Friday, August 17, 2012

Why You Cannot Sign In or Log into Hotmail / Windows Live / MSN

I Cannot Sign Into Hotmail, Why?

You have a Hotmail account but not sure which is your Sign in I.D.? If you cannot sign into Hotmail,you are not alone, people have trouble signing into websites and web applications every day.Hotmail has undergone a lot of transformation in the past years. Since its acquisition by Microsoft Corporation, the email service has been rebranded from Hotmail to MSN Hotmail to Windows Live. These are not only name changes, but each of these new names have come with new features that have not been available in the original Hotmail.

Did You Forget Your Password?

So you still don’t know your Windows Live I.D. to sign in? Dont worry, whatever the name of your email service – Windows Live or MSN Hotmail, you are still using Hotmail.Most of the login problems are caused by common mistakes that most users do. Before you rush to think that your Hotmail account has been hacked, hijacked or that a virus has struck your computer, you should first of all eliminate some common basic errors that might be preventing you from signing into your Hotmail account. It might be as simple as forgetting your password, hitting or not hitting CAPS Lock when entering your password. A Hotmail sign-in password is case-sensitive, therefore you must try UPPER case or LOWER case when entering your password.

Are You Trying to Sign in with Your Hotmail Alias Email Address?

Another common mistake made by Hotmail users is using their alias email addresses (additional email addresses) to sign into Hotmail.Maybe this is due to the fact that people confuse their alias email address with the original sign-up email address. If you have an @live.com email address or a country-specific domain like @hotmail.co.uk, @hotmail.us,@hotmail.co.nz you might try to log into Hotmail with no success. Why? It’s simple, Microsoft does not allow you to sign into your Hotmail account as well as other services such as Xbox Live, Windows Live Messenger, Web Apps, Microsoft Store using alias email addresses. It is therefore important to remember your sign-up email address to avoid confusion with your alias email addresses.

What is your sign-up email address? Your sign-up email address is your newly created Hotmail account address or the existing email address that you used to create your first Hotmail account. There is one thing to take note of here. When you are creating your new Hotmail account, you have to go to the sign-up page to do that. The sign-up page gives you two options of creating your account. You can create a Hotmail account with an existing email address that has never been registered with Hotmail, for example, your Gmail address or Yahoo Mail address. If you have used any of your existing email addresses to sign up for Hotmail in the past, Hotmail will tell you that your email address is already registered, therefore you can’t create a new account but you must sign in.

When you use an existing non-Hotmail email address to create your account, you will be able to sign-in with that email address. The second option for creating a Hotmail account is for people who have never registered with Hotmail in the past. This option allows you to create a new Hotmail account and email address @hotmail.com

Your @hotmail.com address is your Windows Live I.D. to Sign in

Every new user gets an @hotmail.com email address on their sign-up. This is your one and only email address (Windows Live I.D.)  to sign into your Hotmail account and other Microsoft Services such as Messenger, Web Apps, Xbox Live and Microsoft Store. This @hotmail.com email address (Your Windows Live I.D.) cannot be changed or deleted. It is a permanent address.However, your alias email addresses that you add on top of your Windows Live I.D. can be deleted from your account.

What is an alias email address? An alias email address is an additional email address that Hotmail allows you to create in your account. Microsoft provides alias email addresses with country specific domains. These email domains are owned by Microsoft. An alias email address cannot be used to sign into your Hotmail services, but it can be used to send email. For example, when you are composing an email, you can insert your alias email address in the From: field. Microsoft allows users in selected countries to create alias email addresses with country specific domains. For example, if you live in Canada, you can create an @hotmail.ca or @live.ca email address for sending mail. To make a distinction between your Windows Live I.D. and alias email addresses, here are the domain extensions:

Windows Live I.D.

Always use this ID to sign in
Your Windows Live I.D. is in the form: @hotmail.com

Microsoft Alias Email Domains: Examples to illustrate the 6 email domain extensions used by Microsoft.

Your Microsoft Hotmail alias email addresses may be in the form:  (where xx is the country domain)
Hotmail.co.xx    e.g.  hotmail.co.za (For South Africa)
Hotmail.com.xx   e.g.  hotmail.com.hk (For Hong Kong)
Hotmail.xx   e.g.  hotmail.fr (For France)
Live.com.xx   e.g. live.com.au (For Australia)
Live.xx    e.g.  live.de (For Germany)
Live.co.xx   e.g.  live.co.uk (For United Kingdom)

Is your Computer Hosts File Altered?

If you still cannot sign into Hotmail and you are sure that you have not been trying to sign in with your alias email addresses, then you must look at other probable causes. Clear your browser cache and cookies, then try to log in again. Maybe you have a virus on your computer that is blocking Hotmail.Check your Hosts File to see if it has been changed or altered by a virus. Most of the times, you will find that the website that you cannot log into is listed in the Hosts File. Check to see if Hotmail or Microsoft domains are on the list,then remove them from the list.Save the changes on your Hosts File and try to sign into your Hotmail account again.

Location of Hosts File: 

Windows XP Hosts File  -  c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Windows Vista Hosts File -  c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Windows 7 Hosts File -  c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Mac OS X 10.2 and above –  c:/private/etc/hosts

Hotmail.co.jp Sign in - Japan MSN Home Page

Hotmail Japan

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.jp
@hotmail.co.jp

MSN Home Page – Japan

http://jp.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Japanese

http://windows.microsoft.com/ja-JP/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.com.hk Sign in - Hong Kong MSN Home Page

Hotmail Hong Kong

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.com.hk
@live.hk

MSN Home Page – Hong Kong

http://hk.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Mandarin Chinese

http://windows.microsoft.com/zh-HK/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.com.tw Sign in - Taiwan MSN Home Page

Hotmail Taiwan

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.com.tw
@livemail.tw

MSN Home Page – Taiwan

http://tw.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Mandarin Chinese

http://windows.microsoft.com/zh-TW/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail China Sign in & MSN Home Page

Hotmail China

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.com
@live.cn

MSN Home Page – China

http://cn.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Chinese

http://windows.microsoft.com/zh-CN/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.co.kr Sign in - South Korea MSN Home Page

Hotmail South Korea

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.co.kr
@live.co.kr

MSN Home Page – Korea

http://www.joinsmsn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  South Korean

http://windows.microsoft.com/ko-KR/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.co.th Sign in - Thailand MSN Home Page

Hotmail Thailand

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.co.th
@windowslive.com

MSN Home Page – Thailand

http://th.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Thai Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/th-TH/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.co.il Sign in - Israel MSN Home Page

Hotmail Israel

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.co.il
@windowslive.com

MSN Home Page – Israel

http://il.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Hebrew

http://windows.microsoft.com/he-IL/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Ukraine Sign in & MSN Home Page

Hotmail Ukraine

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com


MSN Home Page – Vietnam

No MSN Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Ukranian

http://windows.microsoft.com/uk-UA/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Russia Sign in & MSN Home Page

Hotmail Russia

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.ru

MSN Home Page – Russia

http://ru.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Russian

http://windows.microsoft.com/ru-RU/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Bulgaria Sign in and MSN Home Page

Hotmail Bulgaria

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

MSN Home Page – Bulgaria

No MSN Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Bulgarian

http://windows.microsoft.com/bg-BG/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.gr Sign in - Greece MSN Home Page

Hotmail Greece

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.gr
@windowslive.com

MSN Home Page – Greece

http://gr.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Greek

http://windows.microsoft.com/el-GR/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Hotmail.com.vn Sign in - Vietnam MSN Home Page

Hotmail Vietnam

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.com.vn
@windowslive.com

MSN Home Page – Vietnam

No MSN Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Vietnam English

http://windows.microsoft.com/vi-VN/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.co.uk Sign in - UK MSN Home Page

Hotmail UK (Great Britain)

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.co.uk
@hotmail.co.uk

MSN Home Page – UK

http://uk.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  United Kingdom

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.com.tr Sign in - Turkey MSN Home Page

Hotmail Turkey

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.com.tr
@windowslive.com

MSN Home Page – Turkey

http://tr.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Turkish Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/tr-TR/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.se Sign in - Sweden MSN Home Page

Hotmail Sweden

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.se
@hotmail.se
@live.com

MSN Home Page – Sweden

http://se.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Swedish Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/sv-SE/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.fi Sign in - Finland Home Page

Hotmail Finland

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.fi
@live.fi

MSN Home Page – Finland

http://fi.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Finnish Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/fi-FI/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.co.za Sign in - South Africa MSN Home Page

Hotmail South Africa

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.co.za
@live.co.za

MSN Home Page – South Africa

http://howzit.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  South African English

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-ZA/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.sk Sign in - Slovakia MSN Home Page

Hotmail Slovakia

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.sk

MSN Home Page – Slovakia

No MSN Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Slovak

http://windows.microsoft.com/sk-SK/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.sg Sign in - Singapore MSN Home Page

Hotmail Singapore

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.sg
@live.com.sg

MSN Home Page – Singapore

http://xin.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Singapore English

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-SG/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.ch Sign in - Switzerland MSN Home Page

Hotmail Switzerland

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.ch
@windowslive.com



MSN Home Page – Switzerland

http://ch.msn.com

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  German Swiss

http://windows.microsoft.com/de-CH/windows/home

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  French Swiss

http://windows.microsoft.com/fr-CH/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Romania Sign in & MSN Home Page

Hotmail Romania

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

MSN Home Page – Romania

No MSN Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Romanian Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/ro-RO/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.pt Sign in - Portugal MSN Home Page

Hotmail Portugal 

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.com.pt
@hotmail.pt



MSN Home Page – Portugal

http://pt.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Portugal Portuguese Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/pt-PT/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.pl Sign in - Poland MSN Home Page

Hotmail Poland

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.pl

MSN Home Page – Poland

http://metromsn.gazeta.pl/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Poland Polish Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/pl-PL/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.ph Sign in - Philippines MSN Home Page

Hotmail Philippines

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.ph
@live.com.ph

MSN Home Page – Philippines

http://ph.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Philippines English

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-PH/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Sign in - Austria MSN Home Page

Hotmail Austria

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.at

MSN Home Page – Austria

http://at.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Austria German Language

http://windows.microsoft.com/de-AT/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.no Sign in - Norway MSN Home Page

Hotmail Norway

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.no
@live.no

MSN Home Page – Norway

http://no.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Norway Nynorsk 

http://windows.microsoft.com/nb-NO/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Hotmail.co.nz Sign in - New Zealand MSN Home Page

Hotmail New Zealand

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.co.nz
@live.com

MSN Home Page – New Zealand

http://msn.co.nz/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  New Zealand English

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows/home


Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Middle East Sign in - MSN Home Page

Hotmail Middle East

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

MSN Home Page – Middle East

http://www.arabia.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Middle East

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-XM/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.my Sign in - Malaysia MSN Home Page

Hotmail Malaysia

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.my
@live.com.my

MSN Home Page – Malaysia

http://malaysia.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Malaysia

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-MY/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.hu Sign in - Hungary MSN Home Page

Hotmail Hungary

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@hotmail.hu

MSN Home Page – Hungary

No MSN page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Hungarian

http://windows.microsoft.com/hu-HU/windows/home

Outlook Sign In

http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Lithuania MSN Home Page

Hotmail Lithuania

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com


MSN Home Page – Lithuania

No MSN page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in –  Lithuania

http://windows.microsoft.com/lt-LT/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail Latvia Sign in - MSN Home Page

Hotmail Latvia

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com


MSN Home Page – Latvia

No MSN Home Page

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in – Latvia

http://windows.microsoft.com/lv-LV/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail LatinoAmerica - MSN Home Page En Espanol

Hotmail LatinoAmerica

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.com
@hotmail.es

MSN Home Page – LatinoAmerica

http://latam.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in – hotmail latino en espanol

http://windows.microsoft.com/es-XL/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/

Hotmail.it Sign in - Italy MSN Home Page

Hotmail Italy

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses

@live.it
@hotmail.it

MSN Home Page – Italy

http://it.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in – Italy Italian

http://windows.microsoft.com/it-IT/windows/home
 
Outlook Sign In
 
http://www.outlook.com/


 

Hotmail.ie Sign in - Ireland MSN Home Page

Hotmail Ireland

Windows Live ID

@hotmail.com

Alias Email Addresses


MSN Home Page –Ireland

http://ie.msn.com/

Windows Live Hotmail Sign in – Ireland English

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IE/windows/home
Outlook Sign in

http://www.outlook.com/

Friday, August 3, 2012

How to Chat with Facebook Friends on Outlook Email

It’s official, Microsoft has taken a huge step to make Hotmail the best Webmail on the planet. You can now make a Facebook chat right from your Hotmail Outlook account.Outlook.com is the new email address for Hotmail users. You can now claim your new @outlook.com email address and get to keep your existing @hotmail.com email addresses.

The new Outlook email address comes with a new interface with exciting features. To test the new interface, you must upgrade to Outlook. To upgrade, you simply log into your Hotmail account via www.outlook.com. You can go back to your old Hotmail interface by clicking the link under your settings drop-down menu.
One of the exciting features is the Facebook Chat. This is a cool feature that allows you to chat with Friends on Facebook inside your Email. You can see a list of your Facebook friends on the left sidebar, the profile of the person on the center and the conversations thread on the right sidebar.

The Facebook Messaging feature can be seen on the right side. To activate the feature, click the Facebook icon and install the Microsoft Facebook Connect application. Within a few minutes, your chat page will be populated with your Facebook Friend List.

How to Create Outlook.com Email Address for Hotmail

You can now use an @Outlook.com email address for your Hotmail account. Your Hotmail email address is not going away but Microsoft is simply giving you another email address in addition to your existing addresses. You are not only getting an Outlook Email address but you are also getting a new interface for your Hotmail account. This new interface is based on the Microsoft Outlook Email client – faster, cleaner and professional, allowing you to integrate with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn right from your Email.

If you are a Hotmail Outlook user, you no longer need to log out of your Email in order to chat with your Facebook friends. You can do it right from your Email as if Facebook is part of your email interface.
You must realize Outlook.com is just an additional email address and you cannot sign into your Hotmail account using this email address. You still have to log in using your Hotmail email address.

Creating an Outlook email address is an easy process. Just go to www.outlook.com on your browser and sign in with your normal Hotmail email address. When you sign in, you will see the new clean and simple Outlook interface. Click the gear icon on the top right corner, next to your name to go to Settings. On the resulting page - Options > Managing your Account, click [Create an Outlook Alias].Enter your preferred Outlook email address and click [Create an Alias].That’s all. You should receive a confirmation email from Microsoft telling you about your new email address.

Microsoft Adds Outlook.com Email Address and Interface for Hotmail

Microsoft is seeking to replace the existing Hotmail Email interface with an Outlook interface. You will also get a new @outlook.com email address along with your existing @hotmail.com, @msn.com or @live.com email addresses.

If you want to switch over to the new Outlook Email interface for Hotmail, just go to the URL http://www.outlook.com/ and log in with your existing Hotmail email address. You will be immediately ushered into a new-look Hotmail that has some modern web 2.0 features as well as a minimal and clean interface that allows you to access what you want easily and quickly. It is the most professional looking interface when you compare it to Gmail and Yahoo Mail.

I also have to say Hotmail loads much faster when compared to Gmail and Yahoo Mail and it has the most effective spam control system. I have never seen junk mail or unsolicited emails in my Hotmail inbox for a long time, but I am always bombarded with spam in my Gmail and Yahoo inbox.

You Still keep your Hotmail Email Address

When I first read the news from tech blogs about the Outlook.com email domain, the headlines were implying that Microsoft is about to kill the @Hotmail.com email addresses.However, this is not the case, Microsoft will never kill the Hotmail domain that is used by millions of people in their email correspondence because you cannot change your email address that you have been using for a long time. Instead, Microsoft will allow users to keep their Hotmail email addresses and use them while allowing them to add a new outlook.com alias email address.

This is not the first time that Microsoft has added a new email domain. They have done it before with @live.com email addresses and they didn’t kill the @hotmail email domain. What does this mean? Microsoft is simply giving you a wide choice of email addresses to use for different purposes. As they say, you can use different alias email addresses for business, socializing and shopping.

You Still Sign in with Hotmail.com

To create a new Outlook Email Address for Hotmail,simply log into your Hotmail account and go to the Settings gear wheel just next to your name: Settings > Options > Managing Your Account > Create a Outlook Alias.
Remember that you cannot sign into your Hotmail account using an Alias email Address. The Outlook.com email address is an alias email address. You can only sign into your account using a Hotmail.com email address.

Features of Outlook Mail

So what are the features of the new Outlook Email for Hotmail?

-          You can chat and message your Facebook friends from your Outlook Email. You can see who is online from your Outlook Email. No need to leave Outlook and log into Facebook.
-          You can chat and message your Twitter followers from your Outlook Email. No need to leave Outlook and sign into Twitter.
-          You can interact with LinkedIn friends from your Outlook Email
-          You can chat and message Skype contacts from your Outlook Email.
-          You have access to the SkyDrive File Storage cloud server that allows you unlimited storage space.50 GB is more than enough.
-          You have a calendar for organizing and scheduling.
-          You have a clean, fast loading and professional interface.
-          You can open Microsoft documents,Excel,Word and PowerPoint from your inbox
Above all, you are simply taking the advantages of Outlook to your Hotmail, making your email even more powerful and useful.