Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL)

MOOL is currently unavailable to new subscribers.

Important notice for Outlook 2007 users: You need to download a new connector from http://g.msn.com/0CR1033/3 if you want to use your Outlook Live account in Outlook 2007 beta.

On January 20, 2005, Microsoft released Microsoft Office Outlook Live. This is a subscription service that gives you a one year license for Outlook 2003 (or the latest version of Outlook) and a Hotmail account with 2GB storage space, the ability to send large attachments, antispam and antivirus filtering.

MOOL requires either Outlook 2002 or Outlook 2003. From the installation page:

With Outlook Connector, you can use Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2002(XP) or Outlook® 2003 to access and manage your MSN information, including e-mail messages, calendar, tasks, notes, and contacts.

MOOL has the same limitations as MSN and Hotmail accounts. This means you can not have more than 1000 contacts, recurring tasks are not supported at all, and some recurring appointment options are not supported.

MOOL uses an *.ost data file format. If you installed the Outlook Connector with an MSN premium account prior to the release of MOOL, your message store format is *.msnpst or *.nst until you remove the old account from Outlook and recreate it. Along with the file format change, the account name in Outlook's folder list is now in user@domain.com format.

You can access your email from anywhere by logging into Hotmail. Custom mail and post folders created in Outlook's copy of the online store will migrate to the server, but it may take a few minutes as Outlook syncs every 10 minute or so. You cannot create folders for other items types in Outlook's copy.

FAQ

A: Yes, it's essentially the same version as you'll get with Office Standard without foreign language proofing tools or the ability to Import or Export. When a new version of Outlook is released, MOOL subscribers will be able to upgrade free of charge. As of January 20, 2005, MOOL installs Outlook 2003 SP1 (11.6359.6360). This may change as new versions or service packs are released.

Q: What??? I can't use Import or Export with MOOL?

 A: In all honesty, Import and Export = BAD! While you may want to import items from an old pst into your MOOL account so the items are uploaded to the MSN server, you can open the pst using File, Open and Move or Copy the items. You can reverse the steps to move items into a pst or use Autoarchive (with a 1 day age setting) to create a local pst and remove items from the server should you choose to not renew your subscription.

Q: Can I use Outlook after my subscription expires?

A: No. The license to use Outlook expires with the subscription. You'll need to renew the subscription to continue using Outlook.

Q: Do I need to activate Outlook?

A: Yes, like all Office 2003 applications, Outlook needs to be activated within 50 uses.

Q: Can I install Outlook on more than one computer?

A: Yes. You are allowed to activate it on two computers. If you have other computers with Outlook 2002/2003 installed, you can install just the MSN Outlook Connector. There is no limit to the number of times you can install the connector.

Q: I have a free Hotmail account, can I use the connector with it?
Q: I have a Hotmail Plus account, can I use the connector with it?

A: No, the connector only works with MOOL and MSN Premium accounts. You can upgrade the free or plus account by purchasing MOOL. If you are a Premium subscriber, you don't need to subscribe to MOOL unless you need Outlook 2003.

Q: Can I use MOOL to sync my mailbox with multiple computers?

A: Yes! As long as you have a version of Outlook installed that will work with the connector, you can sync your mailbox on that computer.

Q: Can I install Outlook 2003 that comes with MOOL if I have older versions of Office installed?

A: Yes, but you will not be able to use Word as your email editor and some of the Office envelope features won't work. Mail merge also requires the same version of Outlook and Word. If you want to use Word as your editor or need the Office envelope features install just the connector if you have Office 2002.

Q: How do I install the connector on other computers that already have Outlook installed?

A: Log into http://membercenter.msn.com with your Outlook Live account logon.  Click on Download Software.

Q: I have Outlook 2000 installed, can I just install the connector?

A: No. The connector requires Outlook 2002 or Outlook 2003.

Usage Scenarios

1. Set up MOOL as his default message store and set it up as a second account in her profile. She would have access to all of his Outlook items using this method.
2. Sharing the MOOL calendar with her Hotmail address (or her own MOOL account), but she will not be able to add appointments to his calendar. If she has a MOOL account, she will be able to view appointments on his shared calendar from within Outlook, using the Open Shared Calendar option.

Choosing the Sending Account

To send from one of the other accounts, do one of the following:

1. Select the account from the Accounts menu
2. After opening a new message form, press Alt+N then the number of the account before typing the recipient's address in the To field.
3. Create a template that has a different account selected and create a hyperlinked toolbar button to use when you send a new message. Learn how.

Replying to messages properly uses the account you received the message with.

Using mail merge to email sends the messages on the default account set in Tools, Email Accounts. Note that you must have the same version of Outlook and Word to use mail merge.

Troubleshooting

Q: I received an error message that the connector was disabled by Office Safe Mode and that I need to contact MSN Product Support to enable it again.

A: The error message is wrong, you don't need to contact MSN Product Support. Restart Outlook and go to Help, About Microsoft Outlook, click on the Disabled Items button. The Connector should be listed for you to re-enable. If it's not, reboot your computer and look in Disabled Items again.

Q: When deleting messages I sometimes receive a message saying that Outlook Connector was unable to run a virus scan on the message I'm opening, but I'm not opening any messages, I'm deleting them.

A: This bogus alert occurs when you delete HTML formatted messages. You may see it at other times as well, often multiple times at once. It's still bogus. To add to the annoyance level, checking the box to never see it again doesn't necessarily mean you'll never see it again.

Q: When I access the File, Import and Export menu, a dialog tells me I need to rerun setup. When I do, it doesn't change anything.

A: The MOOL version of Outlook doesn't include the Import/ Export engines. The dialog tells you to install them, but you can't because they aren't included... Yes, it's stupid, but you really don't need to import or export. you can move or copy items to the MOOL data store and all of the data is stored on the server and you can access it from anywhere. You also don't need a backup copy of your local data store because it's stored on the server.

Q: I moved some messages from my old personal file to my MOOL folder so I would have them online. Now the date displays as the date I moved them, not the date I received them.

A: This is a bug in Hotmail and or the connector. While the message list online uses the date you moved the messages, an open message shows the correct sent date. Outlook's version should show the correct date in the message list, unless you imported them from OE using Outlook's import wizard (export from OE instead).

Q: I receive an error when I try to log into my account using the Outlook connector. It says: "This service is unavailable right now. Please try again later. We're sorry. Your account has been disabled. For more information, contact Support." What is going on?

A: They want to verify you are not a bot logging a computer in without human intervention and occasionally require you to log on using the website (www.hotmail.com) but they don't send an email warning to you before they disable the account. See Outlook Live Frustrations for more information about this annoyance.

Knowledgebase Articles

If your problem isn't covered in the KB articles listed above, click here to search the knowledgebase for newer articles.

More Information:

Features of the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector (KB 892455)

What is Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL)?

Outlook Live Frustrations

How to create a log file for Office Outlook Connector (KB 834459)

Microsoft Office Outlook Live homepage

MSN/MOOL Member Center - Check your subscription information or download the connector on other computers.

Changing Outlook's Default Data File - follow these steps to set your MSN data file as the default.

Learn about the files Outlook uses and what to backup.