No more Outlook, Outlook Express access to free Hotmail

Citing concerns about spammers abusing the service, Microsoft on Monday will announce that it is dropping a feature from its Hotmail service that currently allows non-paying customers to access their email from Outlook and Outlook Express. The feature is based on a technology called WebDAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning), an extension to the HTTP protocol on which the Web is based.

Free Hotmail users who have already enabled Outlook or Outlook Express access to Hotmail won't be shut off immediately. Instead, Microsoft will phase them out over several months, and give them plenty of warning that the change is coming.


	source: WinInfo \| posted by: Mike \| time: 5:16:00 EST Sep. 27 2004

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There are 14 comments made. Displaying comments 1 through 14 on page 1 of 1

posted by davkel, on 6:40:08 EST Sep. 29 2004
I've supported Microsoft at every opportunity in newspapers and magazines because I think they are a great company. However, it does seem that they are trying quite hard to alienate their users, first by the activation process for XP (yes, I know it is to prevent piracy, but if it stops a person using the program he has paid for on two of his own machines, it is a damn silly policy and has not won friends), and now by removing a facility which Microsoft recommended to Hotmail and Outlook Express and Outlook users on the basis that it made the treacle speed and 2MB storage of Hotmail more acceptable. Meanwhile, I would not be surprised to find that XP is still available in Hong Kong and elsewhere at $10 a time, and most of the world just doesn't know or care what piracy is. Let's face it, if all piracy was stopped, and all the users of it bought MS products at full retail, and the sky was dark with flying pigs, Microsoft's profits would very likely exceed their turnover. If, on the other hand, MS adopted a more generous outlook and reduced their software prices to much lower levels, they would eliminate a whole lot of piracy, and regain their popularity with their userbase. Most e-mail spam arrives through Hotmail, and frankly I don't know what this webDAV business is all about or whether severing the connection to OE will improve matters. Are MS saying we will be prevented from using pop 3 and the like from OE? If this scheme goes ahead, I will be quite pleased to use it as an excuse to dump Hotmail altogether, and go with my ISP's mail service at ?7.50 per annum, or maybe use another free one. Hotmail is unusable directly because it is so slow and subject to both spam and DoS attacks, so there is no way I would go back to it without OE. Perhaps MS will do us the kindness of explaining how making customers pay for webDAV will stop spam or whatever other exploits they are hinting at. I suspect people only put up with Hotmail and its spam content and constant errors because it is free.
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posted by Anonymous, on 16:17:22 EST Feb. 10 2005
Saw your comment - can you mail me as I'm trying to track down people hit by this joe.campbell at bbc.co.uk
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posted by Ado, on 8:48:05 EST Feb. 16 2005
I have been hit by a message requiring me to validate my hotmail account at least once a day for the past week--it empties all my hotmail folders in Outlook Express. Since it is not yet April (the scheduled date for requiring us to pay) this is pure harrassment by Microsoft. Money-grubbing as always; apparently you can never be rich enough.
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posted by Tanya, on 22:46:58 EST Feb. 15 2005
just would like to ask if anyone knows if this is true for ppl using incredimail as well as i was without warning locked form my hotmail account. Firstly when incredimail tried to collect my hotmail it said incomplete and then under details ..forbidden When i tried to go directly through msn home page i was asked to sign in i was then sent to a match the picture page to "prove" i wasnt spamimg . i did this and then was sent back to sign in again. This process goes on repeating itself . I would appreciate any advice or just confirmation that this is to do with microsoft so i can eleminate other possibilities
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posted by Ado, on 8:51:05 EST Feb. 16 2005
It's definitely Microsoft. I complained, they replied and "explained" that harrassing me was in some way going to help them to fight span, ensuring me a "secure, safe and enjoyable e-mail experience." Hotmail is no longer a free e-mail program. We should have known that Microsoft would not keep it free for very long. Now that you have surrendered your privacy through passport they want you to pay for the privilege.
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posted by Anonymous, on 22:53:50 EST Mar. 4 2005
I am not familiar with tech terms, but can someone help me with this email problem? I am using Hotmail as my mail default, & importing into Incredimail without a problem.I have a free Hotmail A/C My wife can not import into her Incredimail , as apparently she has the later 'Hotmail fee' A/C. She has her separate user A/C on XP. It was not a problem originally. Can she set up from my A/C for Incredimail?
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posted by Ramamurthi, on 7:12:34 EST Jun. 22 2008
I am having similar problem. I had no problem when I had Internet Explorer 6. When I installed I.E.7 I am unable to configure my hotmail a/c on to Incredimail, while I have no problem with my Yahoo Mail. Can some one help, because even Microsoft is unable to satisfy me.
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posted by Anonymous, on 15:08:38 EST Apr. 19 2005
I don't use out look so can't comment but the general trend of microsoft's current policy is to crackdown on copywrite abuse and to isolate itself further in the market. The latest version of windows media will not play some downloaded files and may even prvent play with other media players (not primary source). Hotmail has always been littered with spam, the filters work for a while and then fail miserably, address's are readily accsesible to any one with the patience to look and the consequent risk of viruses is relatively high. There have been problems associated with java preventing sign in and unrecognised links. The capacity increase is the flip side but too little too late as far as i'm concerned. I've heard great things about gmail so why not give it a go.
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posted by BippY, on 4:20:12 EST Aug. 1 2005
I use incredimail to check my mail from hotmail....I have never previously had problems.....but now I can't even go to to msn.com to sign in.....can't do a windows update cause it won't let me go to anywhere do do with microsoft.com or hotmail.com...I've reloaded windows & turned off firewalls & all......but to no avail......If I do the ninemsn.com page to come up....it won't show the sign in gif, it continues to keep trying but won't finish downloading the sign in gif.....at all...........PLZ PLZ HELP ME!.......I only have hotmail accounts.......GRRR hotmail
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posted by anonymus, on 9:28:10 EST Aug. 3 2005
the hotmail is not work cause erorr,the hotmail cause error on page in internet, the hotmail free is not work.
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posted by Anonymous, on 11:15:36 EST Jan. 5 2006
This hotmail thing has really got me stumped. For more than 3 days I cannot access my hotmail account, I cannot execute my windows (microsoft) update, I cannot register Visual 2005 Express downloads. Am at God's mercy.
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posted by hema, on 23:27:42 EST Jul. 8 2007
i am having hotmail id which i use in outlook express but if i am out and try to sign in from other pc and cannot open my a/c
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posted by Anonymous, on 0:03:10 EST Oct. 22 2008
I have a big problem with trying to access Hotmail via Outlook Express 2007. Outlook keep asking for my username and password, clicking ok does't work just keeps poping back up. All my details are correct though i'm not able to access my hotmail in outlook express. Can someone pls point me in the right direction for a fix so that it works. Birendra Shrestha
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posted by WCPRV, on 12:31:53 EST Sep. 1 2009
I received no notice of any kind....looks like it's time to move to LINUX.
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