 |
|
|
Hotmail Support in Outlook...
Microsoft Outlook 97, 98, and 2000 do not support Hotmail accounts
directly. While there
are workarounds like 3rd party add-ins, folder home pages, or Outlook Bar shortcut to a web page, many still want native support.
Well the good news is, there is a method to get access to your Hotmail
account in Outlook
2000 Internet Mail Only mode with Service Pack 1/1a applied. The bad news
is, this method does have limitations. Hey, what can
I say, it is an unsupported configuration and can cause problems.
| Setup |
The following steps will establish a Hotmail account in
Microsoft Outlook 2000 (IMO).
- Start Outlook Express
- Choose Tools | Accounts.
If you do not have a Hotmail
account defined, select Close then Tools | New
Account Signup | Hotmail.
- In the Accounts dialog box,
select the Hotmail account and then click the Export
button to save
the account as an .iaf file.
- Start Outlook 2000
- Choose Tools |
Accounts and click the Import button to import the .iaf file you
just exported.
This places a Hotmail - Inbox icon on the Outlook Bar. In the folder list, you will
see a parent folder for Hotmail, with Bulk Mail, Deleted Items, Inbox, Sent Items, and
any additional folders that you created in your Hotmail mailbox.
|
|
|
| Limitations |
Here is a short list of things you will encounter when
using this method.
-
Unable to send email via the Hotmail account.
You will need to send all messages via your default SMTP
or IMAP account. As a workaround, you can define
another POP/SMTP account with your Hotmail address and
use your ISPs SMTP server. Just remember to
disable this account from checking for new messages or
full synchronizations. With the above
configuration and File | Send Using,
you will be on your way in sending email with
your Hotmail address.
- Outlook will not give you any notification when new
items are available in your Hotmail account. Plan
to use Tools | Download or switching between folders to force Outlook to retrieve new message
headers.
- Right-clicking on any of the Hotmail folders will
cause Outlook to crash.
- Exporting from a Hotmail Folder to a PST file can
generate errors.
|
|
|
| Notes |
 |
Now that you have Hotmail in Outlook, here are some quick
notes to bring you up to speed.
- When you select one of the Hotmail
folders in Outlook, you will notice a new column the
gurus call "Download State" [pictured left]. This
column will help identify which items are available to you when you
are working offline. Items marked with the full sheet
of paper is a copy of the complete message stored on
your computer. The half sheet means that you
only have a copy of the message header.
- When you are working online, simply selecting a
message will cause it to be downloaded.
- Use the commands under Tools | Download to get
headers, all items, or selected items.
- Hotmail messages is stored in a Personal Folders
(.pst) file named Hotmail-####.pst, where ####
represents a number automatically assigned by
Outlook. If you delete the Hotmail account
from the Account dialog, Outlook automatically
deletes the PST file.
- If you convert from Internet Mail Only to Corporate
or Workgroup mode, Outlook does not migrate the
Hotmail account. However, it does leave the
Hotmail-####.pst file intact. You can open the .pst file by selecting
File | Open | Personal Folders File (.pst).
|
|
Updated
14 Jan 2001
|
|
|
|
 |
