This makes no sense to me.Once in a while, when I try to send/receive, I will keep getting a dialog to enter password over and over. After a while all is good again. Today I'm having this issue and it has happened before a couple of times but normally no problem. This only happens with my local email client, outlook.com will still work.

Am I correct that this has to be an issue on Microsoft's end with the Exchange server of is there any way it could be on my end? BTW, I don't use Outlook. I use eM Client. Still, if I open Outlook, I will get a send/receive error but no prompt for a password. It is just weird. 15 minutes ago the issue was there. Now all is good to go. Hmmm, Is it possible that this could actually be an ISP problem?

<edit>
And now, about half an hour later, the issue is back. It will go away again and tomorrow there will probably be no issue at all.

<edit 2>
And then the issue is gone again...

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The looping credential prompt is typically a server side/ISP problem. I've had it many times in Outlook with a POP/SMTP account in Outlook.
The odd part of your experience is that Outlook (you do mean Outlook client in the Office suite, yes?) does not throw the credential prompt while eM Client does.
EDIT:
I just re-read your post. How is your account configured for the Outlook.com (Hotmail/Live) connection?

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Yes, Outlook in Office 365.

I'm still using @hotmail, As long as it keeps working I'll stay with it as it would be a MAJOR hassle to change all the sites that use it for communications. I'm always connected to Exchange, not POP. I believe that the protocol is called MAPI/RPC.

Personally I think I messed up Outlook client and will end up uninstalling Office and re-doing. When I first opened Outlook it said that I was using an old PST file and that I should close Outlook and delete the PST and open Outlook again to allow it to recreate the PST again. Something fouled up and I think that I need to reinstall.

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I don't have any evidence to back this up (below) but l have my email set to POP3/SMTP on all my devices with 'do not delete read messages from the server' set to 'on' on all my individual device 'server settings', except for my PC.
The reason i have it set up like this is because i want to have a copy of everything i deem important stored on my PC, for that reason i don't use IMAP... i.e. When i delete an emal from my phone or tablet (to reduce clutter on the smaller drives) i can still access it on my PC, Thunderbird will then send the message to the server to mark as read and delete the message from the server allowing me to store the email where i want it stored on my PC.
I like the idea of IMAP but in reality for me it never worked in the way i was comfortable with (horses for courses), too often i accidentally deleted an email from my phone that was important but it then got deleted everywhere, for ever.

Anyway, i digress, i too also from time to time get the looping password request despite never having had Outlook anywhere near Windows 7.

3 of the mail servers i use the most are:
1. Sky (Yahoo)
2. Gmail
3. Virgin Media (?)

From top to bottom i see this issue on those servers:
1. Very rarely, often resolved within minutes.
2. Very rarely, often resolved within 30 minutes.
3. Quite often, can last a day or two.

Afaict the issue is almost always something on the mail server that has changed (or got horked) because the issue always just goes away without any input from me, or upgrade required to Thunderbird.

As expected all seems fine today.

Don't know why but Outlook was pretty badly broken and would not start due to an unable to open folder list or something like that. I got it fixed but had to go to the registry and delete all Outlook profiles.

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Cancel all looking fine today...

It was fine with eM Client this morning but now the issue is back.

One of the reasons that I was bent on fixing Outlook was to test if the issue came back. eM Client keeps asking for the password but Outlook works just fine. Therefore I must assume that the issue is actually with eM Client. My guess is that I'm running an old version of eM Client and it may be having intermittent problems with the Exchange protocols. Shoot, I installed eM Client when Windows Live Mail went away so it is old.

I'll play with this more but currently I turned off having eM Client starting with Windows and switched the auto start to Outlook. I can easily deal with Outlook but I wish it would quit bugging me to "Try the new Outlook". I've already tried it and it lacks any way to manually update a folder and that is a deal breaker for me. On going back to Outlook 365 it asks why and on response it says that the 'MIGHT' add that in a future preview. I don't get that as it is a fundamental function.

eM Client will remain installed as it is needed for stored emails such as saved emails from/to my sister and friends along with email receipts. eM Client only exports in eml format so I'll have to figure out how to import to Outlook. Years ago I found a program named 'something mail or mail something' that would have a good chance of possibly working but it will take some searching as I can't remember the actual name.

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What do you mean by "manually update a folder"?

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

The option in Outlook 365 to manually select to send/receive or to update a folder from that menu. These options are not available in 'the new outlook'.

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I have Office 365 and the option is available to me in Outlook --
I am not running Windows 11 on my desktop and use Outlook from Office on my Surface, so had forgotten that Microsoft, in their misguided renaming, had gone ahead and renamed their lousy basic mail client from Mail to Outlook.
So I just went to the Surface and opened Mail, which then directed me to switch to the "new" Outlook for Windows. Lo and behold, they eliminated the manual Sync option, at least for the Hotmail account I have set up for that client. You are correct -- that is basic functionality that should exist.
The stupidity of this is that the manual Sync option exists in the Mail client, which I reverted to on Windows 11 to confirm.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Ya, I run Mail on my Surface but it seems that Mail is going away sometime this year. I rather like Mail as it is simple and to the point. Just like Windows Live Mail they just can't seem to let a good thing be.

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Another very minor gripe about Outlook 365. Any time I go to empty my deleted folder it prompts as if I'm sure. Put a danged checkbox to not show again. Minor but a little irritating...

Regardless Outlook has no problem with Microsoft exchange but eM Client does. It is what it is.

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Solved the minor irritation as to Outlook always asking for conformation when emptying the deleted folder. There is a setting under the settings for Outlook then Advanced to not ask.

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This is a problem at your ISP level. I have seen this some time ago on one of my client's computers.
I was able to fix the problems by not havine the email deleted from the ISP after sending it to you. (I think that is what I did, not sure I am remembering correctly)
However I can say for certain it is a timing problem.

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I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.

Send and Receive in 365 does a sync of all folders. If you have to option to show Send and Receive Progress to show. you will see it happening..

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I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.

Outlook 365 is fine Bill. It is the 'New Outlook' that will be replacing Windows Mail that lacks the option to manually send/receive.

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I did not realize you were talking about the new Outlook since that is still in a test mode. I cannot use the new Outlook as it does not work with my main email isp, which is POP3/IMAP.
I did not mean to confuse the issue.

_________________
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.

I hear ya and no worries.

I just hate it when Microsoft does these things. I always liked Windows Live Mail and they got rid of it for no reason that I can fathom. Now you have Windows Mail, which is similar to Live mail, yet they have to get rid of that too. If you know me at all you know that I am a strong believer in not fixing what isn't broken but Microsoft seems totally bent to keep doing just that.

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I hear ya and no worries.

I just hate it when Microsoft does these things. I always liked Windows Live Mail and they got rid of it for no reason that I can fathom. Now you have Windows Mail, which is similar to Live mail, yet they have to get rid of that too. If you know me at all you know that I am a strong believer in not fixing what isn't broken but Microsoft seems totally bent to keep doing just that.[/quote]
I do have to say that there are continuing new features. A lot of the newer versions are to allow your smart phone to work easier and in sync with a desktop.
I would bet that there is more email on phones than on desktops now?

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I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.

William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.

I do have to say that there are continuing new features. A lot of the newer versions are to allow your smart phone to work easier and in sync with a desktop.
I would bet that there is more email on phones than on desktops now?[/quote]


Ya, I know it has become a mobile world but that doesn't mean that I have to like it.

Did you know that texting has taking over as the number one automobile deaths over alcohol with teems according to highway patrol stats? Or at least that was the case a few years ago...

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I don't know about the law in the US but in the UK we have extremely strict laws about mobile phone use in vehicles.
So much so that recently an English Barrister uploaded a video to YouTube on this very subject, specifically about mobile phone use on private land (e.g. at a drive through takeaway).

Silly mistake for a driving disqualification
https://youtu.be/spE7rQN8PQY?si=22YjWZhdqKY76xEi

I hate even having the radio on when i drive a car because i want to be able to hear what's happening outside the car... most likely because while i had had my car licence for decades i always rode a motorcycle so i only had what went on in my head for 'entertainment', something that could be the difference between life and death if i wan't fully aware of my surroundings!

It really surprised me to learn that using a mobile phone in a drive through on private land for anything other than a contactless payment could get me into trouble.

We also have laws against mobile phone use in vehicles here, though enforcement is often pretty lax. When we lived in NJ there we often saw people holding a phone while driving, but the majority of drivers didn't. Here in Virginia it seems that many more people are on their phones while driving -- including text and messaging. It isn't unusual to wait behind cars when the light has changed because the driver of the lead car is on their device and not paying attention to the traffic signal! There also seems to be a whole lot more stupid accidents here in Virginia due to people not paying attention to the road!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I don't understand why when driving a car there is a section of society who believe they are above the law and it doesn't apply to them.

Here in Edinburgh the City Council has recently begun enforcing a City wide ban on several types of parking that the Scottish Parliament gave them powers to do in December '23, mostly aimed at pavement (sidewalk) parking but it also includes double parking etc.
cf. New parking rules
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/newparkingrules



What amazes me is that even though this has been publicised extensively everywhere locally there are still people parking their cars overnight on the pavement (sidewalk) where i live even though there are plenty of vacant parking spaces just a few yards away, yet they seem to have a mentality that it's there god given right to ignore the rules and do whatever they want.

The article goes on to explain:


It seems that there are a lot of people who fail to grasp what "City wide" means and that sooner or later parking attendents WILL visit the street they are parked in and they will then face a hefty fine and their car impounded.... why take the chance and not just park a few yards away instead?

I don't get the stupidity of humans at times.

Absolutely agree with this!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"