How can I alert myself to new e-mail?

Fristle

Ok so here's the situation. I have like five computers at work, all on a KVM (i.e. one monitor and one set of speakers), all with email accounts on different networks, not connected and regulations forbid connecting them. Three of the machines are on internal networks (not Internet-connected) and so forwarding my mail isn't possible at all. On the fourth network I was forwarding mail to the fifth network until I was told today that was "against policy."

But I'm expected to check all these email accounts regularly. I'm about out of patience.

What I need is, someone with an idea of how I can alert myself to the presence of new e-mail. I have enough permissions on the boxes to set up "rules" in Outlook on what to do when new email arrives, but that's about it.

The best idea I've had so far is to make new mail in Outlook cause the PC speaker on that machine to beep a couple times. But some of these machines are pretty locked down, so I'll have to do this with the simplest non-privileged means possible. So I am trying to get this to work

rundll32.exe kernel32.dll,Beep 1000 300

but this doesn't do what I expected it to on Windows 2000 or XP (it does exactly nothing) and on the Vista box it puts the PC speaker into an endless loop making a clicking sound.

drinkinstout

you can assign sounds to recieving new mail in outlook, assuming the PCs have speakers.

Fristle

drinkinstout wrote: »

you can assign sounds to recieving new mail in outlook, assuming the PCs have speakers.

Yea, but since the machines all have to share one set of speakers via the KVM, I wouldn't hear it.

Feral

If you have physical access to the computers, how about disconnecting the speakers from the KVM and connecting a small seperate set of speakers to each one?

Feral

I'm also going to give the Pertelian LCD screens a mention, but if these PCs are that locked down, it's doubtful you'll be able to install a new hardware device.

Fristle

Feral wrote: »

I'm also going to give the Pertelian LCD screens a mention, but if these PCs are that locked down, it's doubtful you'll be able to install a new hardware device.

I am open to this -- that's a good idea. I will have to see what the security team here thinks about it though, and they're a bunch of grey-haired ex-military guys. :-\

Fristle

Update: someone showed me a way to make the PC speaker beep by echoing a "bell" character to the console using a batch file. God I love dinosaur technology like this.