Outlook (desktop application) problem

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem with the Outlook desktop application, specifically regarding issues with receiving emails and error messages related to an Office 365 account. Participants explore potential causes, troubleshooting steps, and licensing implications, with a focus on technical and user experience aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports that their dad's emails have stopped coming through on Outlook, encountering an error message 'Trying to connect to server' and error code 0x800705b4 after entering credentials.
  • Another participant suggests checking for expired credit cards linked to the Office 365 account and contacting Microsoft support for assistance.
  • Some participants note that the same Office 365 account can be used on multiple PCs, with one participant confirming their own account is functioning properly with a different email provider.
  • There are discussions about the potential conflict with anti-virus software as a cause for the error, with a request for details about the anti-virus software in use.
  • Participants clarify that Hotmail accounts remain free, and charges apply to new users for desktop client access, while existing users can still access their accounts online.
  • One participant expresses frustration with the ongoing 'Connecting to server' issue, indicating that the error code may not require further investigation.
  • There is a debate about the licensing terms of Office 365, particularly regarding the definition of "person" and how Microsoft manages account usage across multiple devices in a household.
  • Concerns are raised about the assumptions made regarding account usage and the lack of definitive answers regarding the desktop issue.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints regarding the cause of the Outlook issue, with no consensus reached on the underlying problem or the effectiveness of proposed solutions. The discussion includes competing interpretations of licensing terms and user experiences.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention potential dependencies on software updates and anti-virus configurations, but these aspects remain unresolved. The discussion also highlights varying interpretations of Microsoft’s licensing policies.

StevieTNZ
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TL;DR
Outlook program won't connect to Outlook server
Since Tuesday, my dad's emails have stopped coming through on Outlook (desktop application). No error is given, except 'Trying to connect to server'. A few days ago, it asked my credentials for the Office 365 account which I provided (its an active subscription), only after 10 mins of it relaying those details to Microsoft getting the error message 0x800705b4. I googled it, I've tried repairing Office (both quick and online), yet nothing improves.

Does anyone have a clue at what is going on and how I can fix it? Temporarily my dad is using www.outlook.com.

The stress of trying to sort this out is enormous; its actually become quite a disgrace.
 
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My wife has a hotmail acct and there is an annual charge of $20 for it.

perhaps his account has something similar and the credit card has expired.

Check his email stream for messages from MS for the past two months.

You could also contact the MS hotline number whatever it is for your country.
 
The same Office 365 account can be used on 5 PCs, (my laptop has it). Mine is functioning fine, though its using Gmail. I usually get charged $16 a month and that went out fine last time. The visa debit card hasn't expired yet.

I think I will ring Microsoft, unless anyone can offer other suggestions - or I might pop on Microsoft's help forum.

EDIT: it no longer asks for my Microsoft credentials (though at the same time as the desktop wanted them, my laptop didn't).
 
StevieTNZ said:
getting the error message 0x800705b4. I googled it,
There's a lot of rubbish that comes up when googling Microsoft error codes. Did your search turn up this information from MS themselves and did you try the suggested solution? Note that this points towards confilict with anti-virus software, what AV is on the laptop and is it up to date?

StevieTNZ said:
The same Office 365 account can be used on 5 PCs, (my laptop has it).
I don't want to make any assumptions about your licensing arragements, but as I understand Office 365's terms they allow the same Office 365 account to be used on 5 PCs by the same person.
 
Hotmail is still free. The charge is for new users to be able to use a desktop client like Outlook which comes with Office. Existing users should still be able to access their hotmail accounts using Outlook.

Anyone can still access via the web front end.
 
pbuk said:
There's a lot of rubbish that comes up when googling Microsoft error codes. Did your search turn up this information from MS themselves and did you try the suggested solution? Note that this points towards confilict with anti-virus software, what AV is on the laptop and is it up to date?
That link refers to Windows Updates.

I don't want to make any assumptions about your licensing arragements, but as I understand Office 365's terms they allow the same Office 365 account to be used on 5 PCs by the same person.
That'd be ludacris.
 
But in any case, we're not getting that error message anymore - it seems Office 365 knows we have, and has applied to that PC, an active subscription. Its just 'Connecting to server' that is the issue. Usually you can click on that (like when Outlook does a send and receive) but nothing pops up so you have no clue what's going on. After 10 mins you end up closing Outlook and going to outlook.com. As I said, technology = stress, and its becoming quite disgusting.
 
StevieTNZ said:
That link refers to Windows Updates.
Yes, the error code you quoted appears to be associated with missing updates to Windows Defender.

StevieTNZ said:
That'd be ludacris.
Ludicrous? I have Microsoft 365 on my desktop, laptop, iPad and phone: seems like I have one spare slot at the moment.
 
pbuk said:
Yes, the error code you quoted appears to be associated with missing updates to Windows Defender.
I guess the error code doesn't need further investigation - it is why Outlook sits on 'Connecting to server' (Outlook) forever.

pbuk said:
Ludicrous? I have Microsoft 365 on my desktop, laptop, iPad and phone: seems like I have one spare slot at the moment.
Yes, in the sense that it is the same user on every five device.
 
  • #10
pbuk said:
as I understand Office 365's terms they allow the same Office 365 account to be used on 5 PCs by the same person.
Where "person" = "Microsoft account", right? If that's the case, if two people share the credentials to a single Microsoft account, how can Microsoft tell the difference, especially if they're in the same household and usually have the same or similar IP addresses?
 
  • #11
jtbell said:
Where "person" = "Microsoft account", right? If that's the case, if two people share the credentials to a single Microsoft account, how can Microsoft tell the difference, especially if they're in the same household and usually have the same or similar IP addresses?
I can think of a few ways, but that's not the point - if you are using software outside of its license conditions you are not in a position to complain when it doesn't work.

In the UK there is GBP20 a year difference between the single user MS 365 and family (up to 6 users in the same household) subscriptions.
 
  • #12
All of this discussion is based on the assumption that it is used by the same person on 5 devices. No definite answer has been provided.

The question about why it won't work on the desktop still goes unanswered. I'll just go elsewhere.
 

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