Something I discovered with Hotmail/Outlook

mike1977 · 28 Aug 2012, 11:58 AM

A Hotmail address that I have is spammed and obviously got some of those random invites to be contacts on the messenger. Now I renamed that and made it an alias.

I used Live Messenger with another account and I added the now-alias as a contact. What displayed? The Windows Live ID the spammed alias is under.

So that Windows Live ID you never ever tell anyone and only use for logging in purposes gets found out by someone else by trying to friend the alias.

drew · 29 Aug 2012, 02:19 AM

I am not the one to give advice or to comment
on this due to I am not on that level.

But I worked all my life with problem solving

I where extremely bad at it but one thing I do know.

I suggest that you give us more details in a way
that allow us to get what is really going on.

I don't trust that the description you gave there
will motivate enough people to try to get it?

Or you just are out of luck. Those who would know
where at work or on travel and did not see your post?

Will be interesting to see how all this will get solved
Friendly smile. Good luck or do make a more detailed
description.

mike1977 · 3 Sep 2012, 08:50 AM

See the third reason at https://www.fastmail.fm/help/features_aliases.html

If someone spam adds the alias, your "trickyaccountname" shows up instead and is in the hands of who knows who. And the reason you might want to keep a spammed alias around for a little while after you switch to something else is if you find out your forgot to change the email address on something.

I think this needs to be suggested to Microsoft.

https://feedback.live.com/default.as...ey=wlmessenger

Tsunami · 7 Sep 2012, 05:41 AM

Is it correct that Outlook.com offers unlimited storage AND an inactivity limit of 9 months? That is in Wikipedia's comparison table of webmail providers. Seems a bit too good to be true if the interface also looks like the neat Outlook client version. Hotmail used to have a ridiculous 30 days inactivity limit and 2 MB storage in the old days, and now they go to another extreme of 9 months inactivity limit + unlimited storage (thereby doing better than Yahoo and Gmail) ?

If it is all true I'd be very enthousiast, especially because interface wise I like the desktop client Outlook, so a webmail version of it with such inactivity limit and such storage would be like music to my ears. But it sounds a bit too good to be true and the info comes from wikipedia.

Not sure if this article is neutral since the website is unknown to me, but this article is very enthousiast about the move.

Of course; even if it would all be true (unlimited storage, 9 months inactivity limit, Outlook like interface), the question is how long before a new revamp will happen? Hotmail seemed to be around forever, and even this one seems to near its death... So if the new alternative is an improvement, how long will this one last? The last thing I need is storing all emails for years and then see the account go down because the provider wants to revamp its service...

William9 · 7 Sep 2012, 11:31 AM

There are so many unknowns in this life, especially within the rapidly changing technology domain, you should just go with it and adapt to the changes. Changes are often for the better

Berenburger · 7 Sep 2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsunami

Is it correct that Outlook.com offers unlimited storage AND an inactivity limit of 9 months? That is in Wikipedia's comparison table of webmail providers. Seems a bit too good to be true if the interface also looks like the neat Outlook client version. Hotmail used to have a ridiculous 30 days inactivity limit and 2 MB storage in the old days, and now they go to another extreme of 9 months inactivity limit + unlimited storage (thereby doing better than Yahoo and Gmail) ?

This is correct.

An account becomes inacive whenif you don't sign in for more than 270 days or within the first 10 days after signing up for an account.

Outlook.com includes email storage that expands to provide you with as much storage space as you need. Your inbox capacity will automatically increase as you need more space. If your inbox grows too fast, you might not be able to send or receive any more messages.

B4its2L8 · 7 Sep 2012, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsunami

Seems a bit too good to be true if the interface also looks like the neat Outlook client version.

It doesn't.

I think "Outlook" is more of an ad gimmick. To get away from "Hotmail" and "Live" they chose the more professional-sounding "Outlook." It is a better domain (IMO), but it certainly does not look like the Outlook email client, nor does it have anywhere near its functionality.

Still, the new webmail client is a nice, clean interface. Just don't expect it to look/feel/act like the expensive offline Office client.

Tsunami · 8 Sep 2012, 09:01 PM

It sounds tempting. Usually providers giving unlimited storage and such an inactivity limit for free, go bust rapidly enough. Microsoft has the means to do so on the long haul. I am amazed most of all with the 9 months inactivity limit ; in the past the inactivity limit of Hotmail was disgracefully low, and now they suddenly have the same (more acceptable) one as Gmail ...

Even if it doesn't look exactly like the client, it probably sounds like an improvement compared to the old Hotmail interface. Does it have drag and drop? I saw screenshots on some sites and it looks a bit like a mixture of the client and the old webmail interface, but cleaner than the old webmail interface and keeping the nice folder "pyramid structure" of the desktop client. That is, if the screenshots I saw are to become the permanent layout.

Hotmail seemed like something to survive forever. Live isn't even that old. And now another change. That is what I'd be most concerned about. Imagine someone sticking with Hotmail for 10 years or more and storing his important emails there, now reading Hotmail is in the last stages of its lifecycle... If Microsoft sticks with the new Outlook project for many years to come, it sounds very interesting.

walesrob · 11 Sep 2012, 05:48 PM

I opened a new Outlook email account to check out the features and all 3 test emails sent to it went straight to junk. The emails were sent from my EuMX account, my Tuffmail account and a Yahoo account, all were configured correctly with proper and valid SPF (and in the case of EUMX/Yahoo, correctly signed), yet, M$ still tagged them spammy. So the new Outlook, its just a new dress, nothing else, its still the same broken system underneath.

Berenburger · 11 Sep 2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walesrob

I opened a new Outlook email account to check out the features and all 3 test emails sent to it went straight to junk. The emails were sent from my EuMX account, my Tuffmail account and a Yahoo account, all were configured correctly with proper and valid SPF (and in the case of EUMX/Yahoo, correctly signed), yet, M$ still tagged them spammy. So the new Outlook, its just a new dress, nothing else, its still the same broken system underneath.

Did the same from my EuMX account. Received normally in my (Outlook.com) inbox.

FredOnline · 11 Sep 2012, 09:14 PM

Strange, it works OK for some but not for others.

I've had no problem with valid e-mails being classed as spam under the new outlook.com . . . yet.

just1acc · 12 Sep 2012, 12:08 PM

Well, folks must understand Outlook is a look (interface) upgrade to hotmail / live, not much functional upgrade per se. So don't expect Hotmail bugs are fixed in Outlook.

From my end there is no spam problem/bug from the Live.com era.

Tsunami · 13 Sep 2012, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by just1acc

Well, folks must understand Outlook is a look (interface) upgrade to hotmail / live, not much functional upgrade per se. So don't expect Hotmail bugs are fixed in Outlook.

From my end there is no spam problem/bug from the Live.com era.

If the inactivity limit is really increased to 9 months and with unlimited storage, that's more of an improvement that I ever expected from Microsoft (keeping the old 30 days limit and 2 MB in mind)

I remember similar issues with other providers by the way who tagged incoming emails as spam while they were genuine. Maybe it happens more with Hotmail though, I haven't used it in years, but it's for sure not the only provider with such issues. How many mails from mail.ru are incorrectly considered spam simply because of the .ru extention??

28 Aug 2012, 11:58 AM	#1
mike1977 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Auburn Posts: 153	Something I discovered with Hotmail/Outlook A Hotmail address that I have is spammed and obviously got some of those random invites to be contacts on the messenger. Now I renamed that and made it an alias. I used Live Messenger with another account and I added the now-alias as a contact. What displayed? The Windows Live ID the spammed alias is under. So that Windows Live ID you never ever tell anyone and only use for logging in purposes gets found out by someone else by trying to friend the alias. Last edited by mike1977 : 28 Aug 2012 at 12:03 PM.

3 Sep 2012, 08:50 AM	#3
mike1977 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Auburn Posts: 153	See the third reason at https://www.fastmail.fm/help/features_aliases.html If someone spam adds the alias, your "trickyaccountname" shows up instead and is in the hands of who knows who. And the reason you might want to keep a spammed alias around for a little while after you switch to something else is if you find out your forgot to change the email address on something. I think this needs to be suggested to Microsoft. https://feedback.live.com/default.as...ey=wlmessenger Last edited by mike1977 : 3 Sep 2012 at 09:07 AM.

11 Sep 2012, 05:48 PM	#9
walesrob Essential Contributor Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UK Posts: 392	Outlook.com is a bit of a Tart I opened a new Outlook email account to check out the features and all 3 test emails sent to it went straight to junk. The emails were sent from my EuMX account, my Tuffmail account and a Yahoo account, all were configured correctly with proper and valid SPF (and in the case of EUMX/Yahoo, correctly signed), yet, M$ still tagged them spammy. So the new Outlook, its just a new dress, nothing else, its still the same broken system underneath.

29 Aug 2012, 02:19 AM	#2
drew The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,626	I am not the one to give advice or to comment on this due to I am not on that level. But I worked all my life with problem solving I where extremely bad at it but one thing I do know. I suggest that you give us more details in a way that allow us to get what is really going on. I don't trust that the description you gave there will motivate enough people to try to get it? Or you just are out of luck. Those who would know where at work or on travel and did not see your post? Will be interesting to see how all this will get solved Friendly smile. Good luck or do make a more detailed description.

7 Sep 2012, 05:41 AM	#4
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,532	Is it correct that Outlook.com offers unlimited storage AND an inactivity limit of 9 months? That is in Wikipedia's comparison table of webmail providers. Seems a bit too good to be true if the interface also looks like the neat Outlook client version. Hotmail used to have a ridiculous 30 days inactivity limit and 2 MB storage in the old days, and now they go to another extreme of 9 months inactivity limit + unlimited storage (thereby doing better than Yahoo and Gmail) ? If it is all true I'd be very enthousiast, especially because interface wise I like the desktop client Outlook, so a webmail version of it with such inactivity limit and such storage would be like music to my ears. But it sounds a bit too good to be true and the info comes from wikipedia. Not sure if this article is neutral since the website is unknown to me, but this article is very enthousiast about the move. Of course; even if it would all be true (unlimited storage, 9 months inactivity limit, Outlook like interface), the question is how long before a new revamp will happen? Hotmail seemed to be around forever, and even this one seems to near its death... So if the new alternative is an improvement, how long will this one last? The last thing I need is storing all emails for years and then see the account go down because the provider wants to revamp its service...

7 Sep 2012, 11:31 AM	#5
William9 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 2,281	There are so many unknowns in this life, especially within the rapidly changing technology domain, you should just go with it and adapt to the changes. Changes are often for the better

8 Sep 2012, 09:01 PM	#8
Tsunami The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: in between the bright lights and the far unlit unknown Posts: 2,532	It sounds tempting. Usually providers giving unlimited storage and such an inactivity limit for free, go bust rapidly enough. Microsoft has the means to do so on the long haul. I am amazed most of all with the 9 months inactivity limit ; in the past the inactivity limit of Hotmail was disgracefully low, and now they suddenly have the same (more acceptable) one as Gmail ... Even if it doesn't look exactly like the client, it probably sounds like an improvement compared to the old Hotmail interface. Does it have drag and drop? I saw screenshots on some sites and it looks a bit like a mixture of the client and the old webmail interface, but cleaner than the old webmail interface and keeping the nice folder "pyramid structure" of the desktop client. That is, if the screenshots I saw are to become the permanent layout. Hotmail seemed like something to survive forever. Live isn't even that old. And now another change. That is what I'd be most concerned about. Imagine someone sticking with Hotmail for 10 years or more and storing his important emails there, now reading Hotmail is in the last stages of its lifecycle... If Microsoft sticks with the new Outlook project for many years to come, it sounds very interesting.

11 Sep 2012, 09:14 PM	#11
FredOnline The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 2,616	Strange, it works OK for some but not for others. I've had no problem with valid e-mails being classed as spam under the new outlook.com . . . yet.

12 Sep 2012, 12:08 PM	#12
just1acc Essential Contributor Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 453	Well, folks must understand Outlook is a look (interface) upgrade to hotmail / live, not much functional upgrade per se. So don't expect Hotmail bugs are fixed in Outlook. From my end there is no spam problem/bug from the Live.com era.