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Hotmail ends free Outlook Express/Outlook access.

I tried to sync my hotmail e-mail account through Outlook Express today, and got the following error (which was nice)

The error message dialog contains a link which, when clicked links to Microsoft's Support site, the following Knowledge Base article is displayed - this explains that Hotmail "free" accounts can no longer be accessed through Outlook or Outlook Express - you still have the option to access your Hotmail account through the Web based UI, or upgrade your Hotmail account to a subscription account using the following link. I don't get too many e-mails through the hotmail account, so will probably stick with the Web based UI, at least for now...

- Mike

Posted: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 3:54 PM by mikehall

Comments

Neil Cowburn said:

That's funny (and a dubious decision) considering GMail is in the process of turning on POP access for all accounts.
# November 17, 2004 4:08 PM

Nathan Maffeo said:

I bit the bullet and payed the 25 bucks a year. The way i figued it was this:

1)I can well afford it.

2)70% of my mail comes through hotmail

3)Unlike what you would read at slantdot, their spam filter works quite well

4) 2gigs of storage

I do have a gmail account (2 actually) and i'm sort of underwhelmed. Other than the space (which is huge, but half that of my hotmail) the only thing i really like is the javascript context menu when typing in addresses. what i DONT like is that it is unaccessable through anything but the browser! I have a smart phone (the audiovox 5600 - amazing product) and i would like to read my mail from it - but there is no way for me to do that with gmail. Even if i browse to the site, the page tells me i have a down-level browser and wont let me log in. Hotmail on the otherhand send me free alerts for every message i get, plus i can browse my inbox if i want to.

Gmail is nice... but i'm waiting to see what they add in the live release.

Oh yea, and another thing... a little bit ago my gmailfs drive i had running wont connect anymore... did google shut off access through that program? Ah well...



# November 17, 2004 4:41 PM

Thornkin said:

That seals it. I'm moving to gmail. Outlook Express access was the only thing keeping me at hotmail.
# November 17, 2004 5:02 PM

,mnu9yh8uh said:

hahaha windows sucks, so does hotmail

use a good operating system like gentoo
# November 17, 2004 10:08 PM

Gerry S said:

Hotmail is useless ... I get a million porn and degree spams a day. GMail is nice simple and cool and free and has nothing to do with Micro$oft.

PS. No way dude.. SuSE 9.2 all the way.
# November 18, 2004 3:37 AM

Madcap said:

Been using hotmail for for close to 10 years...just since it was mobile....now with cell phones(namely Treo!!!) that check my POP mail...forget this....i get email with my internet access like most people....
They want money now....too late technology has passed them by......
# November 18, 2004 5:00 PM

john fuller said:

Gmail on cell phone? Now that Gmail allows for forwarding you can get Gmail on your cell phone. I get automatic alerts for both Gmail and Hotmail. What I really hate about Hotmail is it does not allow you to forward messages. I have been content with this problem because of the alerts to my cellphone but it still sucks. I have a Yahoo account that dumps into Gmail, I never have to check it. I wish I could do this with Hotmail.
# November 19, 2004 12:17 AM

Jon Randy said:

GMail now offers full POP and SMTP access
# November 19, 2004 2:08 AM

jim said:

It really is an interesting 'problem.'

And yeah, I'm planning to start that ever wonderful process of changing addresses and hittin' gmail (definately promising stuff so far)

With high hopes that something might come of it, I posted about the same thing on Robert Scoble's blog..maybe he'll have a lunch with one of the hotmail team and solve all our worries?
# November 21, 2004 11:17 PM

Mike said:

I'm interested to know how many of you accessed your free Hotmail account through Outlook or Outlook Express ?

- Mike
# November 22, 2004 6:27 AM

iZ said:

http://freepops.org will work, even with the newly emasculated Hotmail accounts.
# November 22, 2004 9:49 AM

me said:

Wasnt able to access through Outlook express yesterday but for some odd reason its working again today... is it just me?
# November 22, 2004 7:39 PM

Wei said:

Maybe MSN had too many potential customers revolt. I have multiple hotmail accounts. I use O.E. If forced to choose between cancelling them, paying for O.E. access, or going through a browser for each, they will be closed.

Every single one of them.

I have already downloaded FreePops. I was planning on trying it with my non-hotmail acounts since they no longer seem to be able to send in O.E. If need be, I will try it with my hotmail accounts. If that does not work, my hotmail accounts are gone.
# November 23, 2004 3:30 AM

me said:

I vaguely remember hotmail trying to do something similar a while back... no outlook express action for a few weeks then lo and behold its fine and working again. Guess they must buckle pretty easily under pressure... then again considering how many hotmail users are out there though it be crap load of pressure!
# November 24, 2004 12:58 AM

Mikehall's Embedded WebLog said:

# November 24, 2004 9:44 AM

Mike said:

My hotmail accounts are sync'ing again through Outlook Express... I'm interested to see how long this stays up...

- Mike
# November 24, 2004 9:53 AM

me said:

has anyone else had problems with the 250mb inbox upgrade? I have about 3 hotmail accounts I use for various purposes but one of them has been upgraded as yet and still stuck on 2mb... doesnt help that it happens to be the regular one I use as well!
# November 25, 2004 9:03 AM

me said:

that last post didnt make much sense did it... lets pretend it says 'one of them hasn't been upgraded as yet...'
# November 25, 2004 9:06 AM

JerryRigg said:

My OE has ben dead for two weeks. now all of a sudden is back up and will sync.
go figure, I was wanting to get an invite fo gmail, but I don't need that now.

...or do I?
# November 26, 2004 5:48 AM

CBK said:

Gimme your email address, Jerry, and I'll send you an invite... Any other takers?
# November 28, 2004 8:37 AM

Felix Eve said:

I think Hotmail must have caved under the pressure are allowed POP acess again. Lets face it, if they didn't then they wouldn't have any users left at all, especially with Gmail. I have been using hotmail for 6 years but may close my account and just change to Gmail purley as it has nothing to do with Microsoft!!
# November 29, 2004 9:32 AM

Chris said:

Anymore invites available?

xpatriot@hotmail.com
# December 17, 2004 8:37 AM

MeAgain said:

Is anyone having probs with OE and gmail? OE keeps asking for my password...which i know is correct..

# December 17, 2004 8:39 AM

Windows Embedded Blog Hotmail ends free Outlook Express Outlook access | Paid Surveys said:

PingBack from http://paidsurveyshub.info/story.php?title=windows-embedded-blog-hotmail-ends-free-outlook-express-outlook-access

# May 29, 2009 8:19 PM
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