# MS mail (outlook, Hotmail, Live) will no longer work with Windows Live Mail (WLM)



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

I received this email today:



> It appears that you are currently using Windows Live Mail 2012 to connect to your Outlook.com account. Windows Live Mail 2012 does not support the synchronization technologies used by the new Outlook.com. When account upgrades begin at the end of June, you will no longer be able to receive email sent to your Outlook.com account in Windows Live Mail 2012. Rest assured, you can always access your email by logging into Out*look*.*com from any web browser, and you will continue to have access to all your data that is currently in Windows Live Mail 2012.
> 
> 
> If you currently use Windows Live Mail 2012, we recommend that you switch to the Mail app in Windows today. The Mail app is built in to Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10, and has a more modern design. To begin using it, simply launch the app and add your Outlook.com account.
> ...



Basically says that if you have mail accounts with suffix @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, @msn you will no longer be able to use Windows Live Mail to receive and send mail from those accounts. Not a problem if you use mail program built into Windows 8, 8.1 or 10. But for those of using Windows Live Mail on Windows 7 (or XP?) only way to receive/send from those accounts is by using the Outlook.com web site. Inconvenient if you also have other accounts that all funnel into WLM.

MS of course say that you can upgrade your OS or take a free trial (later expensive) subscription to Office365. Personally, I will just get rid of those email accounts - I don't "need" them.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I suspect using WLM with any other mail service will quickly become unstable.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

That email doesn't say anything about third party programs. I wonder if Thunderbird (for example) will still work.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Retired Peasant said:


> That email doesn't say anything about third party programs. I wonder if Thunderbird (for example) will still work.


I asked and what they said, was that Outlook.com can be accessed via IMAP. This apparently means that WLM, Gmail, Thunderbird, Mobile apps, etc can be re-configured to access the Outlook.com imap servers.
















My plan is to eventually get rid of the Outlook.com email addresses. WLM should work for foreseeable future (Heck, Outlook Express & Mail on Vista still work and are better mail programs than the Mail included in Windows 10). It just won't sync calendar and contacts with Outlook.com.

OK - Just converted to IMAP for outlook.com on WLM. Seems to be working fine. Just need to follow steps in the link What they don't say, is that you may need to go in and delete duplicate items like 'Sent Items' but leave 'Sent'. Once new account is populated with messages, you can then click on now disabled original Outlook account in message pane and click on "remove account"


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## mrPPincer (Nov 21, 2011)

Looks like another step in MS's grand plan to get as many of their customers as possible on windows 10.

Once they have achieved their target critical mass, wait & see, they will start charging for every little thing like the Apple model.

I personally think this is a huge mistake.

Gamers (as in video games) were by and large kinda stuck with microsoft because the bulk of games were built to run on a MS operating system.
The gaming industry is an incredibly massive money-maker (and the source of the bulk of the innovation in the advancements we've seen in 3D mapping, computer AI, you name it, because of the money involved).

The gaming industry is seeing this move by MS; attempting to be able to make everything proprietary, and has been responding.

More and more games are being made to be run on Linux (freeware open source operating systems).
___

Steam, a highly successful marketing operation, due so to it's model of offering games (etc) online.
With a one-time competetively-priced purchase, you have the game (& subsequent upgrades) for life as long as you have your steam account (no fee, but violating terms & conditions, ie hacking or scamming or such, could result in suspension).

The model is successful for that reason.
Many gamers are computer savvy enough to hack the game for free, but don't have any problem throwing a few dollars in here and there for the convenience of having it all in one place, downloadable at any time, etc.

All the little purchases add up big time; I myself have probably spent quite a bit in tiny increments in the steam store over the years if I add it up, and have not the slightest regrets, they were a forward thinking model and that model is still going to be today's future imho, MS is moving backwards if they are going where it looks like they are (ie stranglehold, charging software providers & customers for every little thing).

Plus with Steam gamers have instant contact with their gamer friends etc.
(Facebook is doing something similar in that regard).

Steam and the gaming industry has forseen the direction MS is going and more and more of the games, even some of the biggest names are offering the Linux version alongside when you buy it.
___

I imho think this is, although potentially a huge mistake by MS, is going to be a great step forward in getting innnovation out of the limiting hands of the greedy multinationals and more into where it will blossom best, in the open source community, (where people actually work for free btw).

Wait & see, I predict some of the brightest gamers will begin moving to Linux (or similar open-sourced OSs) followed by more and more until there becomes a balance shift and MS-OS-based games become the Beta in the Beta vs VHS war. (genexers, it's a reference to the ancient video-tape format war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videotape_format_war).
___

I could be wrong, MS could see the writing on the wall and re-evaulate, or on the other hand they could have something even more diabolical in mind than what I'm seeing.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

agent99 said:


> MS of course say that you can upgrade your OS or take a free trial (later expensive) subscription to Office365. Personally, I will just get rid of those email accounts - I don't "need" them.


I have never used MS mail, prefer gmail.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I could never understand it all anyway...
I have a [email protected] account as my email address.
When i open it up to check or send email it opens up as a "mail.live.com" url address(or whatever the heck you call it).
When i have questions or problems i apparently have to search under "outlook" (I never know what version I have).
WTF ???


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## mrPPincer (Nov 21, 2011)

addendum/afterthought to my above (lengthy) post; microsoft probably has it's eyes on all those lucrative little cell-phone apps, and are probably trying to lock in customers (both buyer & sellers) to a proprietary system for that.

There could be some very good money going down that road actually, but I still think the desktop gamers will walk.

That said, seems console gaming may be going the way of the dinosaur now, so who knows, maybe desk-top gaming is next (just spitballing here).


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> I could never understand it all anyway...
> I have a [email protected] account as my email address.
> When i open it up to check or send email it opens up as a "mail.live.com" url address(or whatever the heck you call it).
> When i have questions or problems i apparently have to search under "outlook" (I never know what version I have).
> WTF ???


Did I read somewhere that you are still using XP? So that would have Outlook Express for mail? They never mentioned that, but presumably come end of June, you will no longer receive mail sent to or from your @hotmail.com address. However, if you change the account setup in Outlook Express so it accesses the Outlook.com IMAP servers, then you should be OK.


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