In mid April 2007, Microsoft announced plans to kill access to Windows Live Hotmail through Outlook Express. The Redmond company has since then, thanks mainly to end user feedback, switched 180 degrees on its decision. Initially the Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol was scheduled to be disabled as of June 30, 2008. Microsoft informed that following that date, users of Outlook Express would no longer be able to access their Hotmail accounts via DAV, and instead pointed them to Windows Live Mail. But this scenario is no longer valid as DAV will not be disabled at the end of June 2008.

"Recently, many customers received notification regarding Microsoft's plan to disable the DAV protocol, which allows you to access your Windows Live Hotmail inbox from Outlook Express. From the feedback we received, it became clear that you needed additional time to evaluate alternative solutions and with this in mind, we are postponing the transition deadline previously announced. This means that you will continue to be able to access your Windows Live Hotmail accounts from Outlook Express beyond the June 30 transition deadline", explained a member from the Windows Live Hotmail Support Team.

Windows Live Mail is an upgrade Microsoft offers for Windows Mail, the default Windows client that ships with Windows Vista. The Redmond company justified its decision to disable DAV as the natural evolution in the life of a legacy protocol that has issues when accessing large inboxes. Windows Live Mail features support for DeltaSync, a protocol designed to virtually replace DAV, but that will not be integrated into Outlook Express.

"As Microsoft continues to evolve its products to meet your needs, we appreciate your feedback. This change to Outlook Express protocol is one such evolution and will allow for managing of multiple accounts and today's large inboxes. We will update you on expected future changes and alternatives with enough advance notice to ensure a smooth transition. We apologize for the inconvenience this change may cause", added the member from the Windows Live Hotmail Support Team.