[Closed] Using Windows Live Mail: synching frustration

I've just finished setting up a laptop for my pa-in-law with Windows 7. I'm having a few problems using Windows Live Mail.

1. When I click on 'Sync' sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.
2. When I shut down, and then reboot say 5 hours later, I click on 'Sync' and get only the messages that came after I started up again. I get none of the messages from that 5 hour period where the laptop was off.
3. Is there a way to get Windows Live Mail to auto-sync? All this pressing 'Sync' is a royal pain in the a***.

Any ideas? His ISP is phonecoop, but with Outlook Express - his old mail software - everything was perfect.

Thanks.