Outlook 365 changes IMAP server

AldoRossi · 8 Jul 2012, 05:46 AM

I recently started using Outlook 365, but I've been annoyed with a bug: it changes the IMAP server name mail.messagingengine.com to (a half-assed guess based on my fasmail.fm domain) imap.xsmail.com! I've changed it many times to the correct IMAP server name (mail.messagingengine.com) and within a couple of minutes I again receive the message from fastmail.fm that I must make a change by July 14 to not use imap.xsmail.com as an IMAP server name.

Has anyone experienced this?

I haven't found anywhere on the Web where I could report this problem to Micrososft--that sorry-assed excuse of a software company.

lane · 8 Jul 2012, 08:11 AM

This behaviour is sometimes due to having another email client continuing to access the old server name. For example, do you have a smartphone or a laptop/second computer set up with the old name? Or even, sometime in the past, set up another email service (hotmail or gmail for example) to poll your Fastmail inbox using the old server?

AldoRossi · 8 Jul 2012, 09:05 AM

Thanks. Every email client I've used in the past several years has used the server name mail.messagingengine.com. I only recently began to use a smartphone and I configured it with that server name. My present laptop is fairly new and I have installed only Postbox, Outlook, and LiveMail, later uninstalling LiveMail. In fact, I can't recall ever having specified imap.xsmail.com, and it surprised me to see that it worked! With Outlook 365, I've corrected the server name many times, acknowledge the email to activate the change, but within a couple of minutes fastmail.fm lets me know that the server name has been put back incorrectly. When I first set up the account, in Outlook 365, the set up procedure completed successfully without giving me a chance to set up the server name. I had to find the way to set up its correct name, but like I said, the change doesn't last.

lane · 8 Jul 2012, 09:56 AM

I don't have any experience with Outlook 365, so I haven't any other ideas. Is Outlook 365 somehow related to Office 365?

AldoRossi · 8 Jul 2012, 10:04 AM

Yes, it's a browser version of Microsoft Office Outlook, part of the "Office suite on the cloud", Office 365.

David · 8 Jul 2012, 10:32 AM

I did find this - and this.

I don't use the service myself but have thought about it.

AldoRossi · 8 Jul 2012, 11:23 AM

Thanks! Those two finds touch on a similar problem, but on the desktop Outlook.

I do report this workaround that seems to be working, although it has two parts and I'm unsure if one or the other is sufficient or both are necessary:

(1) Retire desktop Outlook (mine is Office 2007) by removing all its accounts and purging all its local folders. (I'll be using only PostBox now.)

(2) In the browser version of Outlook (Outlook 365), record the correct server name mail.messagingenging.com as the IMAP server and save the changes, BUT IGNORE the request to click on the acknowledgement link it sends (before I can send from the account, it claims). I skipped the acknowledgment, yet I'm still able to send from the account AND the undesired reversion to the incorrect IMAP account name has not happened.

I'll see if this good pattern holds past 1 hour so far and stays in place for good.

Thank you both very much for your help.

8 Jul 2012, 05:46 AM	#1
AldoRossi Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 19	Outlook 365 changes IMAP server I recently started using Outlook 365, but I've been annoyed with a bug: it changes the IMAP server name mail.messagingengine.com to (a half-assed guess based on my fasmail.fm domain) imap.xsmail.com! I've changed it many times to the correct IMAP server name (mail.messagingengine.com) and within a couple of minutes I again receive the message from fastmail.fm that I must make a change by July 14 to not use imap.xsmail.com as an IMAP server name. Has anyone experienced this? I haven't found anywhere on the Web where I could report this problem to Micrososft--that sorry-assed excuse of a software company.

8 Jul 2012, 09:05 AM	#3
AldoRossi Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 19	Outlook 365 changes IMAP server Thanks. Every email client I've used in the past several years has used the server name mail.messagingengine.com. I only recently began to use a smartphone and I configured it with that server name. My present laptop is fairly new and I have installed only Postbox, Outlook, and LiveMail, later uninstalling LiveMail. In fact, I can't recall ever having specified imap.xsmail.com, and it surprised me to see that it worked! With Outlook 365, I've corrected the server name many times, acknowledge the email to activate the change, but within a couple of minutes fastmail.fm lets me know that the server name has been put back incorrectly. When I first set up the account, in Outlook 365, the set up procedure completed successfully without giving me a chance to set up the server name. I had to find the way to set up its correct name, but like I said, the change doesn't last.

8 Jul 2012, 08:11 AM	#2
lane Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kars, NB, Canada Posts: 702	This behaviour is sometimes due to having another email client continuing to access the old server name. For example, do you have a smartphone or a laptop/second computer set up with the old name? Or even, sometime in the past, set up another email service (hotmail or gmail for example) to poll your Fastmail inbox using the old server?

8 Jul 2012, 09:56 AM	#4
lane Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kars, NB, Canada Posts: 702	I don't have any experience with Outlook 365, so I haven't any other ideas. Is Outlook 365 somehow related to Office 365?

8 Jul 2012, 10:04 AM	#5
AldoRossi Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 19	Yes, it's a browser version of Microsoft Office Outlook, part of the "Office suite on the cloud", Office 365.

8 Jul 2012, 10:32 AM	#6
David Ultimate Contributor Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Canada. Posts: 10,355	I did find this - and this. I don't use the service myself but have thought about it.

8 Jul 2012, 11:23 AM	#7
AldoRossi Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 19	Thanks! Those two finds touch on a similar problem, but on the desktop Outlook. I do report this workaround that seems to be working, although it has two parts and I'm unsure if one or the other is sufficient or both are necessary: (1) Retire desktop Outlook (mine is Office 2007) by removing all its accounts and purging all its local folders. (I'll be using only PostBox now.) (2) In the browser version of Outlook (Outlook 365), record the correct server name mail.messagingenging.com as the IMAP server and save the changes, BUT IGNORE the request to click on the acknowledgement link it sends (before I can send from the account, it claims). I skipped the acknowledgment, yet I'm still able to send from the account AND the undesired reversion to the incorrect IMAP account name has not happened. I'll see if this good pattern holds past 1 hour so far and stays in place for good. Thank you both very much for your help.