Where’d the maps go?

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I’m having a problem and I can only attribute it to an MS Update…..

I use Outlook Express for my email and the Windows Address book.
When I would go into the “home” screen, in the address book, for one of my email friends, I could put in their address and then click the little button for “View Map” and a map of their location would pop up on the screen.
I tried that just a few days ago and got one of those airplane ticket sites instead of the map program. That could have only been changed by some update and I’m suspicious that it was something that came down from MS. Those @#%$#’s!

Has anyone else tried that lately?
There were some other weirdness’s that happened recently and I did a System Restore to put things right again.
I’ve about had it with MS updates. They cause more hate and discontent than anything else.

Even the last updates I got for Windows 8/DP, caused problems, and doing a system restore is NOT as easy as it is in XP.
Windows 8 won’t run my “Force a restore point” script so I can’t get a new restore point every day like I do on XP.

Since system restore is so difficult to use, on Win-8, I’ve started doing a Ghost backup more often, as I install new software.

Happy Holidays!
the Doctor

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In outlook express 6, when I would open up the Address Book and access an address and then go into the “Home” screen and click on “View Map” I’d get a very nice little map on the screen.
But now, for some odd reason I get no map but I get an “Expedia” screen, again with NO MAP!

I don’t want to buy air plane tickets, I’d like to have my map program back.

I’m wondering what could have changed the link, in the address book program to take me to “Expedia” instead of to “Mapquest’ or wherever it was that did the maps.
Maybe, another one of those famous MS UPdates?

Any ideas?

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I use Outlook Express for my email and the Windows Address book.
When I would go into the “home” screen, in the address book, for one of my email friends, I could put in their address and then click the little button for “View Map” and a map of their location would pop up on the screen.
I tried that just a few days ago and got one of those airplane ticket sites instead of the map program. That could have only been changed by some update and I’m suspicious that it was something that came down from MS.

On a fully patched XP box here, the Address Book doesn’t have that functionality. Does yours have an add-on from somewhere or am I looking at a different version of address book? Here’s the one in an XP box on this side (one could either infer that I don’t have many friends or that I don’t use that box for email etc….the choice is up the reader.)

29627-XP-Address-Book

As for the map changing to an airline ticket site: why would Microsoft want to do that – I mean what’s in it for MS if people buy airline tickets? If they wished to change it, I would have thought they would push Bing Maps or similar. At the risk of 2 + 2 = 5, and thinking about the “other weirdness’s” forcing a system restore, might it be time to break out the MBAM etc?

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WELL, you first need a friend.
And you have to have that friend in your address book and you need to have that friends home address entered on the “Home” page.
Then at the bottom of the address area is that little button that says “View Maps”.

Like many things that MS does….. follow the money! Why do brand new computers come with Spyware, installed at the factory?
Follow the money!

I can always pull up “Map Quest” and type in the address, but that’s such a PITA, when it used to be just one click to see a map to a friends house. Now the page that comes up has no map app anywhere in sight.

Something has changed and I just can’t nail it down. I’ve tried it on several of my 14 computers, at least the ones that run and they all do the same thing, so evidently it goes beyond just an MS Update.
If I could find the ‘Link’ to the maps, in the Windows Address Book (WAB), I’d change it.

I’m beginning to think It was actually ‘Expedia Maps’ and they have changed their web site and the path to the maps.

I figgered I posted this on the correct forum, since it’s become a “Windows Secret” to me.

Happy Holidays!

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WELL, you first need a friend…..

Ah, now I have it. I added a contact to that address book and then entered an address. Sure enough, on the Home Tab of the Properties of the contact is a View Maps button.

When I click the View Map, I get an Expedia website, just as you noted.

If I right click on the button a dialog box opens that indicates it uses Expedia Maps:

29630-Outlook-Express-Maps

(also described in the help file)

Having not used WAB for a very long time {I use Outlook}, I can’t recall seeing that function before. It seems to me that Expedia probably changed or removed the landing page that the button linked to. Perhaps it’s generated by a re-director for page not found errors on the Expedia web server?

I suspect the url itself is hard coded in WAB.

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Yeah, I figgered that. But MS surely didn’t make it easy to find that Link. I’ve done a word search, and even a registry search and I can’t find it.
Maybe Expedia, will realize that they futzed up something that they are in contract with MS about and fix it.
If I knew somebody to call at Expedia, I’d call them up and complain. Likewise, MS.

But in this day and age of the “Internet” there’s never a person to talk to, about anything.

I called Net-10 last night to get help will my cell phone and I got some little gal in Central America, (she wouldn’t say exactly where) with such a heavy accent that I could hardly even understand her. In transferring my phone number and minutes from an old phone to a new one, I lost 6000 minutes and she could do nothing to help me. I finally just wished her a Merry Christmas and hung up, 6000 minutes poorer for the experience. Is anything actually done in the USA any more?

Happy Holidays Everyone!
The Doctor

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Yeah, I figgered that. But MS surely didn’t make it easy to find that Link. I’ve done a word search, and even a registry search and I can’t find it.
Maybe Expedia, will realize that they futzed up something that they are in contract with MS about and fix it.
If I knew somebody to call at Expedia, I’d call them up and complain. Likewise, MS.

But in this day and age of the “Internet” there’s never a person to talk to, about anything.

I called Net-10 last night to get help will my cell phone and I got some little gal in Central America, (she wouldn’t say exactly where) with such a heavy accent that I could hardly even understand her. In transferring my phone number and minutes from an old phone to a new one, I lost 6000 minutes and she could do nothing to help me. I finally just wished her a Merry Christmas and hung up, 6000 minutes poorer for the experience. Is anything actually done in the USA any more?

Happy Holidays Everyone!
The Doctor

I have Lways had good luck when I ask to speak to the supervisor. Usually the supervisor has been in the US, believe it or not. And they are very knowledgable of the product so it doesn’t take multiple calls.

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Hi, I’m new to the forum. I do genealogy, mainly in Germany and love Expedia Maps, used them for 10+ years. It was great for finding the smallest little towns where my ancestors came from. Now I can’t access the maps. For a few days the site was hoaky, then the url was http://www.expedia.com/city-map which got me to the search screen. I could get to chosing a town with a similar name but then it went to ticket ordering. I can’t even get there today. Where are my maps?? snif, snif.
Elsie

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I’ve concluded it’s a matter of “Follow the money”.
They would rather SELL you something than give you something for FREE, like a map.

There is always Google maps and “Mapquest”.

I can use either of them, but I sure miss my one-click map that I got from within the Windows Address Book.

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Thank you, Dr. Who. Mapquest wasn’t as good but I’ll have to deal. I’ve been so spoiled.
Elsie

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Thank you, Dr. Who. Mapquest wasn’t as good but I’ll have to deal. I’ve been so spoiled.
Elsie

Try maps.bing.com or maps.google.com.

Joe

--Joe

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Thanks, Joe. Will do.

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Good day all. New here, but was looking for answers to the same question. I know it’s been over a year, but wanted to post my half-solution. (XP,OE6)

The “View Map” button in the contact Properties of your Address Book “Home” will still take you to Expedia, even still today, so it is a useless function.
However…
Just below the View Map feature is another option to enter a Web Page URL for this person. If you do not use this and it is thus blank, search for your contacts address location on Google Maps (or wherever you prefer) and then copy this URL into the AB “Web Page” box. Note that it defaults the Http or Https at the beginning, so don’t copy that portion because it will then be doubled and not work. Just copy (example) “maps.google.ca/maps……..”.

Now, you don’t even have to go to Home. It’s in the Summary as well, with a Go button. Yes, it’s an extra step to set up, but it’s not a big one, and it’s one time. Works like a charm…imo.

Hope this helps.

Rock on!

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That’s a two fisted approach. Double the work and double the time spent, to do something that you’ll probably do only once per person.
I do understand how it might work, but it’s just NOT practical.

What would be practical is for MS to fix what they screwed up. Eh?

But that’s like wishing that hens had teeth.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor

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Agreed that it shouldn’t have to be. Heck, this thread shouldn’t even have to exist, but it does. And knowing that MS will never resolve this issue, because it gives them nothing in return, then at least it’s a workaround for the 7 people on the planet who might need it.

I’m not holding my breath on MS. :blink:

Cheer back at ya,
CanMan :cheers:

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