# hotmail **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2001, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045 "2001-06-08T12:21:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glass\_onion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@glass\_onion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glass_onion)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/1 "2001-06-08T12:21:22Z")
Hi people,a simple question I hope, I have an email account here in my college, and the powers that be do not allow us access to any other email facilities, like hotmail. How do I set up my hotmail account to send all mails on to my college account? is it possible? thanks ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/2 "2001-06-08T12:30:08Z")
You can’t. Sorry. There may be some free email providers that allow you to automatically forward mail to your college account, but Hotmail doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/3 "2001-06-08T13:05:13Z")
I think the way to do this is to change the setting on your college account to _retrieve_ your hotmail mail, rather than attempt to have an account divert all mail to a further account, though I’ve had little success doing this. But then I’m computer illiterate. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/4 "2001-06-08T13:08:21Z")
Knowing Irish Colleges like I do, I very much doubt there is a POP3 server (which does what you are talking about, Andy). Well, Onion, I guess you’ll just have to do without pictures 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/5 "2001-06-08T14:25:10Z")
I don’t know from hotmail, specifically, but– If you can set up a computer, or you have a trusted friend or relative somewhere on this planet who has a computer, such that this other computer CAN retrieve your hotmail email – put Eudora or Outlook on that computer with filter (Eudora) or inbox assistant (outlook) set up to auto-forward any email containing the string [yourusername@hotmail.com](mailto:yourusername@hotmail.com) to your college account. Although why a campus would have any business preventing you from accessing email servers other than their own is difficult to fathom. I work in a firewall-obsessed security-conscious environment heck, they even change the codes on the damn BATHROOMS every couple months! But I have no difficulty obtaining my emails directly through my regular account. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/6 "2001-06-08T14:40:42Z")
I am not sure I understand because if you have access to the internet then you have access to hotmail and other net based email. If you do not have Net access, how can you get to the SDMB? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/7 "2001-06-08T15:09:45Z")
It’s not surprising why it’s blocked or difficult to set the block at all. It’s easy to block single sites like Hotmail through any remotely decent firewall product. As for why, that’s no surprise either. Hotmail is enormously popular, which has two effects. One is on bandwidth. I recently reviewed the IT setup at a large British software company, and the IT director’s number one wish was to block all web-based email, because 75% of the traffic throught their firewall was to Hotmail. The second reason is time-wasting. Unrestricted internet access is hated by most employers. Many restrict web-based email because they see it as an easy way for employees to chat to their mates and waste company time. It might seem very restrictive to people here, but believe me there are a lot of employers who loathe the bandwidth and time wasted on places like Hotmail. ---
**Author:** ![Ariadne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@Ariadne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ariadne)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail/68045/8 "2001-06-11T14:07:38Z")
If they’re just restricting you from the hotmail site, then you can choose an obscure email site. I have an account that I use to register for sites that won’t accept my yahoo address. You can find other sites like that by searching on yahoo for “free email”. Btw, not to hijack your thread, but I really hate sites that won’t accept a yahoo or hotmail address. I had to register at one site ([www.theknot.com](http://www.theknot.com)) just to look at _advertisments_ for wedding dresses. I was so happy to give them my spambox address so that all the stupid ads they think they’re sending to my real address can be easily deleted 🙂 P.s. My favorite obscure email provider was [fnkewl.net](http://fnkewl.net), I wonder what ever happened to it.