Why can't I reply to posts in this forum?

[mscertified]

I get an 'unauthorized' message. I have logged in using Passport and can
reply to posts in other forumns. This never happened until they revised these
forumns recently.

 

[John W. Vinson]

I get an 'unauthorized' message. I have logged in using Passport and can
reply to posts in other forumns. This never happened until they revised these
forumns recently.

It is NOT necessary to use Microsoft's frankly rather flaky - and certainly
very slow and awkward - webpage in order to see the messages here. Long before
the webpage even existed these messages were on USENET, the NNTP format news
system.

You can use any newsreader - Outlook Express is already installed on your PC
if you have Windows - to get to these groups. Set the News Server in the
"Accounts" window to msnews.microsoft.com. You can subscribe to as many of the
scores of newsgroups Microsoft offers; and you'll see the same content as the
newsgroups (except for the "rate this post" and MVP icons and such inessential
extras).

 

[Marsoupeal]

these messages were on USENET, the NNTP format news system.

Indeed, until you just posted that, I never knew they were accesible in
any other way.

 

[John W. Vinson]

Indeed, until you just posted that, I never knew they were accesible in
any other way.

Microsoft would apparently prefer that people NOT know. There are perennial
rumors that the NNTP feed will someday stop and we'll all be forced into web
forums.

That will be the day that a lot of MVP's and other regular volunteers
disappear from these groups (probably into the non-Microsoft groups), unless
there are some *dramatic* improvements in the web portal software.