Outlook Connector (v12.0.4518.1068) can’t synchronize with OL 2007

MS Vista – OL 2007 SP1 – Outlook Connector (v12.0.4518.1068) – and:
4 free hotmail accounts (all MAPI)
1 free live account (MAPI)

Doesn’t look like this combination is working.

In fact, I’d like to argue that Outlook Connector remains a rather unproven
puppy to be treated with a great deal of suspicion; which, really, is a
shame. Like many other users, I welcomed the idea of a MS plug-in for OL to
read, send, access & synchronize hotmail accounts.

Unfortunately this seems to remain a rather elusive goal for MS to realise
fully and reliably.

Besides the above Vista based combination, I also have installed on another
machine XP-SP2 Pro with OL 2003 SP3 and the same Connector version as above.

On both machines I have problems receiving / synchronizing new mail from any
of my five accounts. Oddly enough, most (but not all) mail that has been
shunted to the junk mail folder does arrive in OL.

And yes, as far as I can tell, all synchronising options have been activated.

Rarely does OL receive new mail sitting in my inboxes.

Two of the hotmail accounts don’t synchronize at all with either OL version
(using Outlook Connector).

The one live account, plus the other two hotmail accounts usually
synchronise – but not always and never fully.

The one bright side is that at least I can use OL to reliably send mail.

Incidentally, I did try the free Windows Live Desktop progy, but found
synchronization issues with that one as well – albeit on a much lower scale.
However, I do prefer using OL as my email client. Besides, Windows Live
Desktop is no longer available for download as a stand-alone product, as one
can now only download it using a combined package installer. Granted, I can
uncheck the stuff I don’t need, but it’s still annoying to be forced using an
installer of sorts when it would be so much more convenient to offer the
public a direct download link. I guess only the folks who invented such
idiosyncrasies will ever understand that particular logic.

Anyway, if someone here has found a reliable and working solution to get OL
with the latest Outlook Connector version to reliably synchronize with MAPI
hotmail / live accounts, I’d love to hear how it’s to be done.

Thanks to all in advance.

If you create a mail profile with only 1 Live Hotmail account, does it work
correctly then?
With 5 accounts configured, I think you're killing the Connector.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

http://www.msoutlook.info/
Real World Questions, Real World Answers

-----

"akita" wrote in message
...
MS Vista – OL 2007 SP1 – Outlook Connector (v12.0.4518.1068) – and:
4 free hotmail accounts (all MAPI)
1 free live account (MAPI)

Doesn’t look like this combination is working.

In fact, I’d like to argue that Outlook Connector remains a rather
unproven
puppy to be treated with a great deal of suspicion; which, really, is a
shame. Like many other users, I welcomed the idea of a MS plug-in for OL
to
read, send, access & synchronize hotmail accounts.

Unfortunately this seems to remain a rather elusive goal for MS to realise
fully and reliably.

Besides the above Vista based combination, I also have installed on
another
machine XP-SP2 Pro with OL 2003 SP3 and the same Connector version as
above.

On both machines I have problems receiving / synchronizing new mail from
any
of my five accounts. Oddly enough, most (but not all) mail that has been
shunted to the junk mail folder does arrive in OL.

And yes, as far as I can tell, all synchronising options have been
activated.

Rarely does OL receive new mail sitting in my inboxes.

Two of the hotmail accounts don’t synchronize at all with either OL
version
(using Outlook Connector).

The one live account, plus the other two hotmail accounts usually
synchronise – but not always and never fully.

The one bright side is that at least I can use OL to reliably send mail.

Incidentally, I did try the free Windows Live Desktop progy, but found
synchronization issues with that one as well – albeit on a much lower
scale.
However, I do prefer using OL as my email client. Besides, Windows Live
Desktop is no longer available for download as a stand-alone product, as
one
can now only download it using a combined package installer. Granted, I
can
uncheck the stuff I don’t need, but it’s still annoying to be forced using
an
installer of sorts when it would be so much more convenient to offer the
public a direct download link. I guess only the folks who invented such
idiosyncrasies will ever understand that particular logic.

Anyway, if someone here has found a reliable and working solution to get
OL
with the latest Outlook Connector version to reliably synchronize with
MAPI
hotmail / live accounts, I’d love to hear how it’s to be done.

Thanks to all in advance.

"Roady [MVP]" wrote:

If you create a mail profile with only 1 Live Hotmail account, does it work
correctly then?
With 5 accounts configured, I think you're killing the Connector.

Thanks for your reply. I’ll try / test it with just one account for a week
and see how that goes.

Do you know if there is a limit for Outlook Connector as to how many
accounts it can handle simultaneously?

BTW, when I hit F9 in OL, it does appear to check all 5 MAPI accounts.

I've got no idea in how resilient the Connector is for multiple accounts.
Surely it will display them all correctly but that doesn't say anything
about how the actual sync performs. I can imagine that it has only been
designed with 1 Hotmail/Live account in mind.

Since these are 5 different accounts connecting to the same server, I would
set the automatic send/receive interval not shorter than 15 minutes. Also on
configuring the accounts, first only add 1 and have it do a full sync before
adding the second and having it do a full sync and then adding a third,
etc...

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

http://www.msoutlook.info/
Real World Questions, Real World Answers

-----

"akita" wrote in message
...
"Roady [MVP]" wrote:

If you create a mail profile with only 1 Live Hotmail account, does it
work
correctly then?
With 5 accounts configured, I think you're killing the Connector.

Thanks for your reply. I’ll try / test it with just one account for a week
and see how that goes.

Do you know if there is a limit for Outlook Connector as to how many
accounts it can handle simultaneously?

BTW, when I hit F9 in OL, it does appear to check all 5 MAPI accounts.

"Roady [MVP]" wrote:

I've got no idea in how resilient the Connector is for multiple accounts.
Surely it will display them all correctly but that doesn't say anything
about how the actual sync performs. I can imagine that it has only been
designed with 1 Hotmail/Live account in mind.

Since these are 5 different accounts connecting to the same server, I would
set the automatic send/receive interval not shorter than 15 minutes. Also on
configuring the accounts, first only add 1 and have it do a full sync before
adding the second and having it do a full sync and then adding a third,
etc...

Yes, that sounds like good advice – thanks again.

I’ll follow your suggestions in the coming days and report back in due course.

Admittedly, it had never occurred to me that there could be a possibility of
this plug-in being designed with just one MAPI account in mind.

You're welcome and please let us know your findings :-)

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

http://www.msoutlook.info/
Real World Questions, Real World Answers

-----

"akita" wrote in message
...
"Roady [MVP]" wrote:

I've got no idea in how resilient the Connector is for multiple accounts.
Surely it will display them all correctly but that doesn't say anything
about how the actual sync performs. I can imagine that it has only been
designed with 1 Hotmail/Live account in mind.

Since these are 5 different accounts connecting to the same server, I
would
set the automatic send/receive interval not shorter than 15 minutes. Also
on
configuring the accounts, first only add 1 and have it do a full sync
before
adding the second and having it do a full sync and then adding a third,
etc...

Yes, that sounds like good advice – thanks again.

I’ll follow your suggestions in the coming days and report back in due
course.

Admittedly, it had never occurred to me that there could be a possibility
of
this plug-in being designed with just one MAPI account in mind.

"Roady [MVP]" wrote:

You're welcome and please let us know your findings :-)

Ok, here are the first results from my testing (this under XP-SP2 with
OL2003 SP3 and that connector):

a) Removed all accounts and pst files and then added one new account – the
live.com account.
b) That worked like a charm
c) Added one hotmail account
d) That didn’t work at all – the account can be generated, but will not
retrieve any existing mail folders and definitely does not synchronize at
all. I tried generating the hotmail account via the connector plug-in option
as well as via the normal OL option (which allows for hotmail accounts with
the connector installed). Either way gives the same result.

Just to check, I tried installing Windows Live Mail Desktop using that
cursed installer. Naturally – and as reported many times here and elsewhere –
the download stalled at 99%. So that’s a dud as well.

Further, I quickly created a new account, and send 5 test mails to and from
the new account using IE. I then added that new account to OL to see if OL
can retrieve the new account’s existing folders and mail and can synchronize
– no such luck. OL creates standard folders, to be sure, but does not
retrieve any mail (inbox or send or anything else) and doesn’t synchronize …

BTW, I noticed that if I have two accounts, both accounts use the same
folder (called by the email address of the default account – in my case the
live.com account) for all mail. That seems a bit strange; I always thought
each account uses its own location / folder …

Perhaps that outlook connector only works with live accounts, or whatever.

And yes, I even disabled my AV and firewall - just in case!

It is very frustrating, and this exercise confirms my suspicion that the
outlook connector plug-in remains a dud.

So, if anyone has more info on this issue, I’d really like to know of a
tested and working solution.

BTW, I can’t find any information as to how many accounts the plug-in can
handle, but it definitely seems to be happy with generating multiple hotmail
accounts – just refuses to retrieve existing mail, let alone synchronize …

Of course. Did you not read how Outlook Connector works? It's the very first
sentence on the download page.

--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Perhaps that outlook connector only works with live accounts, or whatever.

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

Of course. Did you not read how Outlook Connector works? It's the very first
sentence on the download page.

Perhaps that outlook connector only works with live accounts, or whatever.

Nonsense!

The difference is in the top level domain handling. Newer accounts refer to
a live.com domain, whereas older accounts use the ‘traditional’ hotmail.com
domain naming syntax. Internally I suspect that all hotmail accounts are
handled much as if they were Live! accounts.

Besides, Outlook Connector has definitely no problems accepting hotmail.com
accounts, and certainly can handle it if that’s just the one single account
in OL. As long as the account is a MAPI account OL Connector has no problem
handling it.

You as an Outlook MVP should be more than just well aware of that.

Rather than throw-away one-liners I’d very much prefer proper advice / help
– see others on this threat.

What we were told when Outlook Connector was released last September is that
it would only work with hotmail accounts that had been upgraded to Windows
Live or with Microsoft Office Live.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"akita" wrote in message
...
"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

Of course. Did you not read how Outlook Connector works? It's the very
first
sentence on the download page.

Perhaps that outlook connector only works with live accounts, or
whatever.

Nonsense!

The difference is in the top level domain handling. Newer accounts refer
to
a live.com domain, whereas older accounts use the ‘traditional’
hotmail.com
domain naming syntax. Internally I suspect that all hotmail accounts are
handled much as if they were Live! accounts.

Besides, Outlook Connector has definitely no problems accepting
hotmail.com
accounts, and certainly can handle it if that’s just the one single
account
in OL. As long as the account is a MAPI account OL Connector has no
problem
handling it.

You as an Outlook MVP should be more than just well aware of that.

Rather than throw-away one-liners I’d very much prefer proper advice /
help
– see others on this threat.