Windows Live Mail 2012 not Blocking Hotmail Images

I would feel better is ¡Firedog is right and the server blocks web beacons, but I agree that we would need to see something that states that from Microsoft.  I get too much blatant junk mail in my Inbox that Microsoft spam-filtering just can't seem to figure out so I don't need any more acknowledgement to spammers that my email address is valid.

What does it even mean for a server to block beacons?  It’s not supposed to modify message contents after all.  The only interpretation that I find makes sense is that the Outlook.com web interface blocks external images, which it _should_ if it’s configured that way.

So, just to be clear, Microsoft has decided that it will show images in e-mail when it wants to and will ignore the desires of the user.  Got it...  "by design"

I suggest changing the text for that setting from "Block images and other external content in HTML email" to "Block images and other external content in HTML email (except MSN/Outlook/Hotmail)" to avoid any confusion by users in the future.

 

Your link is not helpful.  It doesn't even mention "Outlook with DeltaSync".  It deals with someone who WANTS to see all their images.  We do not.  And thought, erroneously, that the setting mentioned would cover that.  It does... for all e-mail except MSN/Outlook/Hotmail.

 

I have made the global setting change to only read in plain text and have begun to transition my accounts away from MSN.

 

Thank you for finally acknowledging that this is an actual issue and not some anomaly being seen by the other users in this thread.

Well, unfortunately, it appears that No_UserName is 100% correct.  This is definitely not "by design," but rather a flaw in the product that is not being acknowledged by the right people.

I would feel better is ¡Firedog is right and the server blocks web beacons, but I agree that we would need to see something that states that from Microsoft.  I get too much blatant junk mail in my Inbox that Microsoft spam-filtering just can't seem to figure out so I don't need any more acknowledgement to spammers that my email address is valid.

Regardless, this does not fix the problem that Windows Live Mail is showing the images when it should not be, so, like it or not, this is definitely a bug in the software... unless the wording gets changed to have an exception for Microsoft mail accounts like No_UserName half-joked.

Unfortunately, until something changes, it looks like I'll have to agree with No_UserName and start to shift my email to a non-Microsoft email account.

-- Jim

Hi Everyone,

I've brought this issue to the attention of Product Specialist and it has been communicated that this is by design (Outlook using DeltaSync).  No immediate changes will be made to the application in order to change current image rendering behavior.

I suggest that you visit the thread below for reference regarding to this behavior:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-windows_programs/blocked-images-in-an-e-mail-message-in-windows/7d6351e6-b032-40ee-8e06-cdea6f7a31b0

Thank you for your feedback.

Regards,

Ron - Support Specialist

Are you sure the issue you brought up was actually about the product’s not being able to block external images?

• The link you gave is about how to make images show up, instead of getting them blocked.
• If this non-blocking behavior is “by design”, then at least the WL Mail needs a fix in its user interface.

I’m not sure what you mean by “Outlook” in “Outlook using DeltaSync”, but I’m assuming it’s Outlook.com.  In that case, Outlook.com now respects user’s choice of blocking external images.

In addition, this can hardly be justified by “using DeltaSync”.  External images are downloaded separately; they have nothing to do with a mail synchronization protocol.  In fact, Outlook 2012 with Hotmail Connector (which is a DeltaSync client) does block external images correctly.

Actually WL Mail is the now only product (along with Outlook.com, the Windows 8 Mail app, and Outlook 2012 with Hotmail Connector) that doesn’t correctly block external images.

And I think you're turning a blind eye (Look, I can degrade someone with idioms too!)

*"Web bugs can also be filtered out at the server level so that they never reach the end user.*That's what SmartScreen does at outlook.com"

Can you please link to where it is documented that SmartScreen specifically blocks Web bugs?  If so, then the issue would be slightly mitigated, but I find that doubtful.

Again with the "Junk email folder"?  No one cares about that.  This is all about Inbox.

And if you care to ever address the ***** actual option within WLM* that specifically says it will block these items, I'm all ears.  I'll copy and paste it here, again, incase you forgot.

"Block images and other external content in HTML email"

On the Wikipedia page you referred me to, you can read that *Web bugs can also be filtered out at the server level so that they never reach the end user.*That's what SmartScreen does at outlook.com.

 Its not just spam/junk some of us are concerned about ...

I didn't mention spam/junk. I wrote about suspicious content. WLMail doesn't provide a folder specifically for suspicious mail; there's no reason to, because the Junk email folder serves the same purpose. Messages delivered there are not displayed unless the user chooses specifically to do so. You thus have the possibility of examining the message source to look for anything untoward before opening the message.

I think you're tilting at windmills.