P
PS Macintosh
After many years of trouble and analysis, I've finally figured out
that Ent 2001 is not able to handle the task of handling multiple
email accounts very well at all.
Entourage will go into a "hang" with some of my email accounts, but
not all of them. Other parts of Ent will still work and function with
other email accounts.
By "hang," I mean that Ent will not receive/collect emails from a
particular address, will not send, will not move emails to other
folders.
If YOU are having a problem with the access to and interaction between
Entourage 2001 and email accounts, then hopefully this message will
help you.
(If you find any real cause of the problem or better solution, please
let me know at (e-mail address removed).)
WORK-AROUNDS:
(1) The work-around is to reduce the number of email addresses in your
"RUN SCHEDULES" down to about 2-3 addresses per schedule.
Any more addresses and Ent will probably slip into an indefinite
"hang".
(2) The other work-around is to constantly restart both Entourage and
your internet connection (DSL line in my case using MacPoET to
connect) whenever there is a "hang" to try to free up that connection.
(3) The final work-around is to "try to restartup on another day."
I've tried to find the actual CAUSE of the problem -- with no success.
No real TECH SUPPORT from ANYBODY:
No Tech Support system has provided any real assistance at all (over
several years of trying).
Microsoft TS does not provide any service for the Ent 2001 product
now. And I could never find access to them to address it when the
product was new.
This site (Entourage newsgroup) has never answered my questions posted
to it about this problem on 02/17/04, 02/10/04 and 09/13/2002.
I also sought help from Hotmail's TS since Ent was "hanging" when
accessing their email address. (Although it would also hang with
Earthlink and other email addresses.) They tried, but ended up
blaming Entourage for the problem and never would address the problem
with the access mechanics.
I also sought help from Earthlink's DSL TS, but they thought that the
DSL line was working OK, especially since I could make internet
connections at the same time as Ent was "hung" up with a certain email
account.
Below is my last email to Hotmail Tech Support which gives a lot of
information about this problem and my last conclusions.
(You can see that I had given up with their TS, but at least they,
unlike any other branch of TS, actually ANSWERED my requests for
help.)
---------------
Hi Hotmail Tech Support,
Thanks for trying to help!
(I won't bother you further after this email.)
Recently, I've learned more about the problem.
I now think that the problem happens during the INTERACTION between
Entourage and email systems (such as Hotmail). So it is really a
problem from both sides.
I, too, think that the problem is MOSTLY in Entourage....and has
existed there since its beginning (2001).
(However, no one will address the problem at the many
Entourage-related sites I've been to, including Microsoft.)
(I was actually expecting that you'd consider it to be Entourage's
fault and problem. But I haven't been able to reach anyone in
Entourage's Tech Support and figure that they'll just throw the fault
off onto Hotmail or other email systems. Maybe you can send the
problem over to Microsoft--I don't see any access for me to MS for
older programs.)
The Hotmail system CONTRIBUTES to the problem.
It is some sort of "timing" and "access" issue between Entourage
(email client) and email systems (Hotmail, etc.).
The more internet traffic, the more "hangs."
The more access steps, the more "hangs."
I've now discovered that, if I reduce the number of email accounts
that Entourage tries to collect from simultaneously from 5-6 accounts
down to 2-3 accounts, that Entourage is more successful in avoiding
"hangs."
Therefore, there is something about the process of requesting access
to the Hotmail accounts that is helping cause the "hang" problem.
........Hotmail requires that Entourage do a lot of steps behind the
scenes. That is the point at which Entourage is getting hung up.
And, of course, email systems other than Hotmail make similar
requests. So Entourage sometimes gets hung up with them as well.
I don't understand:
1. Why haven't a lot of other people run into this problem such that
the problem is a recognizable, identifiable problem for tech support.
(There must be more people out there who have many email accounts and
have setup schedules to collect from lots of email accounts
simultaneously.)
2. Why doesn't the Tech Support from MS Entourage and MS Hotmail get
together and resolve this problem.
(It would seem to be a SERIOUS problem of high priority for an email
client to work smoothly.......and for an email system (Hotmail) to
work well with a MS product.) (OK, that's maybe a bit of a rant.)
I certainly don't have the information to resolve this problem.
So I'll stick with my primitive, time-consuming work-arounds:
Collect from email accounts almost one at a time,
do restarts whenever Entourage hangs.
But I won't buy Entourage again until I know that the newer versions
don't have the same interaction problem with Hotmail and other email
systems.
Maybe this further info will shed some light on the real cause of the
problem.
Thanks for your consideration.
-Philip
that Ent 2001 is not able to handle the task of handling multiple
email accounts very well at all.
Entourage will go into a "hang" with some of my email accounts, but
not all of them. Other parts of Ent will still work and function with
other email accounts.
By "hang," I mean that Ent will not receive/collect emails from a
particular address, will not send, will not move emails to other
folders.
If YOU are having a problem with the access to and interaction between
Entourage 2001 and email accounts, then hopefully this message will
help you.
(If you find any real cause of the problem or better solution, please
let me know at (e-mail address removed).)
WORK-AROUNDS:
(1) The work-around is to reduce the number of email addresses in your
"RUN SCHEDULES" down to about 2-3 addresses per schedule.
Any more addresses and Ent will probably slip into an indefinite
"hang".
(2) The other work-around is to constantly restart both Entourage and
your internet connection (DSL line in my case using MacPoET to
connect) whenever there is a "hang" to try to free up that connection.
(3) The final work-around is to "try to restartup on another day."
I've tried to find the actual CAUSE of the problem -- with no success.
No real TECH SUPPORT from ANYBODY:
No Tech Support system has provided any real assistance at all (over
several years of trying).
Microsoft TS does not provide any service for the Ent 2001 product
now. And I could never find access to them to address it when the
product was new.
This site (Entourage newsgroup) has never answered my questions posted
to it about this problem on 02/17/04, 02/10/04 and 09/13/2002.
I also sought help from Hotmail's TS since Ent was "hanging" when
accessing their email address. (Although it would also hang with
Earthlink and other email addresses.) They tried, but ended up
blaming Entourage for the problem and never would address the problem
with the access mechanics.
I also sought help from Earthlink's DSL TS, but they thought that the
DSL line was working OK, especially since I could make internet
connections at the same time as Ent was "hung" up with a certain email
account.
Below is my last email to Hotmail Tech Support which gives a lot of
information about this problem and my last conclusions.
(You can see that I had given up with their TS, but at least they,
unlike any other branch of TS, actually ANSWERED my requests for
help.)
---------------
Hi Hotmail Tech Support,
Thanks for trying to help!
(I won't bother you further after this email.)
Recently, I've learned more about the problem.
I now think that the problem happens during the INTERACTION between
Entourage and email systems (such as Hotmail). So it is really a
problem from both sides.
I, too, think that the problem is MOSTLY in Entourage....and has
existed there since its beginning (2001).
(However, no one will address the problem at the many
Entourage-related sites I've been to, including Microsoft.)
(I was actually expecting that you'd consider it to be Entourage's
fault and problem. But I haven't been able to reach anyone in
Entourage's Tech Support and figure that they'll just throw the fault
off onto Hotmail or other email systems. Maybe you can send the
problem over to Microsoft--I don't see any access for me to MS for
older programs.)
The Hotmail system CONTRIBUTES to the problem.
It is some sort of "timing" and "access" issue between Entourage
(email client) and email systems (Hotmail, etc.).
The more internet traffic, the more "hangs."
The more access steps, the more "hangs."
I've now discovered that, if I reduce the number of email accounts
that Entourage tries to collect from simultaneously from 5-6 accounts
down to 2-3 accounts, that Entourage is more successful in avoiding
"hangs."
Therefore, there is something about the process of requesting access
to the Hotmail accounts that is helping cause the "hang" problem.
........Hotmail requires that Entourage do a lot of steps behind the
scenes. That is the point at which Entourage is getting hung up.
And, of course, email systems other than Hotmail make similar
requests. So Entourage sometimes gets hung up with them as well.
I don't understand:
1. Why haven't a lot of other people run into this problem such that
the problem is a recognizable, identifiable problem for tech support.
(There must be more people out there who have many email accounts and
have setup schedules to collect from lots of email accounts
simultaneously.)
2. Why doesn't the Tech Support from MS Entourage and MS Hotmail get
together and resolve this problem.
(It would seem to be a SERIOUS problem of high priority for an email
client to work smoothly.......and for an email system (Hotmail) to
work well with a MS product.) (OK, that's maybe a bit of a rant.)
I certainly don't have the information to resolve this problem.
So I'll stick with my primitive, time-consuming work-arounds:
Collect from email accounts almost one at a time,
do restarts whenever Entourage hangs.
But I won't buy Entourage again until I know that the newer versions
don't have the same interaction problem with Hotmail and other email
systems.
Maybe this further info will shed some light on the real cause of the
problem.
Thanks for your consideration.
-Philip