Why is Hotmail such a pile of s***?

[mariner2]

It blocks my emails without telling me, so I assume important emails have been sent when they haven't.

It doesn't send photo attachments when it says it has.

The help links on it's own site don't work.

[888sally888]

I agree - I hate the new format - really messy and very annoying.

[daffy654]

Do you really expect first class service for something that is free? I gave up complaining about Hotmail years ago,if I paid for it then I would be playing merry hell with them.

[shivvy]

I have a hotmail account but I use Outlook Express to manage it which is much more user friendly. Would that make life easier for you?

[mariner2]

My nephew suggested doing this, but I use Mozilla Thunderbird instead of Outlook Express (better spam filtering)
My main problem is that I get business enquiries from hotmail addresses and when I reply to them I sometimes get blocked, but I never know this.
Is it something to do with whether you send emails in plain or rich text?

[daffy654]

If you have a website for your business mariner2 you should maybe consider putting a notice up for Hotmail users to add your email address to their safe list so any mail from you doesn't get filtered as junk mail. I know many sites already do this.

[Buenchico]

I gave up on Hotmail many years ago. For a free, reliable, ad-free e-mail service, try Gawab. Your mail can be accessed either via the web or with an e-mail client, such as Outlook Express. For details, see paragraph 3, et seq, here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Technology/Inte rnet/Question407429.html

Chris

[fo3nix]

You can set it up in Thunderbird too if you want (a better choice than Outlook).

But if you can, try switching to gmail. Far better, and still free.

http://www.gmail.com

[mariner2]

Thanks, how do I set it up in Thunderbird?
(I would gladly change to anything else for my own use, but I would still have the problem of loads of other people using it and having my replies blocked)

[fo3nix]

Install the webmail extension from the link below, then restart then install their hotmail extension (from same link),

http://webmail.mozdev.org/installation.html

I think from there there should be instructions guiding you on that site.

[mariner2]

Can't do it - this PC has still got Windows Me on it and I think this link assumes it's XP, in any case there is an instruction at the bottom of the page that says accesss extensions in Mozilla via tools/menu/extensions and that's not there either.

[mariner2]

Hotmail sinks to new depths os uselessness - I put my studio email address on the "safe" list then sent an email from there to my hotmail address and it hasn't come through

[fo3nix]

Right-click the download link and save it to your desktop, it should be a .xpi file.

Now, run Thunderbird (download the latest version from Mozilla's website), and under the tools menu will be the extensions item. From there you should be able to add a new extension.

[mariner2]

There's no extensions item under tools in mine, there's add-ons, but the only extensions this leads to is talkback.

[fo3nix]

Add-ons is the item. Choose this, then there should hopefully be a little button at the bottom of that window for you to install new add-ons or new extensions (however it likes to choose them).

I've not used Thunderbird for a month or two and have forgotten the exact menu items, and I do remember installing extensions being a pain (compared to Firefox anyway). Persist, as it'll be worth it (I hope!).

That, or tell everyone you know to use gmail, and then periodically check your hotmail account manually.

[mariner2]

Found the "get extensions" button and looked through all 349 of them but there's nothing to do with hotmail, aol mail yes, but not hotmail

[fo3nix]

Sorry, I meant something that said install extensions.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Extensions_%28Thunde rbird%29

[mariner2]

Well, it nearly worked, I went install extensions, clicked on the file I'd downloaded a couple of days ago and it seemed to install it, but when I restarted Thunderbird and checked on it it said I need something else.
I searched updates, found something, but it asked for a password when I tried to download it.
Is this all worth it? What does it actually do anyway?

[fo3nix]

Yes, you first need to install the webmail extension from the link above, then the hotmail extension found on that same page (after restarting once like you have).

The hotmail extension is probably asking for your hotmail account username and password. Enter these, and it'll check your hotmail account for you (so I believe, I don't use hotmail).

Thunderbird will be more reliable than Hotmail's web interface.

[mariner2]

Can' t find webmail extension anywhere.

[fo3nix]

Follow instructions here

http://webmail.mozdev.org/installation.html

I assume you've already installed the first, so just get the hotmail one.