You cannot configure Windows Mail to use a Web-based (HTTP) e-mail account on a computer that is running Windows Vista

When you try to configure Windows Mail to use a Web-based (HTTP) e-mail account on a computer that is running Windows Vista, you experience one of the following symptoms:

• When you try to add a Hotmail account or an MSN account to Windows Mail, you receive the following message:
  Information About HTTP E-mail
  
  Windows Mail no longer supports the HTTP servers used by Hotmail and other web-based e-mail providers. Click the Back button to set up a different e-mail account, or see other options for accessing your web-based e-mail.
• When you try to use a Windows Live e-mail account or a different Web-based e-mail account in Windows Mail, you cannot send or receive e-mail messages.

Use Windows Live Mail instead of Windows Mail

Windows Live Mail is an e-mail program that you install on your computer. Windows Live Mail stores messages on your computer. This means that you can access, read, and compose e-mail messages even when you are not connected to the Internet.

Windows Live Mail works with popular Web-based e-mail services such as Hotmail, AOL mail, Google mail, and Yahoo! mail. Windows Live Mail is built to automatically configure many popular e-mail services.

To install Windows Live Mail, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

Windows Mail also supports Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server types.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.