Microsoft Office Outlook Connector version 12.1 Beta 2 now available!

Microsoft has just released the Beta 2 version of the Outlook Connector – an add-in that puts your Windows Live Hotmail data in Outlook. While Beta 2 does not introduce new features, it provides several improvements aimed at making synchronization with e-mail, contacts, and the free Windows Live Calendar Beta service more robust. If you want to know more about the benefits of connecting to the Windows Live Calendar service, I recommend you read the original Outlook Connector Beta 1 blog post here.

Outlook Connector 12.1 Beta 2 is also available as part of the Windows Live Beta, a collection of free Windows Live services and applications, available here.

In light of some customer feedback we received since Beta 1 was released, it is worth noting that the Outlook Connector 12.0 and the Outlook Connector 12.1 synchronize calendar data against two separate calendaring services.

  • Outlook Connector 12.0 synchronizes with the MSN Calendaring service (a MSN Premium service only).
  • Outlook Connector 12.1 synchronizes with the free Windows Live Calendar service.

After installing Outlook Connector 12.1 Beta, it will upload your appointments and meetings to your new Windows Live Calendar. At that point the Outlook Connector will no longer synchronize with the MSN Calendar service.

In order to make sure that all of your calendar items on the MSN Calendar service are correctly migrated to the Windows Live Calendar, you should follow these steps:

  1. With Outlook Connector 12.0 installed, synchronize your calendar with the MSN Calendar service one last time.
  2. After synchronization is complete, do not create new items on the MSN Calendar site. If you do, you will have to synchronize again using Outlook Connector 12.0 before migrating to 12.1 Beta.
  3. Install Outlook Connector 12.1 Beta.
  4. Boot Outlook. At this point, the Outlook Connector 12.1 will upload all of your appointments and meetings to your new Windows Live Calendar.

It is important to note that if you access your Calendar through your web browser, you will be presented the option to choose whether to keep your original calendar or go to Widows Live Calendar Beta:

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You should choose the correct version of the Outlook Connector depending on the Calendar you are using.

  • If you plan to continue using the MSN Calendar service you need to choose Outlook Connector 12.0.
  • If plan to use the Windows Live Calendar service you need to choose the Outlook Connector 12.1 Beta.

I recommend that you start using Outlook Connector 12.1 Beta 2 so that you can begin enjoying the great benefits of the new, free Windows Live Calendar Beta today!

Download it here!

Alessio Roic
Outlook Program Manager

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  • Where is the change log? Where is the list of bugs fixed? Gee, guys, you all read the feedback from previous versions of the Connector. Essentially it was so buggy that hardly anyone could use it. Do you honestly think I am going to spend more hours trying to find out whether you actually fixed bugs that matter? Why not make life easy for everyone and TELL us which bugs are fixed, so that I can then make an informed decision whether to try the new version? In particular, what is the point in not letting us know whether a) categories on contacts are synched, b) tasks are synched, c) due dates on flags on emails are synched. All of these were clearly points beta testers raised as non-starters, why not just tell us whether these have been sorted out or not? I am really puzzled why the Connector team doesn't get its act together in this type of communication. It has been a problem ever since last year, you get tons and tons and tons of bad comments on the Connector, and a lot of that is due to you guys not clearly communicating what you are actually doing.

  • Oh, and by the way: The Live Wave 3 installer that was released yesterday installs Outlook Connector 12.0.6407.1000 with a copyright notice from 2006. Is this the up to date Beta 2 version of 12.1?!? Or is this a VERY old version?

  • I have tried the new connector, and continue to get the message "To use Microsoft Windows Live Mail account in Outlook, you must install the most recent version of the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector for Live Mail" I've deleted and created a new profile, re-installed Office twice. This is with Vista/Office 2007 Upgrade from Office XP. Any thoughts? -Dave

  • I still get 2-5 messageboxes to enter my Password/LiveID on each Outlook start. :|

  • I just installed the Beta 3 products today, and it does appear the OC is still v12.0.6407.1000 I uninstalled and downloaded from the link you provided. It is still the lower version. But what I really wanted to ask was, does this work with Outlook rules? Can I forward Hotmail e-mails to other e-mail accounts? I tried, and the rule "appears" to run, but I don't get any e-mails in my other accounts... I am missing something, or should this be working? Thanks

  • I've found a bug. When i set up an 'all day event' in Outlook with a 15min reminder. When i view the event on WL Calendar and sync it back to Outlook the date gets changed by +1hr and so does the reminder

  • I just installed it. So far I have noticed that: 1. I had categorized my calendar appointments prior to upgrading from beta 1 to beta 2. Some of the categories were removed from the appointments. could it be that maybe not all of them had sync'd with hotmail? I don't know. 2. I still have 100% blank email except for dates in the non inbox folders. do i have to somehow reimport them? 3. you or messenger still need to fix it so msn im recognizes your "IM address" field in contacts as their IM field. what is the point of having an IM address field if it's not used by anything? They currently put it under their contact form's "contact/other IM address". super annoying. I'm still fixing up my contacts via msn IM as a result. very messy and does cause flaky issues w/ my contacts. 4. good news. looks like conversation view issue was fixed. it used to pile everytihng into a "none" subject and then when you clicked on an email it would disappear from focus and go into the appropriate conversation group. 5. I don't know if the rest of my bugs were fixed because a lot of them had to do with moving contacts from archives, etc and I'm not about to try to regress that bug since I already fixed up my contacts (the hard way).

  • This is seriously broken and the error messages don't help a bit. Come on folks, I like what you are doing and I am trying to justify a switch from Google Apps (their imap support is horrible) to Live custom domains but the support has to be better than this. Much better. Here is the message... Error in Mail

    The server reported a temporary error.

    Error: 5102. Server. Xfs request 'SyncBinary' failed. Response code: 'InternalServerError', server response: '999 0'.

  • I had to swing my email back to gmail. Maybe int he future this will be practical.

  • 5102. Server. Xfs request 'SyncBinary' failed. Response code: 'InternalServerError', server response: '999 0'. So nice - has been the same problem with the last version... I can still send email but receiving them: not possible. It only works right after setting up my Hotmail-account with OC and Outlook 2007. I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed as a Windows Live Hotmail Plus user with a service that's not really working... btw: the online support doesn't really work: It does not recognize Outlook Connectors Product ID - great.

  • I use Plaxo and Linked in. After installing the newest Outlook Connector I began having problems. If LinkedIn is installed in outlook....Outlook crashes every time. I uninstall LinkedIn toolbar for Outlook and it is fine again. Plaxo for outlook will also no longer sync when outlook connector is installed. Help?

  • I have been thrown "outlook connector Beta 12.1" whihc is actually 12.06. I have insttaled it. But, when I try to synchonize the folders I keep getting the message :install outllok connector 12.1. Does anyone know any fix?

  • I am still having the sync issue that alot of ppl experienced since july (see beta 1 thread for the complaints). It signs in successfully but doesn't update any folders. This is with 3 differents accounts and on tested on windows vista and xp on 2 seperate networks. The only common factor is they are both using outlook 2007 I can't even raise a ticket via contact us cos that link is borked too.

  • Pax,

    could you give me more details about the problem you're seeing when creating a support request using the "Contact Us" link? I can't seem to reproduce the issue. Thanks

    Alessio Roic

    Program Mananger

    Microsoft Office Outlook

  • Maybe I'm missing something but why isn't the conencting creating data files for me? In "Data Files" it shows "Not available".

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