Confused about upcoming server change in Outlook Express to Windows Live

Some time ago I received this letter from Microsoft in regards to how I am receiving my e-mails:


Dear Microsoft Outlook Express customer,

Thank you for using Microsoft® Outlook® Express. Our information indicates that you use Outlook Express to access a Windows Liveâ„¢ Hotmail® e-mail account via a protocol called DAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol). DAV, like POP3 or IMAP, is the way that a mail client communicates with a web-based mail server.

As a valued customer, we want to provide advanced notice that as of June 30, 2008, Microsoft is disabling the DAV protocol and you will no longer be able to access your Hotmail Inbox via Outlook Express. As an alternative, we recommend that you download Windows Live Mail, a free desktop e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This next generation of free e-mail software will allow you to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts—including Windows Live Hotmail, plus other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Better yet, Windows Live Mail integrates well with other Windows Live services, and downloads in minutes. After you provide your user name and password, you will automatically be linked to your Hotmail account, providing continued access to your email and contacts.

We encourage you to download Windows Live Mail at http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview.

And, to make your transition smoother, we've provided answers to frequently asked questions below.

Again, thank you for your use of Outlook Express and we are confident that you'll be just as delighted with the new Windows Live Mail.

Your Windows Live Mail team


Frequently asked questions:

Why are we disabling DAV?

DAV is a legacy protocol that is not well suited for client access to large inboxes. Over time, as we've provided more e-mail storage to our users—and now offer 5GB inboxes for free—a more efficient access protocol is needed.

What are we replacing DAV with?

We have developed a new, much more efficient protocol called DeltaSynch that is far superior to DAV especially for large e-mail inboxes. It enables email clients to only download changes since the last time the client polled the email server for changes. This is much more efficient and high performing than having to download all the headers in every folder as is the case with DAV.

Is DeltaSynch compatible with Outlook Express?

The new protocol unfortunately is NOT supported by Outlook Express and support would require too many changes to the Outlook Express software.

Is there a different or new mail client I can try that uses DeltaSynch?

Microsoft is providing Windows Live Mail, a free e-mail client that has the familiarity of Outlook Express and much more. This free, next generation email client enables users to easily manage multiple e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail and other e-mail accounts that support POP3/IMAP. Windows Live Mail also integrates well with other Windows Live services, is optimized to work with Windows Live Hotmail, and offers:

Offline mail
Windows Live Hotmail account aggregation for those users with multiple Hotmail accounts
Account aggregation for POP and IMAP mail accounts
Rich photo-sharing capabilities
Advanced search via integration with Desktop Search
Safety tools (Anti-Virus scanning, anti-phishing, anti-spam features across aggregated accounts for customers who do not have an Anti-Virus product)
Integration with Windows Live services including Windows Live Spaces
RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed aggregation
Ability to send SMS (short message service) text to a mobile phone from Windows Live Mail
Where can I download the new Windows Live Mail client?

You can download the new client at http://get.live.com/wlmail/overview.

Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more, please read our online Privacy Statement.

Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052


I have MSN/Qwest as my ISP and use an MSN e-mail address and have a hotmail address/account as well. When I first set up my Outlook Express to receive my e-mails, they instructed me on how I could also access my Hotmail mail through Outlook Express. (The setup included a mail server account: http://oe.msn.msnmail.hotmail.com/cgi-bin/hmdata) Does this (letter) now mean that I won't be able to access either account through Outlook Express and will have to download/use Window Live Mail to do my corresponding??

Sorry for the long post, but I didn't know how to explain it without being confusing, so thought just best to copy the letter!

Thanks for any help you can give me to understand this better!


Vicki

 

Took the plunge this evening. It was totally painless. Automatically imported all OE accounts and mail folders upon first use.

A web page to Windows Live Home opens upon finishing the installation, which you can just close. Then open locally via the new desktop shortcut or All Programs menu.