One of the key differences between Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista is the lack of an email client. While past versions of Windows included Outlook Express or Windows Mail, depending on which operating system you upgraded from, Windows 7 lacks an email client as part of the install. Microsoft didn't forget about email, they just ship the email client differently these days. You need to download Windows Live Mail in order to get the latest Microsoft email software. It's free, just like Outlook Express and Windows Mail, it just happens to be a download instead.