Customer Cannot Access Hotmail's POP Mail Retrieval Feature (327041)


The information in this article applies to:

  • MSN Hotmail
This article was previously published under Q327041

SYMPTOMS

Customer cannot access Hotmail's POP mail retrieval feature.

CAUSE

A recent change to MSN Hotmail means users with a standard free Hotmail account are no longer able to use the POP Mail Retrieval feature. This means users of free Hotmail are not able to combine e-mail from other accounts into a single Hotmail account. However, MSN Extra Storage subscribers and MSN Internet Access subscribers with Web-based e-mail can continue to aggregate e-mail from other accounts into a single Hotmail account.

MORE INFORMATION

To see if you have Web-based or POP3 e-mail with your MSN Internet Access subscription:

You have Web-based e-mail if you:

  • Use MSN Explorer to retrieve your e-mail
  • Can access your MSN mail from: http://www.hotmail.com
  • Have set up Microsoft Outlook 2002 or Microsoft Outlook Express to view your MSN mail
You have POP3 e-mail if you:
  • Have configured Outlook or Outlook Express to receive POP3 e-mail (and use SMTP to send mail)
  • Cannot access your @msn.com account through http://www.hotmail.com
To switch from POP3 to Web-based e-mail if you are an MSN Internet Access subscriber:
  1. Install MSN Explorer from: http://explorer.msn.com
  2. Log in to MSN Explorer.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to convert your e-mail from POP3 to Web-based.
For more assistance, please go to: http://supportservices.msn.com.

IMPORTANT: If you are switching to Web-based e-mail, note:
  • You must use Microsoft Outlook 2002 to view Web-based mail for MSN and Hotmail accounts. Earlier versions of Outlook do not support Web-based mail.
  • If you are using Outlook Express 5 or 5.5, you can get more assistance in configuring your account from: http://supportservices.msn.com

NOTE: If you are an MSN Internet Access subscriber using a free @hotmail.com or free @msn.com account to access your paid @msn.com POP3 e-mail, you are now no longer able to access your POP3 e-mail from your free account.

If you would like to keep your MSN Internet Access account configured for POP3 e-mail and use Hotmail to aggregate your POP accounts, consider signing up for MSN Extra Storage. In addition to POP Mail Retrieval, you will also receive:
  • 10MB of MSN Hotmail storage - five times what you're getting today.
  • The ability to send and receive larger attachments - up to 1.5MB per message.
  • 30MB of MSN Communities storage - the perfect place to store photos.
  • Exemption from account expiration policy - you'll never have to worry about losing your account.
Check your Hotmail Home Page for the "Get Extra Storage" link to see what is available in your market and for your local pricing.

If the "Get Extra Storage" link does not appear on your Hotmail Home Page, MSN Extra Storage is not currently available in your market.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/6/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB327041
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