back to article Outlook son of Hotmail goes titsup for many in the US and UK

Hotmail Outlook services are down for some users and have been for most of today, although it's unclear what the issue is. While many users have taken to Twitter to complain that they can't access their emails, others have said they have been able to access the service, suggesting that the problems hasn't spread worldwide. …

COMMENTS

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  1. MJI Silver badge

    No matter what MS call it

    It is still Hotmail, just with a silly skin.

    Gone pretty pants since it changed.

    1. CCCP
      Thumb Up

      Re: No matter what MS call it

      Glad you got some upvotes for that. Have another one.

      For all the "are you still using [crap]mail??" below, an old personal email adress actually has value. Yes, maybe I should have started reading the Reg a long time ago and learned to use multiple emails, but I didn't. So it sucks a bit.

      But I love the fact MS has to pander to us oldies and provide a "transfer" programme. I will type in "www.hotmail.com" till I pop. Screw their brand transfer.

      1. MJI Silver badge

        Re: No matter what MS call it

        Set it up YEARS ago before I had an ISP. My internet access was VERY naughty. Our ISDN work ISP did not check originating number, so I used that, free internet, but high line rental (paid by work). My boss did too.

        Now have ISP account, a hotmail, a work, and personals on my own domains.

        The hotmail was the easiest web account to use.

  2. DanBennett

    DNS Issues

    Been speaking to Microsoft Support about this.

    The reason is DNS issues;

    Microsoft engineers are troubleshooting DNS servers to mitigate the issue affecting some users ability to connect using the Outlook client. Meanwhile the switching of DNS provider continues to be a viable workaround. Next update will be provided at 3:00 PM UTC.

    11 Jul 2013 12:46 Service interruption Microsoft exchange engineers have confirmed that the O365 Exchange service is healthy at this time. We believe that the issue is caused by a faulty external DNS. Customers are reporting that switching DNS provider is resolving the issue. Customers currently experiencing problems connecting to the service can try to switch to another DNS provider such as OpenDNS(208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220) or Dnsadvantage(156.154.70.1 and 156.154.71.1). Next update will be provided at 2:00 PM UTC.

    Microsoft network engineers are continuing to troubleshoot DNS servers to mitigate the issue affecting some users ability to connect using the Outlook client. Meanwhile the switching of DNS provider might be a viable workaround and Outlook Web Access continues to work without issue. Next update will be provided at 4:00 PM UTC.

    Hurrah...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    From here

    hotmail.com is down. Going to the outlook link works fine. I assumed this was intentional.

    The old hotmail was much better. Since the change I have plenty connection issues when opening, deleting or doing anything to my mail.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You mean people still use this thing?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Windows

    Its Murphy

    Coming around to remind us why it often makes more sense to use desktop applications instead of sticking your head in the virtual clouds.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    That must be the reason the hot girl I met at the weekend hasn't replied to my email.

    What's that about 6 hours?

  7. batfastad

    Ask for a refund

    Oh.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ask for a refund

      Not the end of the world is it?

      Make the most of the quiet, relax and have a beer.

  8. DanBennett

    Service Restored! Appanently! Yay! Hurrah! Lies!

    Service restored for Exchange users... apparently.

    Maybe others, too? Hurrah for DNS

    Closure Summary: On Thursday, July 11, 2013 at approximately 8:14 AM UTC, Microsoft received reports of an issue where some users served from the European region were unable to access Exchange Online through the Outlook client. Investigation determined a Domain Name System (DNS) caused impact. Microsoft engineers made a configuration change to restore service. The issue was successfully fixed on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 3:00 PM UTC. A complete post-incident report will be available on the Service Health Dashboard within five business days.

  9. adnim

    Does anyone with a clue use

    Hotmail/live mail/Outlook for anything other than a spam trap email address?

    Ah.... Those that are about to downvote me.

    Well all I can say is what wisdom is there in trusting MS and perhaps the NSA with your personal or professional communications?

    1. Matthew 25

      Re: Does anyone with a clue use

      "Well all I can say is what wisdom is there in trusting MS and perhaps the NSA with your personal or professional communications?"

      About as much as using gmail, or indeed just about any email provider.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does anyone with a clue use

      Those downvotes look pretty stupid after what the Guardian published tonight...

      1. adnim

        Re: Does anyone with a clue use

        Well The Reg is read by at least... as of this time, 3 stupid people or MS shills.

        @matthew25 I have 3 email addresses on Gmail that I use as spam traps too.

  10. h3

    It works better than gmail most of the time. (At least it supports exchange activesync. Gmail was fairly equivalent before they deliberately gimped it both the web interface and apps for gmail are a waste of time for me. In a literal sense as they seem to go by the reading is hard and people cannot do it mentality).

    The web interface to outlook.com is so much better. (Right click works with what you need on it).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @h3 - See what happens when you're an exchange/hotmail user ?

      You lose ability to see clear. Google had no choice but to dump that active sync stuff to preempt a patent lawsuit from their friends in Redmond. Active sync related patents helped Microsoft extort a lot of money from every Android distributor.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @h3 - See what happens when you're an exchange/hotmail user ?

        "Active sync related patents helped Microsoft extort a lot of money from every Android distributor."

        They invented it so why is this bad? If I invented something I would want paying when people used it too.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @AC18:12GMT - Re: @h3 - See what happens when you're an exchange/hotmail user ?

          What I said does not contradict in any way your arguments. Google didn't want to pay so they dumped it which is fair enough in my opinion.

          Now speaking about invention, software is mathematics and as far as I am aware, even in the US of A mathematics are (not yet) a patentable matter.

          1. Richard 12 Silver badge

            Re: @AC18:12GMT - @h3 - See what happens when you're an exchange/hotmail user ?

            In the US of A found on planet Earth (Sol 3), software is patented more than anything else. Along with business processes and plenty of "bloody obvious to someone with a vague idea of the Art".

            Your USA sounds much better than the one that actually exists. Shame.

  11. Roger B

    Still working for me,

    I guess others are having issues, but, after 17 years now I think it is, I cant remember the last time my account had down time that lasted for more than a few hours, are the people who are stressing out perhaps using their hotmail/outlook accounts as a business email? If it's your personal email, don't stress, the sun is shining, get outside and find a beer garden!

  12. AndricD

    no problems for me, though last week it got horribly slow for a bit. Overall happier with it than I was with gmail. easier and better using it for my own domain than gmail as well.

  13. Herby
    Joke

    Isn't this cloud stuff wonderful?

    It just works soooo well.

    Of course the error might be that the servers were trying to use Windows 8 or some such, and they wanted to 'START' it.

    Comments on this are just too easy!

  14. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Happy

    I think I'll just POP along to read my email

  15. This post has been deleted by its author

  16. Zacherynuk

    We had a few cases of this

    And I put it down to an enormous DNS entry.

    All the people affected were remote users using their routers as DNS - BT routers. Changing to another DNS provider worked fine. Guess which is easiest to remember ? (no not 195.40.0.250 - she stopped taking public requests and then changed her name to NS1)

  17. Dagg Silver badge
    Mushroom

    Crashed in aussie half way through using it

  18. Gil Grissum

    Maybe I missed the outage somehow or it was only a short outage in my area? I checked my Outlook.com all day and was connected to it with no problem, with USA based location.

  19. Foxhill

    Affected 8 of our Office365 customers yesterday.

    Originally reported at 0845, was 'fixed' by MS apparently at 1710.

    I wouldn't be surprised if someone in Microsoft updated their DNS entries incorrectly knowing the amount of unreported 'maintenance' they've done to the system recently and then had to roll back.

    The fact that MS blamed Google just seems like a cover to me of their own mistakes.

  20. Danny 5

    hotmail

    I've been one of the first users of hotmail/outlook and have always felt it was as insecure as it could be. I might work on Microsoft systems, play on a Microsoft console and walk around with a winphone, that doesn't mean i trust Microsoft, more the opposite in fact. my hotmail box is my spambox.

    I've always expected at least someone to be reading along, it made sense to think that way.

  21. Glenn Charles
    FAIL

    They managed to enormously screw up the service for many southern Oregon users about ten years ago with their miraculous transformation to Whatever Live etc. I permanently lost an e-mail address I'd had for years then and simply couldn't get it back, with an enormous dither of "we'll fix that for you" at places from forums to (believe it or not) Microsoft itself. I have a G-mail account or three now. I might even have a Yahoo! account. You know what? 'cause I'm me--I CAN'T GET A HOTMAIL/OUTLOOK/WHATEVER ACCOUNT. Which would be enormously frustrating except that I find it hysterically funny.

  22. Wang N Staines

    They had to patch the service to allow NSA to speed up emails extraction.

  23. PeterM42

    Microsoft seem to be getting everything wrong.......

    Vista

    Ending support for Outlook Express & replacing it with Windows DEAD Mail

    Windows 8

    Windows phone 8

    Surface

    outlook.com

    and so it goes on and on and on........

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