# Microsoft, Hotmail, Outlook Express cluster f\*\*k **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501 "2008-04-23T03:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/1 "2008-04-23T03:57:10Z")
I have several Hotmail accounts I use to segregate mail I receive from a bunch of different Yahoo groups. It is easy to use Outlook Express to pull the mail from Hotmail. Unfortunately, I got this: > [@](#): > > Dear Microsoft Outlook Express customer, > > Thank you for using Microsoft® Outlook® Express. Our information indicates that you use Outlook Express to access a Windows Live™ Hotmail® e-mail account via a protocol called DAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol). DAV, like POP3 or IMAP\*, is the way that a mail client communicates with a web-based mail server. > > As a valued customer, we want to provide advanced notice that as of June 30, 2008, Microsoft is disabling the DAV protocol and you will no longer be able to access your Hotmail Inbox via Outlook Express. As an alternative, we recommend that you download Windows Live Mail, a free desktop e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This next generation of free e-mail software will allow you to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts—including Windows Live Hotmail, plus other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. No biggie, I think. But the catch is that Live Mail requires XP, and I am only running 2000. Is there a workaround? \*Would it be helpful if I mentioned that I don’t know what any of this is? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/2 "2008-04-23T04:41:12Z")
No idea about the Win2k situation but I switched from the full version of Outlook to Windows Live Mail and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Live Mail seems like a pretty good app. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/3 "2008-04-23T04:48:37Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] No idea about the Win2k situation but I switched from the full version of Outlook to Windows Live Mail and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Live Mail seems like a pretty good app. [/QUOTE] You’re running XP? Like I said, it wasn’t too big a deal to me, until I found I couldn’t do it with 2000. Maybe my computer recycler guy can get me a deal on XP. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/4 "2008-04-23T05:04:27Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] You’re running XP? Like I said, it wasn’t too big a deal to me, until I found I couldn’t do it with 2000. Maybe my computer recycler guy can get me a deal on XP. [/QUOTE] Yup, XP Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/5 "2008-04-23T05:09:55Z")
I’m just planning on abandoning my two Hotmail accounts. Gmail is better anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/6 "2008-04-23T08:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=Rico] I’m just planning on abandoning my two Hotmail accounts. Gmail is better anyway. [/QUOTE] I did that a long, long time ago. I still look into my Hotmail accounts occasionally to check if there’s anything important, but I’ve been much, much happier with GMail. Oh, and did I mention POP3 _and_ IMAP support? And far, far snappier performance than Hotmail? It may look a little less slick, but I think it’s actually much less cluttered and more elegant. Vive la GMail! ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/7 "2008-04-24T04:53:22Z")
[/crickets] I have maybe 30 hotmail accounts collecting email from an even larger number of interest groups. I really need an easy fix for this. Anyone? Please? [resume crickets if you must] ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/8 "2008-04-24T06:30:18Z")
Looks like the answer is to reconfigure your Outlook to use POP3. [Try this](http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general/browse_thread/thread/493d46bb2eed5a14) which links [to this](http://liveunplugged.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F92775FC46A390CA!171.entry). ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/9 "2008-04-24T08:44:34Z")
I’m running Vista and want to access with regular Office (not Express). Does this apply to me, as well? ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/10 "2008-04-24T10:36:07Z")
You might take a look at [Thunderbird](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/). I can’t vouch for it as it is years since I used it but it was good then. Only use webmail now. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/11 "2008-04-25T00:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] Looks like the answer is to reconfigure your Outlook to use POP3. [Try this](http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general/browse_thread/thread/493d46bb2eed5a14) which links [to this](http://liveunplugged.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F92775FC46A390CA!171.entry). [/QUOTE] :smack: I shoulda known there would be discussion there. :smack: Bad Oslo! Sit in corner! ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-hotmail-outlook-express-cluster-f-k/446501/12 "2008-04-25T14:32:05Z")
Do you run a recent version of Office? I have Outlook 2003, and [Outlook Connector](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7aad7e6a-931e-438a-950c-5e9ea66322d4&displaylang=en) works pretty well to download Hotmail to a local client.