Microsoft Hotmail support

VfM4meplse

Hi all, am hoping for some Hotmail support.

My mum has had an account for many years and was recently informed that her password was "corrupted". She's tried to revive the account several times but I'm guessing that her answers don't match the security questions asked at the time of setup letter for letter (it's all automated, isn't it?). So Microsoft has sent her an email advising her to se up another account.

This is easily done: the problem is her whole history is on the previous account and she needs to access the data held within it. I've had a quick google to see if there's telephone support, but none of the sites that come up seem to be genuine. How can she get through to a person at Hotmail?

Genuine Microsoft support is here and doesn't offer a telephone option: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/products/microsoft-account .

Ant555

> So Microsoft has sent her an email advising her to se up another account.
Presumably this message was sent to an alternative email address?

Is the Hotmail.com email an old account that has been inactive for a while or has it been in reasonably regular use? Has it been used in the last 12 months.

VfM4meplse

Ant555 wrote: »

> So Microsoft has sent her an email advising her to se up another account.
Presumably this message was sent to an alternative email address?

Is the Hotmail.com email an old account that has been inactive for a while or has it been in reasonably regular use? Has it been used in the last 12 months.

This was her main email account (moderate - heavy traffic) and she would check it several times a day, for years until she had notification that the password had been "corrupted". There's so much stuff in the account that she just can't afford to lose.

So she's set up an alternative but this of course lacks any historical info. How does she have a conversation with someone rather than being routed through an automated process?

Rubidium

VfM4meplse wrote: »

This was her main email account (moderate - heavy traffic) and she would check it several times a day, for years until she had notification that the password had been "corrupted". There's so much stuff in the account that she just can't afford to lose.

So she's set up an alternative but this of course lacks any historical info. How does she have a conversation with someone rather than being routed through an automated process?

Nobody should rely on an email provider to store years worth of data.

If the data is important, you should be using an email client to download each email onto your machine and you should then back this up regularly.

You can make contact with Microsoft via email, chat or skype see here

grumpycrab

Have you been through the recovery process with your mother?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/12429/microsoft-account-sign-in-cant

(If you have sorry for asking)

Sooler

Keep trying the forgot/reset password acrobatics where they send a code to a mobile or another email address.

We somehow managed to reset a forgotten Hotmail password recently after a few goes, did not have answers to the security questions.

I think we managed it by trying to log into the Account page and reseting it there.
https://account.microsoft.com/about

rather than on the Outlook/Hotmail page.

Once we'd reset it via the Account page we could then get to Hotmail

Lorian

Who told her the password was "corrupted" and how did they tell her?

The story reads like an account that has been attacked and the attack may be continuing.

I'd be tempted to check her email address for compromise at

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

make sure you are happy to use that site - after all you don't know me from Adam.

Sooler

What happens when you try the old password?

VfM4meplse

Sooler wrote: »

What happens when you try the old password?

Not working / locked out.

Thanks for all the replies, I'll report back once she's tried the online chat.

VfM4meplse

Just to update you, Mum did find a helpline to call and the account is now back up and running.

We have no idea exactly why the account went down, nor why the online support failed to revive it but at least we know there is non-automated technical help available when its needed.

The phone number is: 0800 026 0584. Support advised her to paste the following into the toolbar and follow the instructions: account.live.com .

Thanks to all.

DoaM

In other words, the link in post #5 was what was needed?