Outlook is poor for those still on Windows Mail, Calendar, People apps by end of year (Legacy apps being killed off this month)

The Register ^ | Dec 3, 2024 | Richard Speed

[dayglored]

We're sure you'll learn to love the new Outlook for Windows app [not]

Microsoft is preparing to kill off the old Windows Mail, Calendar, and People apps by the end of this month and shift users to the Outlook for Windows app.

In November, Microsoft confirmed there would be no reprieve for the apps. It will be possible to export local emails, calendar events, and contacts that users have stored in Mail, Calendar, and People into the new Outlook up until December 31, 2024. After that, however, the ability to send or receive mail will be revoked.

"The new Outlook for Windows is for everyone. Now everyone with Windows gets the best of Outlook built into Windows for free," Microsoft said. AI is also on hand "to help you write impactful, clearer, mistake-free messages."

While it will continue to support "Classic" Outlook, Microsoft wants users to migrate to the new app. One user complained: "I don't need a bloated mail client. Mail and Calendar apps just work. If I need a more fully featured email client, I will just use the Office 365. [B]ut the 'new' Outlook is garbage."

Mail, or Windows Mail, was a follow-up to Outlook Express, so returning to the Outlook branding just might please some even if the implementation is not to everyone's taste. The People app arrived with Windows 8, and it has a confusing co-existence with Contacts, with both sharing some functionality.

The loss of People from Windows might trigger a few memories. Microsoft ditched the original Cardfile application, which was frequently used as a contact manager before the turn of the century. Schedule+ and Outlook Express eventually took over its contact management duties.

The new Outlook is web-based rather than a native Windows application. There is a marked difference in appearance and, according to some users, slower performance.

Still, switching between the old and new experiences had always been possible. Existing users of the three apps have mere weeks to go before either accepting the new Outlook or picking an alternative, such as Thunderbird or Vivaldi's email client. ®

[dagunk]

Note that the new Outlook app is cloud-based, not local.

*****************************************************

Stay out of the cloud. As others here have noted, it is not reliable and microsoft owns your data.

I use external USB hard drives for “cloud” backup and a second drive inside the computer for local backups. I understand smaller desktops and laptops don’t have room for a second drive but a USB unit will do the job.

Large external USB drives are available. A quick look at amazon and walmart shows anything from 500GByte to 10TByte capacities.

[dodger]

How can someone save old systems of email and keep it all accessible (as back files, etc.)? Also, is it possible to reaccess old systems such as Outlook Express? I have years of old correspondence I cannot get to anymore.

[ducttape45]

I've done the same thing. All of my data is backed up, offline, on external drives and kept in Faraday bags.

I keep very little of my data on the computer itself, only what I need to do my work and I back it up every couple of weeks. I routinely move all "retired" data onto the backups. I even got an older laptop that I keep offline and in a Faraday bag for safe keeping.

In this day and age, one can't be too careful.

[dayglored]

> How can someone save old systems of email and keep it all accessible (as back files, etc.)? Also, is it possible to reaccess old systems such as Outlook Express? I have years of old correspondence I cannot get to anymore.

That's a tall order, but the good news is you're not alone. Google (or whatever search you prefer) is your friend. Search the reputable tech websites that have answers to forum/community questions. They're out there.

[dodger]

Thx. It is a tall order. But also it is a question of historical significance - will all the vast records (not mine, but writers, artists, politicos, et al) just disappear?

Imagine a historian unable to review the correspondence of Churchill and others ….

[nutmeg]

I've got two Microsoft email accounts. One is @live.com and the other is a Hotmail account.

I can live without the old Hotmail account, but I will be LOST without that @live.com account. My entire life is in that account.

Hate Microsoft, but - what can I say? - I started the account probably 20 years ago, and I'm too deep into it now to change it.

[dayglored]

> They’ve informed me that my (admittedly old) HP PC cannot be upgraded to the latest permutation. Didn’t say why. But support will end next year. I’m not savvy enough to know what effects that will have.

I assume we're talking Windows 10 here. Yeah, Windows 11 has hardware requirements that make a lot of older hardware obsolete. Bass-turds they are; there's no actual necessity, it's just to goose hardware sales.

Before next October, make sure you do all the Windows Updates, so that your Windows installation is as up-to-date and clean of potential malware as possible. Do backups regularly.

One more time: Do backups.

When support ends, you have five options:

1. Keep your Windows 10 as-is. With no forthcoming security patches, you will be increasingly vulnerable to attack, so be extra-extra careful when visiting websites, opening email, clicking links. Become paranoid. Do backups in case you make a mistake.

2. Pay Microsoft $30 and you can get another year of security patches for Windows 10. This is actually not a bad option, except that it's only for one year.

3. Search the internet for the tricky things you can do to Windows 10 on old hardware, that will fool Windows 11 and allow it to upgrade your old hardware. Please do backups.

4. Upgrade to another computer that can run Windows 11.

5. Switch to a different operating system (Linux will run on your HP PC).

Don't forget to do those backups.

[dayglored]

> But also it is a question of historical significance - will all the vast records (not mine, but writers, artists, politicos, et al) just disappear? Imagine a historian unable to review the correspondence of Churchill and others ….

Electronic (including "cloud") storage is ephemeral. Its short finite lifetime and ultimately its disappearance are simply part of The Plan (better put on a tin-foil hat...)

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.

-- George Orwell, 1984

[Woodman]

I second Thunderbird. I run quite a few different accounts through it at home. Use the MS App only on my phone.

[Poser]

I’m running Office 21 and use outlook and calendar through a work related exchange server. Hopefully I won’t have to go with360.

[daniel1212]

But even if one has a modern Windows O/S, and they have all the tweaks and addons progammed in, it's still Windows. MicroThief still owns your computer and can steal your info at any time. How does one counteract that? Genuinely curious.

No, whatever info MS gets would be due to my allowance. Search:

how to turn off all windows 11 telemetry

how to prevent certain Windows Updates

how to permanently turn off prevent disable windows updates [not recommend)

how to Completely Uninstall OneDrive

Meanwhile, to customize a Linus distro the way I can rather easily (mostly, and includes saving certain .reg file hacks) - if possible, has never warranted the time and energy (and I have installed all major and most leading minor distros.

[Jeff Chandler]

If you’re that concerned about security, I suggest you back up your data. Optical is best, but that seems to be going away, so external drive might be your choice.

Back in the day when I was responsible for my clients’ data, I kept two identical encrypted external hard drives (today you could use SSD). One was connected to my computer and automatically mirrored the data, and the other one was kept in my brother-in-law’s gun safe in the next city over. I swapped them out once a week. That secured the data in case of theft, water leak, or natural disaster.

[Jeff Chandler]

Correction:

fire, theft, water leak, or natural disaster

[Myrddin]

My IMAP server was getting bloated. To fix that, I put up a POP3 client on a Linux box and drained all but the last 30 days to the local filesystem. I made lots of folders and moved the mail items to sender-specific folders. A big win for cutting the IMAP down to size and not losing the content.

Just a note: the server is in my domain and I created a POP3 server that "eats" from the same data as the IMAP.

[ducttape45]

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one's views, I can't install W11 nor do I ever plan to. My machines won't support it.

My two main desktops all have W7, W10 and Linux Mint, tri-boot. It's a bit tricky but it can be done. W7 of course won't update except for a couple things (malicious software tool and a couple security updates monthly). I have a program to stop W10 from updating, plus I set the registry to prevent it from updating past the 1909 version of W10. That's as much as my systems will handle, and I uninstalled OneDrive on W10. I also turned off the telemetry in W10.

But I will keep this post bookmarked for future reference. Thank you for your help.

[2111USMC]

Tried it. Didn’t like it. Sticking with my Outlook 2013 as long as I can.

[daniel1212]

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one's views, I can't install W11 nor do I ever plan to. My machines won't support it. My two main desktops all have W7, W10 and Linux Mint, tri-boot. It's a bit tricky but it can be done. W7 of course won't update except for a couple things (malicious software tool and a couple security updates monthly). I have a program to stop W10 from updating, plus I set the registry to prevent it from updating past the 1909 version of W10. That's as much as my systems will handle, and I uninstalled OneDrive on W10. I also turned off the telemetry in W10. But I will keep this post bookmarked for future reference. Thank you for your help.

And thanks for your input. I have a home-built PC (Ryzen 3200G CPU; 128Gb RAM; Sata SSD and NVME drives, W/ 11 Pro, Retail (as a result of an $29 upgrade from XP to W.8 years ago), plus my old but quite capable old home built, running Mint (mainly only used just for email and browsing), and an old laptop running W/7 to broadcast 24/7 (via USB-powered FM transmitter) Christian messages in our apt. bldg. Reaches outside about 50', praise God for all that helps.

[daniel1212]

Supplemental: Disable telemetry and always-online features https://geckro.github.io/html/articles/windows11.html