LiveSide - News blog : Outlook Connector

Hotmail DAV Protocol retired; won’t work in Outlook, Outlook Express, or Entourage

Kip Kniskern — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:21:00 GMT

Last June, the Windows Live Hotmail team posted on some upcoming changes to the way Hotmail is handled by client email readers, and as of September 1st (yesterday, most places), the old protocol, DAV, (or Web DAV) has been retired.

If you hadn’t made changes to continue getting Hotmail in Outlook, Outlook Express, or Entourage, and accessed your mail using DAV, you won’t be able to access your Hotmail. The Windows Live Mail team blog has all the particulars on what to do. In a nutshell, either use the Outlook Connector, use Windows Live Mail, or set your Outlook Express settings to receive POP3.

These changes don’t affect Hotmail on the web, so you can always log in and get your mail that way while you get this figured out ;).

MSN Calendar To Windows Live Calendar Migration Starting Soon

Sunshine — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:03:03 GMT

We read before that this would happen starting March already, but the following announcement appeared on windowslivewire:

It’s almost moving time! We’ve been busy getting Windows Live Calendar ready for when we move all MSN Calendar customers over to the new and improved service on Windows Live.

Over the coming months, we will be moving all existing MSN Calendar customers over to Windows Live Calendar. The move will be gradual, that is, not everyone will see their calendars change on the same day.

So apparently the migration hadn’t started yet. In their article they also outline some features Windows Live Calendar offers over MSN Calendar and let you know that all of your MSN Calendar’s tasks and notes will be migrated into your new Windows Live to-do list. Furthermore they list what you should know for the move: If you only access your MSN Calendar through the web you need not do anything, however if you use Microsoft Office Outlook you will have to make sure you are using the latest version of Outlook Connector (version number 12.0.6414.1000 or greater).

Windows Live Calendar doesn’t support displaying attachments, hence the reminder we posted earlier to save those, or sending reminders to a secondary email address. You will also have to republish or share your calendars again in Windows Live Calendar after the move.

Microsoft to discontinue DAV email protocol September 1st

Kip Kniskern — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:13:59 GMT

In a blog post on Windows Live Wire, Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue the DAV protocol for accessing Hotmail on September 1, 2009. DAV (or WebDAV) is an older protocol, not suited to large inboxes, and with free POP3 access for all Hotmail accounts now available, the DAV protocol is no longer needed.

If you are still using DAV to access your email, for example from Outlook (not the Outlook Connector), or from Outlook Express or Apple’s Entourage, you’'ll need to make some changes before September. From the blog post:

If you use Microsoft Office Outlook to view Hotmail, download Office Outlook Connector (it’s free) to continue accessing your Hotmail within Outlook 2003 or 2007. If you’re using Outlook 2002, you’ll need to change the settings in your Outlook program. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Outlook.

If you use Outlook Express to view Hotmail, you can download Windows Live Mail (recommended) for free, or change your settings in Outlook Express to continue accessing your Hotmail there. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Outlook Express.

If you use Entourage to view Hotmail, you’ll need to change the settings in Entourage to continue receiving Hotmail messages there. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Entourage.

Reminder: Migration From MSN Calendar To Windows Live Calendar - Save Attachments Before March 1

Sunshine — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:26:41 GMT

We already mentioned in January that MSN Calendar users will be moved to the Windows Live Calendar service. This migration of existing MSN Calendar users to the Windows Live Calendar service will start in March. Windows Live Calendar does not support attachments to meetings and appointments. These will be removed from all meetings and appointments during the move. The Windows Live team recommends you save the attachments prior to March 1^st, 2009. If you have been using Outlook Connector 12.0 to synchronize Outlook with your MSN Calendar, you may also be able to retrieve/download a copy of the attachment from the event in your Outlook calendar.

Speaking of Outlook Connector: 12.0 users will be required to upgrade to the 12.1 version, which connects to Windows Live Calendar, starting February 24^th. Starting that date, if you haven’t upgraded already, you will be prompted to upgrade when you boot Outlook and try to sync your Hotmail account. Of course you can upgrade now too if you want, but make sure your calendar is synchronized with the MSN Calendar service before you do so. Whichever way you choose, please restart Outlook after you upgrade so the add-in will be installed correctly.

More information about this move and how to make sure everything migrates smoothly can be found in this blog post and the FAQ.

Microsoft releases new Outlook Connector with Windows Live Calendar beta synchronisation for all

Chris — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:42:00 GMT

Microsoft has just released a new version of the Outlook Connector, giving users access to the Windows Live services through Outlook. In what will be a popular move (judging by the comments on our last Calendar post), the latest version now adds in calendar synchronisation. This allows users of the new Calendar beta to synchronise multiple calendars to Outlook, and manage them from within the client. We’ve been tracking this release since we heard about the new version giving calendar synch to all users, which is a change from the older versions of the connector where calendar synch was only available to those with an MSN Premium subscription.

After a brief play with the new version, functionality looks good , with all calendars appearing in Outlook automatically after configuring the connector at startup. Just enter in your Live ID details during login and as with previous versions, it will download all your folders and email from Hotmail. With the new version 12.1 though, it’ll also download your calendars, which will be first noticeable when you switch to the calendar tab in Outlook.

The existing web calendars will show up in the sidebar, and the basic tasks are easy to do. From creating a new calendar, through to adding or editing an appointment, and then sending it out to other users should you wish to do so. For those who use Outlook in a corporate environment, and want to manage their personal calendar using the same tools, this is a great step forward and hopefully something that will help push for increased usage of the overall calendar service.

Download

Update: Service seems to be running fine now. Also if you add multiple Live IDs to the Outlook Connector you also get all the various WL Calendars :)

More on the free Outlook Connector beta and other e-mail FAQs

Matthew — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 18:21:00 GMT

As of September 27, 2004, all new Windows Live Hotmail accounts, including Office Live and Custom Domains don't have HTTP [WebDAV] support through Outlook and Outlook Express. In fact, for those users who haven't upgraded to Windows Vista, the new version of Outlook Express [Windows Mail] doesn't even have HTTP support for premium or old accounts. It's quite confusing, but thankfully Windows Live Mail is in beta and should relieve some of that confusion.

For business users and those who still prefer Outlook, Outlook Connector is now free for all Windows Live Hotmail accounts. People ask me why they would want connector if they already have HTTP accounts and there are a few reasons:

The beta version now also synchronizes with more folders, including Drafts. In fact, the new folder list will include: Deleted Items, Drafts, Inbox, Junk E-mail, Outbox, Sent Items, [and if using 2007] Search Folders. WebDAV only synchronizes Deleted Items, Inbox, Junk E-mail, and Sent Items.
Contacts! Although Outlook Express supported synchronization through Windows Address Book, that is now gone in Vista. Note--For those who only want to export in contacts in a spreadsheet without using Outlook can go through Windows Live Hotmail.
Only for Premium accounts: Calendar. Unfortunately Microsoft has perhaps added more confusion by withdrawing this feature from free accounts, but on the other hand they still have to give a reason for Premium accounts to pay. Thankfully the majority of features with Outlook Connector are free, but think of it this way: there's Outlook Connector Standard and Outlook Connector Premium. The calendar feature is also quite nice, it will even download shared calendars from Windows Live Calendar. There is also a free Office Online Internet Calendar Publishing Service for free accounts.

If Calendar sync is needed, an MSN Premium, Hotmail Plus, or a paid Office Live subscription would be required. Interestingly enough, Outlook Live [MOOL] disappeared months ago, apparently after the decision to make Outlook Connector free. MOOL had the promise of giving a 1-year lease on Outlook, with any updates to Outlook included in the subscription [i.e. from 2003 to 2007].

Users who try to add a free account should be prompted to upgrade to the beta. In addition, the new Outlook Connector is listed as a supplement attached to the license of Outlook, which seems to indicate that all support would go through Office.

As Chris said, there is more information and screenshots on the Office Online site, however the shots don't have the Outlook Connector menu or toolbar. You would think Microsoft would not want to add to the confusion? For a demo of the connector, see the MOOL online demo [a lot of the features are the same]. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!

@Matthew

Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta now available with Windows Live synch

Chris — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:14:00 GMT

The Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta that Andre Da Costa spotted last week is now available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. As announced at the Windows Live Hotmail launch, it is free for all users, ~~though~~ with no Genuine Advantage validation required.

From the download page:

Outlook Connector Beta enables you to use your Live Hotmail accounts within Outlook:

Read and send your Office Live Mail/Windows Live Hotmail e-mail messages.
Manage your Live Mail Contacts.
Use advanced options for blocking junk e-mail messages.
Manage multiple e-mail accounts in one place.

With a paid subscription, Outlook Connector Beta enables these additional features:

Manage, share, and synchronize your Windows Live Calendar in Outlook.
Access your Tasks and Notes.

While its a nice addition for those who need the powerful features that Outlook offers, regular users will probably prefer the new Windows Live Mail beta that is available. It'll be interesting to see if Windows Live Calendar support makes it into Windows Live Mail beta now that synchronisation with Outlook is classified as a premium feature. Interestingly enough, the non-beta version of the Outlook Connecter (the old one) is still available.

Screenshots

Update: Validation is only required on the non-beta build.