Microsoft Outlook, SkyDrive outages hit users worldwide

[Brink]

Microsoft is experiencing difficulties with its Outlook.com, Skydrive and Contacts services, as its own dashboard and various users are reporting on August 14.

According to the Live.com dashboard, here's what's been happening this morning (EST):...


Update (12:45 PM EST): A Microsoft spokesperson just sent me the following statement:

"Microsoft is investigating an issue affecting a small number of customers' access to some Outlook.com and SkyDrive experiences and we are working to restore full access to the services as quickly as possible. For the latest information, we encourage people to visit the status page (https://status.live.com/)."

Read more at: Microsoft Outlook, SkyDrive outages hit users worldwide | ZDNet

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks for the info Brink,
I'm not seeing any issues but I have more than a few features blocked/ adds, availability sign in..
Cheers.

 

[gregrocker]

I'm locked out of Skydrive, several calls from others locked out of Outlook.

Maybe they should postpone the Skydrive rebranding and focus on this?

Edit: back into both at 6 pm EST.

 

[Brink]

Microsoft still struggling to fix Outlook.com glitch

Microsoft is still trying to resolve a nagging problem that has affected access to Outlook.com for many users.

A few of Microsoft's key online services started suffering from hiccups on Wednesday. Many users reported trouble trying to access Outlook.com, SkyDrive, and Contacts. Microsoft's status dashboard confirmed the trouble with all three. The problems with SkyDrive and Contacts were apparently resolved on Wednesday, and they were given a clean bill of health later in the day via the status page.

Outlook.com has remained the sole problem child, and it's proving to be a difficult one. In the latest update to its status page at 6:39 a.m. PT Thursday, Microsoft said: "Fixing the problem is taking longer than we hoped. We'll provide an update by August 15, 1:00 PM [ET]. We apologize for the lengthy interruption in service."

Read more at: Microsoft still struggling to fix Outlook.com glitch | Microsoft - CNET News

 

[Brink]

Microsoft: Outlook.com problems still not fully resolved

We're going into Day 2-plus of an Outlook.com outage which has resulted in some users not being able to get access their e-mail for the better part of this past week.

Just before noon on August 16, Microsoft switched the Live.com dashboard status claiming the Outlook.com issue was resolved to it's still not fully fixed.

"Fixing the problem is taking longer than we hoped. We'll provide an update by August 17 12:00 AM (EST)," according to the latest dashboard message. "We apologize for the lengthy interruption in service."

A spokesperson sent me the following statement when I asked for more information as to what's caused the issue this week:

"The (Outlook.com) issue has been resolved for the vast majority of our customers, but we are still working to restore full service in a few limited scenarios. We will provide more details and a post mortem soon, so that customers can learn what happened and how we resolved it."

Read more at: Microsoft: Outlook.com problems still not fully resolved | ZDNet

 

[Sarris]

And this my friends, is why I don't use anything on the cloud. If they can shut you out (either by design or accident), then they can access anything of yours that is in the cloud. I don't trust Microshit or the Big Goo with anything of mine. Paranoid? Maybe, but I could get my data yesterday and MS Cloud users could not. Enough said.

 

[gregrocker]

Actually if you use Skydrive Windows app a hard copy of your files are kept on your PC's it sync's. So I had access to my files on all of my devices, just not from the web if I wanted to get to them that way.

So the only real inconvenience here is that if it's not connected, then it's not syncing in real time. Of course Outlook email is a different problem and does cause real time disruption.

More here on Sync, Backup and Store your Files to the Cloud with Skydrive - Windows 7 Forums.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
To slightly mis-quote a well known source.

"Those who swear by the Cloud shall Die by the cloud".

This type of outage is always going to happen -- whatever the reason --civil unrest, earthquakes, Tsunami, electrical outages, Solar Flares interrupting power supplies, Human Incompetence, Terrorism, Organised Crime etc.

You can't guarantee EVER that you will have 100% access to your data at all times. - Just isn't going to happen - especially to free or consumer grade services where even THINKING about providing some sort of robust backup and switching to alternate servers would just be too expensive.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[gregrocker]

I just said that using the Skydrive Windows app keeps a hard copy of all your data on the HD at all times.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
And - what about the time between data being changed and shadowing it on the HDD -- which is done first local HDD or the update on the server.

Good way for data to be hopelessly messed up when the server comes back on line.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[gregrocker]

I've never had any data messed up. If it has a question which is the latest copy between my various devices it saves each version by the device name.

 

[Layback Bear]

I don't use a cloud but do have a question.
Example:
Company Alfa is using company xxx for a cloud service. Company Alfa decides to change cloud service to company zzz.

1. How does company Alfa transfer all the date from cloud xxx to cloud zzz?

2. How does company Alfa wipe all the data that was in cloud xxx and verify that it is no longer there?

My concerns are that cloud xxx just might have your business locked up for ever because you will never know if your data with them is truly wiped from all their drives.
Now if cloud xxx somehow copied your data they would have all the time in the world to break encryption and do whatever with your data.
This cloud could be any place in the world so the laws and regulations at best would be variable and questionable.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
maybe the Mafia could even host some of your stuff on THEIR servers for NOTHING - they'd have all the time in the world to de-crypt / intercept your business data and just by siphoning off a teeny weeny bit they'd make FORTUNES before your company would even KNOW it's being ripped off --

With the speed and volume of transactions that some businesses handle every day I doubt whether a lot of accounting systems are robust enough to handle this -- even Banks who have had years of this type of stuff probably haven't a clue how much money they are holding at any particular instant - and always have a "contingency Fund" to repair errors.

The traders who get greedy on the trading floor will get noticed when a few million dollars goes "walkies" - but a couple of dollars here and a couple of dollars there removed from HUGE accounts might not be noticed for DECADES.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ThrashZone]

Terms of use are never really read completely by anyone,
Which Microsoft shifted the services to Word press so now you would have two terms of use to follow up on,
But I'm sure both have no liability of lost information,
And they do reserve the rights to delete/ ban.... information without notice.
So along that last line there would be the hint it has the ability to read all information stored there, Shared/ Private...
Then you enter the Hacking possibilities and also No Liability.

 

[gregrocker]

I would never use the cloud to store data on without a hard copy backup in several places. In my case I worked out an arrangement which puts my User folders in the cloud by moving them to Skydrive folder in its Windows app. By doing this on each of my devices I keep them synced between all devices in real time, plus have a copy on each HD.

It's all written up in Sync, Backup and Store your Files to the Cloud with Skydrive - Windows 7 Forums
which I admit I'm waiting for awhile to write up as a proper tutorial since I too consider this still experimental after over a year of using it without problems. It took a year to stop worrying about deleting something by mistake and having that sync - it's always in the Recycle Bin!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi Greg,
I did see your tutorial "work in progress" looks good,
I saw the other link to which your reviewing for insight,
I have to admit the skydrive folder/ sync features are not my cup of tea I prefer manual uploading but I do look forward to your updates,
Cheers.