Tip 343: Outlook Live / Hotmail Service Unavailable

A reminder for anyone who has a Hotmail/MSN account and uses Outlook exclusively to check email:

You need to log into your account on the website (//www.hotmail.com) occasionally to verify you are a real person.

If you receive a message like this:

Mail: [address]

This service is unavailable right now. Please try again later. We're sorry. Your account has been disabled. For more information, contact Support

Try logging in online. If you are presented with a verification picture*, complete the log on and you should be all set. You won't need to contact Support.

*These are the pictures with letters and numbers that computers can't read. They have a name, but I forget what it is. :)

Published March 2, 2006. Last updated on June 17, 2011.