Microsoft Pisses Me Off.... Again!

Warning: Nerdly Post.

So I have a few email accounts. My main account is Gmail which I've linked up through this program called Thunderbird because I kept getting into fights with Microsoft Outlook. Outlook would choke if I had too much email (3GB+) and it would shut down or start up with errors or whatever. Annoying. Anyway, the gmail works nice nice with Thunderbird and I recommend the combo. And I like Gmail. It never bothers me. Thunderbird has yet to crash once.

I also have a mail.com email address that I use only for signing up for shady stuff or confirming emails in places that I don't want to use my regular email address. Like if it's a one time thing I use the mail.com address to try and keep spam away from my regular email. Junk email basically.

And the third account is my Hotmail account that I use for this site. I probably would have dropped Hotmail a while ago because it's annoying and dumb and crushed with spam-- but Hotmail is too tied into this place for me to ever change it. So to make life easier, years ago, I linked Hotmail to Outlook Express (the bastard soulless sibling of Microsoft Outlook). I hooked it up so I don't have to constantly log in online and all that. That's what I've done for years...

The other day I go to check email and I get this error:

I click over to 'Learn more' and get this message and roll my eyes...

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You receive an error message when you use Outlook Express or Outlook to access your Hotmail account

On This Page

SUMMARY

 

Symptoms of the problem

 

Steps to resolve the problem

Method 1: Use Windows Live Mail instead of Outlook Express

 

Method 2: Use Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 together with the Outlook Connecto

SUMMARY

Only paid Hotmail accounts work correctly with Microsoft Outlook Express. Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 can use the Outlook Connector to access a free Hotmail account.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

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Symptoms of the problem

After you configure Microsoft Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook to access your Hotmail account, you receive the following error message when you try to download your Hotmail folders and when you try to send and receive e-mail messages:

Unknown Error

If you click Details, the following error details appear:

HTTPMAIL: 10:09:18 [rx]

HTTP/1.1 402 Access to Hotmail via Outlook & Outlook Express now requires a subscription. Please sign up at http://join.msn.com/hotmailplus/overview

If you are running Outlook Express on a Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer, you receive the following error message:

Could not connect to Hotmail as username@hotmail.com.

Hotmail no longer allows email access via Outlook Express for free Hotmail/MSN accounts.

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Steps to resolve the problem

To resolve this issue, use Method 1 for Outlook Express. Use Method 2 for Outlook 2003 and for Outlook 2007.

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Method 1: Use Windows Live Mail instead of Outlook Express

Windows Live Mail is an e-mail program that you install on your computer. Windows Live Mail stores messages on your computer. This means that you can access, read, and compose e-mail messages even when you are not connected to the Internet. After you connect, Windows Live Mail will send and receive messages and update your accounts. Windows Live Mail works with popular Web-based e-mail services such as Hotmail, AOL mail, Google mail, and Yahoo! mail. Windows Live Mail is built to automatically configure many popular e-mail services. To install Windows Live Mail, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview (http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview)

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Method 2: Use Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 together with the Outlook Connector

For more information about how to use a Windows Live Hotmail account in Outlook, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102218231033.aspx (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102218231033.aspx)

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But dags Microsoft! How just creating ONE simple webpage that explains this situation in somewhat friendly terms? And maybe suggest upgrading instead of just shoving me into another room and slamming the door? I understand your wanting people to upgrade and change programs. Fine! But I don't know any other company that actually disconnects the existing program when they want you to upgrade. Maybe they stop supporting it! Or annoyingly suggest upgrading non-stop! But no other place just unplugs shit and throws it in the garbage and says, 'FU deal with it'. Especially a program that is on probably 90% of all machines out there! And people are using it to link to a friggin Microsoft service!

I think about the thousands (?) of people that just had their email situation change with no notice and no tact. I know this is the old Microsoft story but it's getting ridiculous. It's time to start respecting whatever "customers" you have left or you'll just continue to wobble down this stupid road and end up at some roadside bar with AOL talking about the good ol' days and how people are stupid assholes. Show some goddamn respect for us people who are still hanging in there with your programs! And FYI wasn't Express that needed an overhaul! It was Hotmail! Changing the font and colors and making the layout worse-- is not an upgrade! Get a clue! Fix your stupid spam filter!

Steve Ballmer get your stupid face out of your money and look around the room once in a while-- or just shove off! Your whole company is turning into a bad joke! We're all sick of this rude crap! You're stinking up the interwebs with your lazy old microfarts circa 1999!

ok bye!
tOdd