Where have my People Gone?

[Richard Jones]

Although I am able to send and receive e-mails using my Windows 7 PC and my Surface RT with these being copied to both machines, the People App on the Surface remains empty with none of the contacts listed on my PC having been transferred.

I am using Windows LiveMail 2011 as my e-mail account with the Charms/Settings/Accounts link on the Surface showing the Account Name as “Microsoft” along with my e-mail address. Clicking on “Add an Account” lists Hotmail (when I try to add this it shows as already being on the Surface), Facebook, Twitter, Outlook (I am unable to make a connection through this link as none of the additional information it calls for allows anything to happen), Linked In, Google and Sina Weibo but there is no reference to LiveMail.

Interestingly, the e-mails are copied to my Android phone as well with the phone also listing my contacts so, somehow, they’ve managed to get there but not on to the Surface.

Does anyone know of a way of getting the contacts to show in the People App or if there is there is a way of just copying them from the PC into the App?

Thank you,

Richard

 

[TrentonT]

Surface / Surface Pro gets the content for People from your Hotmail or Live account. Contacts must be imported to Outlook.com first.

 

[TrentonT]

I stand corrected open People > from Charm Bar Settings open Account > go from there.

 

[Richard Jones]

Thank you Trenton but, as I explained in my original post, this takes me nowhere. Any other ideas?

Richard

 

[Richard Jones]

Sorry to say I'm still stumped and hope someone can come to my assistance.

All I want is for the Windows Live Mail 2011 e-mail programme on my Windows 7 PC to synchronise with Mail and People on my SurfaceRT so that I can see the contacts repeated on the Surface whilst also allowing any changes (deleting mails , updating contacts etc.,) on the PC to be seen on the Surface as well.

Any help will be appreciated.

Richard

 

[J515OP]

It sounds like you are trying to sync a local email program on your PC to your Surface app. You can't do this unless you go through a the web based mail client. Do you have a MS web based mail account (hotmail, livemail, outlook.com)? First you need to get that synced with your Live Mail program on your PC. Once those are synced the web mail will sync with the Surface apps.

Set Up Windows Live Mail 2011 for Your E-Mail Account

JP

 

[Richard Jones]

Thank you JP.

The problem is that Windows Live Mail 2011 is already set up on the PC as my mail account. My android phone is synched to this and shows my contacts from Live Mail and allows a deletion or amendment on one to show up on the other but this doesn't happen on the Surface. Here I do see copies of e-mails sent and received but these have to be deleted independently regardless of what's happened on the phone or the PC and the People box remains empty.

The People screen on the Surface shows it as being connected to a Microsoft Account identified by the usual four coloured squares while the Mail Settings/Accouints box identifies the account with a brown/orange envelope with both showing my e-mail address alongside. This seems to suggest that they might have made two different connections. Does this perhaps suggest that I should remove the Account(s) completely and start again or is there another, less drastic solution?

Thank you.

Richard

 

[Richard Jones]

Can anyone help please? This is s-o-o frustrating. I've spent days trying to get it to work but with no joy.

Richard

 

[Sin]

If you log into Live on the web, do all you contact show up there? If so that I would suspect that something did not get setup correctly on your Surface. If that's the case, then you need to switch to a local account, remove your Live account, and the add it back.

 

[Richard Jones]

Thank you, Sin.

Yes the contacts do show up on the Web but, after searching the web even further, I've now come across this Get help with email problems which seems to suggest that I can only use Outlook.com on the Surface!

If this is right I shall have to upgrade from Live Mail to Outlook.com but I'm not too certain where to find it. Apatrt from this, I want to retain my current e-mail address (@virginmedia.com) and do not want to change this to @outlook.com. Can you help please.

Also, I'm surprised that I wouldn't be able to add an Outlook 2010 account to the Surface if I bought that and installed it on my PC.

Regards,

Richard

 

[Sin]

Is your information on virginmedia.com or is it in Microsoft's site? You do not need an @outlook.com email address, but if your information is in your internet providers account this will not sync automatically with all Windows devices. That is not to say that it can not be done but it takes a bit more work. Also note that Outlook 2010 is not an account, but an application. Outlook is basically the standard for PIM (personal information management) software, but it is not an account to be added to other devices. A Windows Live account is typically a @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @outlook.com. I think there is a but of confusion here as to what your try to get working and what the solution might be.

 

[Richard Jones]

Hi Sin,

The link I gave was to a Microsoft account.

Perhaps I'm being a bit dense but do I need outlook.com to make the connection to the Surface and, if so, how do I retain my current e-mail address? And does that mean I need not buy Outlook 2010?

I have tried all the add account options under Settings but my PC e-mail account is not recognised (apart from the fact that any e-mails are copied to the Surface but without being synchronised and without any contacts appearing under the People app). It does seem that Windows Live Mail 2011 on my PC cannot be fully harmonised with the Surface and I 'm looking for a way around this.

Regards,

Richard