Sorting out a GoDaddy cluster*#%@

[HCHTech]

I have a referral source (web guy) that is a GoDaddy reseller - as a result, for many of those clients I have to keep the GoDaddy relationship - sucks for me, but he is a very good referral source, so I live with the GD nonsense.

In case you don't know, GoDaddy is in the middle of migrating every client that was using their IMAP domain email to M365. This would be a good thing, if it weren't for GD's sucky version of M365. So here is the latest mess I'm trying to untangle:

• SMB client using the GoDaddy IMAP email buys an MS Family subscription using their personal MS account (personal@outlook.com).
• Client then adds a new user to that family subscription using their work email address (work@domain.com). I'm sure they thought they were being clever and avoiding the cost of a business subscription. When they did this, it (or they) created a new Microsoft PERSONAL account using the work email - I'm sure you can see where this is heading.
• Client uses this new personal account to install Office on their work computer. They add the GoDaddy IMAP email to outlook. Time passes....
• GoDaddy then does their M365 migration, which creates a new Microsoft BUSINESS account using the work email. Now we have two MS accounts with the same email address, one personal and one business.
• After the migration, Outlook will not authenticate when trying to add the new M365 business email. Not exactly a surprise.

So...right now, The Office desktop apps are activated with the personal outlook.com account. When you try to add the business email to Outlook, it never completes the authentication after you enter the password. Normally with a GoDaddy account, this is the point where you get redirected to the GoDaddy login dialog, but that doesn't happen in this case. A quick try with a new profile didn't work, and seeing that the proper autodiscover record was indeed in their DNS, I tried the couple of registry entries to force the use of the new autodiscover, also didn't work. I explained the problem and solution (do it right!), and just showed them how to log into Microsoft online to get their email until things are redone. I wasn't about to waste time on a reinstall or online repair.

So, I suspect the things that need to happen are:

• Upgrade their GoDaddy M365 subscription to include the desktop apps
• Close the personal Microsoft account that uses the business email address as the login
• Reactivate or uninstall/reinstall and activate the desktop apps with the business account
• Add back the business email to Outlook.
• Do this all over again with the other 3 users.

However I suspect that this won't go smoothly until the memory of that personal MS account which used the work email is completely gone.

Good news, it's billable. Bad news, I'm not expecting it will be exactly fun.

Am I missing anything in the steps to recovery?

 

[britechguy]

Just remember that in any Microsoft account that's personally managed, you can go in and specify an email alias, verify it, then delete any other email aliases associated with it.

For the personal account created with the work address, I'd log in to it, add some other address as a secondary alias, verify it, then nuke the work address from that personal account. At least as a starting point to disentangle work and personal.

Since it's a violation of license terms to use M365 Family in the way they're trying to use it, you will ultimately need to get at least M365 Standard for any seats that require the desktop apps, and Business Basic for those who don't really need the desktop apps.

I can't recall if there is a GoDaddy nightmare as far as the types of Business M365 subscriptions go. That's why I got away from GoDaddy this past year for the client that had them. Their setup also made virtually any typical M365 administrative task anything from more difficult to impossible, but I know you don't have that option.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Yeah GoDaddys stuff generally sucks.

I thought they completed that migration last year...guess not. We picked up a ton of M365 customers from a relationship with a local website designer who put his clients on GoDaddys crummy IMAP so called business email.....and then when our website guy heard of GoDadddys plans, he got us involved to move his clients over to our 365 instead of GoDaddys.

ANYways, I've never had problems mixing 365 Personal accounts with 365 Work/School accounts where the email is the same. Matter of fact, for many years I've had my own personal Microsoft account that was based on my email address (probably going back to MSN messenger days under Trillian)....and then when we became Microsoft partners (also a long time ago)...my "work" account was created..also under my same business email addy.

So whenever I sign into a Microsoft service for the first time on a computer, or...say on my current laptop..using an incognito browser, I simply get the choice window of "Is this a personal or work/school account". (see screenshot below)

I have LOTS of clients that also have used their biz email for both types..and I see this window a lot. It's always easy to navigate...choose the work/school one, and proceed like normal.

NOW.....I've not had to do this continuing with a GoDaddy bastardized tenant....I've always done this with vanilla 365 accounts, or...taking over a GoDaddy account (defederate)...so I can convert the tenant into a vanilla 365 account and take it over (kick out GoDaddy). BUT....if you're having confusion with the apps...not knowing "Which way do I go George?" (personal or work/school)...I'd go right to Windows Credential Manager...and rip out all references.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Also, you can go into settings...accounts...access work/school...and rip out any bindings there to any Microsoft tenants....

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Also, to "flush out" existing/old bindings to prior Microsoft tenants.......

and also...fire up RegEdit....and flush out the following....(delete) (more common for AzureAD joining issues but I've used the registry flushing to get rid of some Azure registered issues too.

 

[britechguy]

I have LOTS of clients that also have used their biz email for both types..and I see this window a lot. It's always easy to navigate...choose the work/school one, and proceed like normal.

I'm not doubting what you say, but what shocks me is that these clients "get it" and manage to keep the distinction and how to use it in mind. I find the "do you want to use the work/school or personal" account associated with a single email address very obvious, but I've also found that many clients just don't. It virtually always ends in tears when they accidentally do something in "the wrong account."

That's the main reason I force the clients I've dealt with who have both to establish a separate login ID, which means email address, for work versus personal accounts. And the last guy I worked with was one where I used the flip-flopped alias technique to extricate his personal email address from his business account.

I guess it comes down to whether you (the generic you) believe a given client can and will keep this straight each and every time they go to log into one of the two MS accounts that share a single email address.

 

[HCHTech]

NOW.....I've not had to do this continuing with a GoDaddy bastardized tenant....I've always done this with vanilla 365 accounts,

Yes, I've done it with regular tenants as well - it's simple to choose. Something is going wrong with the redirect to GD, though and I think you're right that the best course of action is just to rip out all credentials and start over - once we get the licensing in place. I already did the recommendation for BP licenses, but they are "considering" whether to do it or not now - probably a good sign of a client I don't want. We'll see. I didn't know about the DSREGCMD command, adding that to my bag of tricks!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I'm not doubting what you say, but what shocks me is that these clients "get it" and manage to keep the distinction and how to use it in mind. I find the "do you want to use the work/school or personal" account associated with a single email address very obvious, but I've also found that many clients just don't. It virtually always ends in tears when they accidentally do something in "the wrong account."

Well...don't forget, I white glove my clients and set up their computers. Once I'm done setting a client up, their computers are either "AzureAD Joined"...or if set up on a local active directory, or for some reason they're just P2P workgrouped...they get Company Portal/Intune app installed. (which means Azure Registered...a lower class than Azure AD Joined). Either of these setups pretty much guarantees that once I'm done setting up the computers, they clients never have to see or deal with that choice of "personal or work/school"...they just won't see that prompt. I've handled setting up the computer, I saw those prompts, and the computers are all buckled down in the new work setup.

For the "less and less" clients that I'm giving the talks about....you can also get to your 365 account from your home computers, just go to dubdubdub.office.com and log in...I do give the warning about that. Since they'll run into that choice in such a scenario. But I'm starting to shy away from encouraging accessing 365 from personal computers (see..token theft malware discussions).

 

[callthatgirl]

This is my everyday work, seriously cluster fukkeries all day long. When I do my onboarding, I will find that right away and give the client the option to disconnect the personal email account from MS, only if they don't have a bloatload of OneDrive, most don't thankfully. After you disconnect it, give it 30 min and it should setup in Outlook fine.

 

[callthatgirl]

I had to learn on my dollar for these years ago, now I blaze through them. Since your referral source is going to send more, I'd def comp some time on this one as you are learning, not troubleshooting.