usually is quite acceptable).

2: Couldn't say. I get similar behaviour from Hotmail sometimes. Seems like a laggy script or something.

[soybean]

Let's change our terminology here and say POP mail, not "pc based email".  POP, or POP3, mail is really what you're talking about.

4th - If I change to pc based email account, how is the best way to transfer all my yahoo mail account saved folders to either my hardrive or my pc based folders?

I don't believe you can, since Yahoo Mail is web-based mail.  Yahoo does have a fee-based version which allows downloading your Yahoo mail to a POP email client such as Outlook or Outlook Express; I believe that email service costs $20/yr.

Otherwise, you could setup a POP mail account, logon to your Yahoo Mail account, and forward Yahoo messages to yourself, to your POP mail account.

[lectrocrew]

How can I get the settings from my ISP for setting up a POP mail account other than calling the company on my phone (or having my landlord do it), which is what I did last time I had a POP account years ago?

[Rob Pomeroy]

Look on their web site?

[lectrocrew]

I have Cox cable ISP but all I see on their site is webmail.
https://idm.east.cox.net/coxlogin/ui/webmail?TARGET=-SM-http%3a%2f%2fwebmail.east.cox.net%2fdo%2fhome

[Rob Pomeroy]

Try >here<, under POP/SMTP settings.

[lectrocrew]

Thanks Rob. I found that Cox cable page and should have posted before now but I've been working long hours and haven't had time to pursue this more after I got a "address not found" page load error when trying to access all 4 links listed on that page under "Windows Mail" 'How To's ...'
 I'll try again when I get time. Thanks for posting the link for me.

[Rob Pomeroy]

No problem.  Let us know if you're still stuck.