Windows Live Mail and Windows 10

[Colin]

I had a slew of clients come in with a Error on Windows Live Mail saying that there is no Disk Space on the hard drive, and WLM can not be opened.

This is all from a Windows 7 to 10 upgrade, I have updated WLM to the latest 2012, but then on a few machines have to backup email and re create the profile. ugh....

Looking for a alternative for people, as most do not like the Windows 10 Mail (too basic). And WLM seems to be more of a headache than its worth now. (attaching pictures with a gallery kills the sent items unless you have signed into a MS account, and more....)

I have been testing ThunderBird:
Very Custom, supports Plugins, can import from WLM. Might be too much for a senior to get use to, to export email you need a plugin installed.

eM Client:
Looks like Outlook Express, Saves Email in eml format, can import from WLM. Only Supports 2 Emails (free version) has some integrated features like Calendar for gmail etc. Nag screen on free version every so often when you start the program.

Outlook:
Awesome! we use it for the business,easy to import from WLM. Cons Price....If the client has Outlook installed we do suggest moving to Outlook but like ThunderBird it can be a little bit of a learning curve for seniors.

Any Other options I can look at you you have used currently or in the past?

 

[Markverhyden]

How about just using the webmail interface for the email provider. Granted it's usually more limited than an email client but it is very reliable.

 

[Porthos]

How about just using the webmail interface for the email provider. Granted it's usually more limited than an email client but it is very reliable.

I recommend this for residential clients especially ones I cant convince to do backups. That way I don't get the "What happened to my saved mail/contacts" whine.

 

[Metanis]

I'm a huge fan of web mail interfaces for novice and home users. From a marketing standpoint I think Microsoft really screwed up when they abandoned Outlook Express. If they had polished it a tiny bit they'd have nearly a billion users captured and available to view whatever advertising M$ could sell.

 

[Colin]

dont get me wrong I love Gmail Outlook etc, but some of the ISP in the area only offer 1 GB of storage on the server so if seniors save pictures in folder that gets filled up fast! and even worse there is no error they just cant get any new messages until they clean house

thats why I am looking for the alternative, need something that easy to migrate if needed so a common file structure and to be able to support the email program.

 

[Porthos]

but some of the ISP in the area only offer 1 GB of storage on the server so if seniors save pictures in folder that gets filled up fast! and even worse there is no error they just cant get any new messages until they clean house

That is why I don't recommend the ISP mail.

 

[Colin]

True, but if they are already there a migration to something new is still painful for them to learn and with the added headache of a new email address to remember \ send out not a good option for my senior clients.

With all my new clients that ask for a email address its always Gmail \ Outlook.com. more or less looking for a good alternative to current clients with ISP mail and low limits that are on WLM that does not seem to play nice in Win 10.

 

[Computer Bloke]

..some of the ISP in the area only offer 1 GB of storage on the server so if seniors save pictures in folder that gets filled up fast!

Damn those seniors with their extensive online media collections - the under-forties never do that!

If this is a serious problem then you're doing it wrong. Gmail offers 15GB of mail storage so even if you set up the email client with IMAP there's a good chance that those pesky seniors will be dead before they've filled it up, which should solve two problems for you at once.

What you need is either client education (yes, I know...!) or to set up an email client using POP3 and automatically removing messages older than a few months from the server. Coupled with a good backup you'll never hit the mail server's limits and you'll never lose data.

The main issue for us with directing our clients to Webmail is that they often have email accounts with different providers - the nice thing about Windows Live Mail is that is seamlessly handles multiple accounts so the client only has one place to go and one thing to learn. Thunderbird will do this as well but it's a much more sophisticated and visually-cluttered program that many users (of any age) find intimidating.

I really miss Outlook Express!

 

[Colin]

What you need is either client education (yes, I know...!) or to set up an email client using POP3 but clearing messages older than a few months from the server automatically. Coupled with a good backup you'll never hit the mail server limits and you'll never lose data.

this is what I am looking for, but since Windows 10 I am seeing a lot of WLM breaking and errors so looking for a alternative....
More than happy to educate the client BUT at the end of the day more change then what is needed will cause more wasted time answering questions than fixing WLM! remember I am looking at mostly seniors that will not retain new information past 30 min out the door. Hence why I am looking for something easy to use and that I can support easy on the phone or remote login with a option of a migration in the future.

 

[Computer Bloke]

remember I am looking at mostly seniors that will not retain new information past 30 min out the door.

 

[red12049]

Huh. Have been using WLM forever. No unusual problems on WIN10. For those times when things go FUBAR, it has a built in backup folder, and System restore works well also. By far, my customers are much happier with WLM than the built in mail client on WIN 8/10.

Rick

 

[Colin]

so just a FYI, this is another reason to switch or manually setup your outlook.com account in WLM
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ive-mail-what-should-i-do-hotmail-msn-outlook

I had 1 of these in the shop today WLM would just throw an error until the account was manually setup.

 

[HCHTech]

A client sent me an email she got from MS this week stating that after 6/30, you will no longer be able to pull email into WLM. They recommend the Win10 Mail app (fat chance) or upgrading to full Outlook. I'll post the email when i get back in the office. Seems strange, but I read it twice.

 

[Porthos]

A client sent me an email she got from MS this week stating that after 6/30, you will no longer be able to pull email into WLM. They recommend the Win10 Mail app (fat chance) or upgrading to full Outlook. I'll post the email when i get back in the office. Seems strange, but I read it twice.

I got the same mail a while back. It is legit.

 

[Colin]

it is legit, but its to do with Outlook.com and Hotmail.com addresses. they are no longer going to support the current API (I think) so you need to remove the account and manually set it up with the correct IMAP\POP information.

 

[HCHTech]

Yes, that's right - but it sounds like it just plain won't work for hotmail or outlook.com addresses after 6/30, not that you have to set it up manually.

Here's the email:

=====================
Dear User,

Earlier this year we introduced a new Outl‍ook‍.‍com that will help you collaborate with others, focus on what matters, and get more done. The new Outlo‍ok‍.‍com delivers an exciting set of new experiences across web, phone, and desktop, and we’re eager for you to start using it.
It appears that you are currently using the Windows Live Mail 2012 application to connect to your Out‍look‍.‍com account. The Windows Live Mail 2012 application does not support the synchronization technologies used by the new Outl‍ook‍.‍com. When account upgrades begin at the end of June, you will no longer be able to receive email sent to your Out‍look‍.‍com account in the Windows Live Mail 2012 application. Rest assured, you can always access your email by logging into Out‍look‍.‍com from any web browser, and you will continue to have access to all your data that is currently in the Windows Live Mail 2012 application.
If you currently use the Windows Live Mail 2012 application, we recommend that you switch to the Mail app in Windows to‍day. The Mail app is built in to Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10, and has a more modern design. To begin using it, simply launch the app and add your Out‍look‍.‍com account.
If you are using Windows 7, you can upgrade to a newer version of Windows to enjoy the Mail app and the other benefits. If you do not wish to upgrade, you can access your account via a web browser, or, you can take advantage of a free one-year subscription of Office 365 Personal , and use Outl‍ook 2016 to connect to your account.* This Off‍ice 365 subscription also includes other productivity applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. It works on Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10.
Please take action before Ju‍ne 30th, 2016, which is when we’ll begin upgrading accounts that currently use the Windows Live Mail 2012 application. If you have more questions, please find answers to common FAQs in this help article, or you can contact Microsoft support.
We recognize that changes like this can be difficult, and apologize for any inconvenience this causes you. We hope that you’ll enjoy the benefits of moving to the new Outl‍ook‍.‍com.
Sincerely,
Outl‍ook‍.‍com team
=====================

Am I misreading the part I bolded above?

 

[HCHTech]

1, The changes don't happen (at least according to the letter) until the end of June. Not now.
2. "Misleading" isn't the word I would choose. I don't expect the end user (who was the target of the letter) to know the difference between POP and IMAP, but they didn't say "some users" or "Unless you change your settings....you won't be able to retrieve mail". They said "You will no longer be able to receive mail". That sounds definitive.
3. It sounds like July will be another month where I will be thanking Microsoft for the revenue from at least several service calls.

 

[NJW]

... but it sounds like it just plain won't work for hotmail or outlook.com addresses after 6/30, not that you have to set it up manually.

Well, that's the conclusion that Microsoft would like to you to draw. It's another push in the Services direction and I wouldn't be surprised to see WLM withdrawn completely in the next year or so.

 

[johnrobert]

The built in mail program that came with Vista was good, but discontinued with Win 7
you could make it work but it was a hassle.
I guess M$ wants every one to buy Outlook