Can't access Outlook.com with Microsoft account with @cornell.edu email address

Anonymous
2012-10-29T18:45:38+00:00

I've had a Passport / Live Id / Microsoft account for many, many years.  I have all my Microsoft-related context associated with this account, including a Windows Phone.  This account's main email address is an @cornell.edu email address.

Some time ago, I went to Outlook.com with this live id and created a bunch of email aliases, thinking that I might switch my primary email address to an @outlook.com one at some point in time.

Recently, I've been unable to access Outlook.com.  I get the following error:

This account can't be used to access Outlook.com

You're currently signed in with an Office 365 email account, which can't be used with Outlook.com. Please clickhereto sign out of your Office 365 account, then use another Microsoft account to sign in to Outlook.com (for example, your hotmail.com, live.com, or msn.com account).

I have no relationship to Office365.  However, I suspect that the cause is that the actual Cornell U recently signed up for that service for its email domain, and for some bizarre reason that rendered my own (alumni) cornell.edu account unusable with Outlook.com.

I'm also unable to access my Contacts through the web (I see the same error).  My WP7 devices and Win8 desktop can still use Live contacts, so I assume the API still works.  It's a weird mess.

One of the solutions I considered doing was to switch my live id to my outlook.com alias.  However, since I'm now unable to access the Outlook.com interface, I'm unsure as to how to do that.  If I go to https://account.live.com/ChangeId.aspx, the only domain options I get are live.com and hotmail.com.  If I enter an outlook.com alias as a "different address", it says:

You can't use @outlook.com in your Microsoft account email address. Please try a different email address.

Suggestions?

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

50 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2013-01-08T17:15:16+00:00

    Alix:

    I've provided the required information.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2013-01-08T06:38:55+00:00

    Hi,

    We would like to apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused you. Please give us permission to access your account so that we can speed up the process of troubleshooting this concern.

    I've created a private message wherein you can put the email address in question. Just click the red link You have a private reply to this message located above your post.

    Please be informed that you need to login/signed in to this post forum for you to view the link.

    Kindly confirm here in the public forum once you've provided the needed information.

    Thanks!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2013-01-03T21:13:55+00:00

    Eugene:

    Thanks for that information.  I ran it by Cornell's IT department and got the following back:

    ====================================

    "I'm very sorry that Microsoft is giving you the runaround on this. In the thread you have on the forum, they seem to not understand that you don't have a mailbox in the cornell domain, so there is nothing for us to change. You don't show up in our control panel for us to configure in any way.

    I think the question that you need to ask them is how to rename your Live ID so that it is not using xxxx@cornell.edu as the primary identity. As long as you have that primary identity, you are going to have problem with being directed to the wrong domain.

    For what it's worth, we had the same problem when we deployed Google. The difference was that Google knew that it was going to be a problem and helped their users through it. Perhaps explaining to them that their competitor has solved this problem three years ago would motivate them.

    I'm sorry, but they really haven't given us any tools to fix it, and we wish they would stop saying that we can."

    ====================================

    The bottom line remains this:  is there a way to fix my Live Id so I can use Outlook.com, /without/ changing my Live Id?  Microsoft?  Bueller?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2012-12-30T07:25:29+00:00

    Hi mfeingol,

    I just want to inform you that since your account is under custom domain and your domain is handled by a Custom Administrator or University Administrator, they have the right tools to configure any domain under them. They can set what interface you can only use and if the Admin just set the interface for Office 365 and you want to use the interface of Outlook, you will get an error, like what you have right now. I suggest that you contact your Custom/University Administrator to enable you to sign in to Outlook or any other email interface.

    Thanks!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2012-12-27T17:52:03+00:00

    Ma. Jhella_F:

    Clearing browser cache and cookies doesn't help.  But thanks for the suggestion.

    In any case, I've already provided you with my email address.  On November 12th, you told me:

    ============================= 

    I've reviewed the affected email account you provided and I recommend that you contact your domain admin regarding the issue.

    ============================= 

    I did that, and the domain admin for cornell.edu told me the obvious:  they can't help with an Outlook.com issue.

    Do you need my email address again?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments