MS Outlook - Caught in endless security loop

[Amethyst]

Anybody else experience this? I'm getting awfully frustrated.

I tried to sign into my MS Outlook account with my username and password. The program said they are upgrading security and need to send a security code to another of my accounts so I can use it to verify this account before I log in.

When I tried to log into the other e-mail account to get the security code, I got the same rigmarole.

The only other option offered is to get the code by text message. We have a landline that doesn't get text messages.

The program doesn't offer any other way to get in touch with MS to ask for a different option than the Catch-22 they put me in.

Amethyst

 

[MissMolly]

I had the same problem about a month ago. I finally had to call Outlook help and one of the technicians helped me access me account and then I set up my icloud account on my iphone as an alternate email. Then a code was sent to my iphone and I was able to use that to access my email. It was a very frustrating couple of days. I feel your pain.

 

[Amethyst]

Is there a number to call Outlook help? I didn't see one, or maybe my eyes are worse than I thought.

There are no Iphones in our home, either...

I had the same problem about a month ago. I finally had to call Outlook help and one of the technicians helped me access me account and then I set up my icloud account on my iphone as an alternate email. Then a code was sent to my iphone and I was able to use that to access my email. It was a very frustrating couple of days. I feel your pain.

 

[MissMolly]

Now that I think about it, I believe the conversation was all on-line. Like a chat session. Try the suggestions here How to Contact Outlook.com Support - About Email I think this is what I used.

 

[Tadpole]

Can't you just set up an account somewhere else (gmail, yahoo, etc.)?

 

[MissMolly]

Can't you just set up an account somewhere else (gmail, yahoo, etc.)?

The problem is, once you get caught in that security loop, you can't set up any alternate email accounts. That's why I needed the tech's help. It's a nasty, vicious, frustrating circle. I don't know why they are doing this.

 

[ERD50]

Can't you just set up an account somewhere else (gmail, yahoo, etc.)?

The problem is, once you get caught in that security loop, you can't set up any alternate email accounts. That's why I needed the tech's help. It's a nasty, vicious, frustrating circle. I don't know why they are doing this.

But if you set up a gmail account, you can access it directly on the web. You don't need to go through Outlook. Hmmm, you might need an active email address to validate the gmail account when setting it up though, I really don't recall. You might need to call a friend to use their account temporarily to get the verification email/code.

I assume you can access a gmail account through Outlook as well (I don't use Outlook, I use the open-source, cross-platform 'Thunderbird' - from the people who brought you FireFox). But if I suspect I'm having local email problems, I can log in through their web interface.

-ERD50

 

[Tadpole]

ERD50, I assume from the response that the email account is already set in the accounts that are blocked and cannot be changed until you actually get into the accounts. This case seems to be two existing accounts that point at each other as the problem solving external email account.

 

[ERD50]

ERD50, I assume from the response that the email account is already set in the accounts that are blocked and cannot be changed until you actually get into the accounts. This case seems to be two existing accounts that point at each other as the problem solving external email account.

I wonder if MissMolly can access those accounts through a web interface? Many people do not realize that is an option, if they have only ever used an email client like Outlook.

Not sure it can be solved that way, but maybe. But yes, if there are two accounts, and they pass the new password to each other, and if you are blocked from both of them - that's a Catch-22. But maybe getting in via the web interface, something can be done.


MissMolly - which email service are you using (just the '@ xyzzzzz.com, or @xyzzzz.net or whatever)? We could tell you if they have a web interface.

-ERD50

 

[target2019]

From the responses, it sounds like the email is MS web email. Go to outlook.com (redirects to live.com) for the experience.

If you can't login to designate some other method of verification, then the only option is human contact as has been mentioned.

 

[MissMolly]

I wonder if MissMolly can access those accounts through a web interface? Many people do not realize that is an option, if they have only ever used an email client like Outlook.

Not sure it can be solved that way, but maybe. But yes, if there are two accounts, and they pass the new password to each other, and if you are blocked from both of them - that's a Catch-22. But maybe getting in via the web interface, something can be done.


MissMolly - which email service are you using (just the '@ xyzzzzz.com, or @xyzzzz.net or whatever)? We could tell you if they have a web interface.

-ERD50

Erd50 - I have resolved this issue. I was having this problem a month and a half ago. Now it's Amethyst who is suffering. This is just my plain old Hotmail account which is now called Outlook.

 

[ERD50]

Erd50 - I have resolved this issue. I was having this problem a month and a half ago. Now it's Amethyst who is suffering. This is just my plain old Hotmail account which is now called Outlook.

Woops - got the two mixed. But same reply applies.

From the responses, it sounds like the email is MS web email. Go to outlook.com (redirects to live.com) for the experience.

If you can't login to designate some other method of verification, then the only option is human contact as has been mentioned.

True, but I was wondering if maybe the problem is at the Outlook client level, rather than the actual email account level. Probably not, but getting in via the web interface would eliminate that one variable.

-ERD50

 

[target2019]

Woops - got the two mixed. But same reply applies.


True, but I was wondering if maybe the problem is at the Outlook client level, rather than the actual email account level. Probably not, but getting in via the web interface would eliminate that one variable.

-ERD50

The email client is the web client. They are using the web interface. Go to outlook.com to see what is going on.

 

[ERD50]

The email client is the web client. They are using the web interface. Go to outlook.com to see what is going on.

OK, if that's the case, then my suggestions don't apply. It wasn't clear from the post ('Outlook' is/also the name of the MS email client, right?). I go to outlook.com, but I don't have an account, so it doesn't tell me much, and it doesn't tell me that that is how they were accessing their email, just that it is one way to access email.

edit/add: OK, looking at wikipedia 'Outlook' is the email client application resident on the computer, and 'outlook.com' refers to accessing it through the web. I'm not 100% sure which the OP is using.

-ERD50

 

[meierlde]

OK, if that's the case, then my suggestions don't apply. It wasn't clear from the post ('Outlook' is/also the name of the MS email client, right?). I go to outlook.com, but I don't have an account, so it doesn't tell me much, and it doesn't tell me that that is how they were accessing their email, just that it is one way to access email.

edit/add: OK, looking at wikipedia 'Outlook' is the email client application resident on the computer, and 'outlook.com' refers to accessing it through the web. I'm not 100% sure which the OP is using.

-ERD50

Outlook the mail client does not have a password, rather the mail server be it Exchange or any other server has the password. the mail client has to be configured to attach to the mail server.

 

[bUU]

I don't know why they are doing this.

They do this because there are many really selfish, exploitative people out there, angling to exploit access to your email account to annoy your friends with spam.

The difficulty in finding out how to talk to a human being situation is one of those "you get what you pay for" situations. I can definitely see how a free email account with another free email account serving as verification could be troublesome, since the free services generally don't offer as timely customer service as paid services.

Outlook the mail client does not have a password

Remarkably, there could be: We just had a big problem at church with this. The administrator put a password on the Outlook data file in the mail client - as well she should. (The church does CORI/SORI reviews for everyone who might come in contact with children, and the reports contain sensitive info, so we don't want just anyone using the church computer to be able to get into the administrator's saved email.) Unfortunately, a comedy of errors have left us without the Outlook data file password. So the temp was continually getting this password prompt, that wouldn't take the email account password, of course, (because it isn't the same as the email account password), and so she couldn't even get new email because there was no file available for the new email to go into. (I helped her detach the email account from the secure Outlook data file, create a new one, and attach that to the email account. But we still cannot get into the old Outlook data file.)

 

[ERD50]

Outlook the mail client does not have a password, rather the mail server be it Exchange or any other server has the password. the mail client has to be configured to attach to the mail server.

OK, I don't use Outlook, so I didn't know if there was another level of security or not.

But regardless, I was just using basic troubleshooting logic of trying to eliminate some steps to isolate the problem. Outlook could have possibly had some sort of corruption or locked file, or some problem with sending the password or with the verification. These things are complex, best to eliminate variables. The story that BUU relates is a rather special case, but it does go to show what could happen.

-ERD50