Help - All My Hotmail Messages Have Disappeared !

[torrenova]

I just logged into my hotmail account for the first time in a while (months) and every message has gone - disappeared. My contacts are still there but there are no messages, only one saying welcome to your account !

I have perhaps 10 years of messages stored there and some were very useful back in July but can anyone shed some light on what has happened and how I get Bill Gates to give me them back ?

Thanks

What is this Live thing anyway ?

[JetsetBkk]

Aren't you supposed to log in every month - i.e. at least every 30 days - in order to keep your (free) account active? I collect my Hotmail using Outlook Express on my PC, so rarely use a web browser to access it.

I don't know what happens if you don't log in every month, but maybe what happened to you is the result.

"Windows Live" blurb from an email I received:

The next generation of Windows Live is now available. Now it's an even safer, easier and more

creative way to share your world with friends and family, from your PC and mobile phone.

"Windows Live Hotmail" blurb from an email I received:

Get to know Windows Live Hotmail!

Have more than one Hotmail account? Now you can easily link them together. What's more Hotmail now has improved spam protection, up to 70 percent faster* performance, and a clean, simple design that combines all of your favourite features.

"Windows Live Mail Desktop" blurb from an email I received:

We'd like you to know about the next generation of desktop e-mail, called Windows Live Mail Desktop, and you can try out a beta version of it now, for free. (The "beta" part means this product hasn't officially been released yet.)

"Windows Live Messenger" blurb from an email I received:

With Windows Live Messenger, you can connect with your friends and family via live online chat, text, voice and video. Not got Messenger yet? Download it now, and get your very own mini you for your display window.

I get confused as to what the difference is between Windows Live, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Mail Desktop and Windows Live Messenger. Is it software, or a service, or a new protocol, or a new look... Microsoft have really screwed up the naming of all this stuff.

(Actually, I understand what Windows Live Mail Desktop is - it's a piece of crap free software "designed" to replace Outlook Express. Absolute garbage.)

Edited January 7, 2009 by JetsetBkk

[Digitalbanana]

Yes, hotmail sucks. Move on to other free emails like gmail and ymail and they let you keep your mail.

[GungaDin]

Yep, same for moi. 10 years of email, gone, jusslikethat.

Thank you Microsoft, I try to avoid your products now as much as possible or buy from reputable copycats.

Kudos to Google, FireFox and their apps!

[yeti]

I just logged into my hotmail account for the first time in a while (months) and every message has gone - disappeared. My contacts are still there but there are no messages, only one saying welcome to your account !

I have perhaps 10 years of messages stored there and some were very useful back in July but can anyone shed some light on what has happened and how I get Bill Gates to give me them back ?

Thanks

What is this Live thing anyway ?

You can always try to contact Support, but don't hold your breath...

[bdenner]

I still don't understand why people don't use the POP3 facilities in applications like Outlook etc. with reputable Service providers like Gmail or Yahoo. Hotmail is the pits.

That way you always have mail stored on the server as well as in your machine also good for offline correspondence preparation. OK your away and have to use an internet shop! Easy, just download it when you get home!

[sniffdog]

Don't blame Microsoft or any other provider for your own mistake NOT to backup your messages.

I don't have online email, but rather webmail from my hosting provider. I wouldn't dare to leave my messages there without backing them up.

Are you going to blame Western or Seagate for the loss of your files on your computer if your HD goes belly up?

[fred2007]

As far as I know you have to log in before a 3 month period or all your messages will be deleted, it happen to me a while back when I didn't use hotmail for a while. But you be able to keep your contact list.

[JetsetBkk]

As far as I know you have to log in before a 3 month period or all your messages will be deleted, it happen to me a while back when I didn't use hotmail for a while. But you be able to keep your contact list.

I believe it's 30 days now for "free" users. Before that, it was 45 days.

[Digitalbanana]

I still don't understand why people don't use the POP3 facilities in applications like Outlook etc. with reputable Service providers like Gmail or Yahoo. Hotmail is the pits.

That way you always have mail stored on the server as well as in your machine also good for offline correspondence preparation. OK your away and have to use an internet shop! Easy, just download it when you get home!

Because some people don’t know any better. They are sucked into the Microsoft system when they buy a cheap PC in the shop with the Microsoft o/s preinstalled without choice, just like all the other anti monopoly products they get sucked into. It’s why Internet Explorer is still the most used browser despite it being the worst? I didn't see any Gmail links on my desktop when I switched on my brand new PC out the box. Just links to MSN.

[rak sa_ngop]

Don't blame Microsoft or any other provider for your own mistake NOT to backup your messages.

Sniffdog, perhaps you can let us know how to backup Hotmail messages onto your own computer. I have 10 years of messages that maybe I should not entrust to Microsoft to look after.

Thanks

[tominbkk]

Same happened to me, but only 4 or so years of email. sucks big time. Get gmail.

[JetsetBkk]

Don't blame Microsoft or any other provider for your own mistake NOT to backup your messages.

Sniffdog, perhaps you can let us know how to backup Hotmail messages onto your own computer. I have 10 years of messages that maybe I should not entrust to Microsoft to look after.

Thanks

You could try using Thunderbird to do it:

If you run Thunderbird as your email client, there's a webmail extension that allows you to download and send email through your webmail accounts, including Hotmail.

http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_download_my_ho...y_computer.html

I tried Thunderbird after M$ said they would stop Outlook Express users picking up their Hotmail emails - they were "retiring" the "DAV protocol" that OE uses, and then they changed their minds. It worked for me.

I wrote a long procedure for doing it here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Windows-Live...t&p=2138722

It's complicated, but should work.

[Digitalbanana]

Don't blame Microsoft or any other provider for your own mistake NOT to backup your messages.

Sniffdog, perhaps you can let us know how to backup Hotmail messages onto your own computer. I have 10 years of messages that maybe I should not entrust to Microsoft to look after.

Thanks

It depends how much you value your 10 years of Hotmail emails and how much time you have on your hands. Last time I looked, several years ago now, Microsoft let you link their email with Outlook or other email clients but you have to pay them for the privilege. Otherwise read them one by one and copy paste. This is how much Microsoft thinks about its customers and it's why the masses have long since switched to Google.

Edited January 10, 2009 by Digitalbanana

[siam2007]

As far as I know you have to log in before a 3 month period or all your messages will be deleted, it happen to me a while back when I didn't use hotmail for a while. But you be able to keep your contact list.

I believe it's 30 days now for "free" users. Before that, it was 45 days.

it used to be 30 days, but now I think it's at least 3 months..... I have one account that I rarely use. I logged in a few days ago for the first time since almost 5 months and to my surpirse, all the mails were still there.

still, yahoo is much better for that purpose. I still do store some important emails, dated 1998, from my private life, that eventually made me move to Asia.... I think yahoo will only delete your mails once you dont log in for more than 6 months

[JetsetBkk]

As far as I know you have to log in before a 3 month period or all your messages will be deleted, it happen to me a while back when I didn't use hotmail for a while. But you be able to keep your contact list.

I believe it's 30 days now for "free" users. Before that, it was 45 days.

it used to be 30 days, but now I think it's at least 3 months..... I have one account that I rarely use. I logged in a few days ago for the first time since almost 5 months and to my surpirse, all the mails were still there.

still, yahoo is much better for that purpose. I still do store some important emails, dated 1998, from my private life, that eventually made me move to Asia.... I think yahoo will only delete your mails once you dont log in for more than 6 months

Yes, you are right - it has been greatly increased, maybe with the advent of "Windows Live Hotmail". I managed to find a recent and fairly authoritative report on the subject:

Free Windows Live Hotmail accounts become inactive if you don't sign in for 120 days, or within the first 10 days after signing up for an account. After an account becomes inactive, all messages, folders, and contacts are deleted, but the account name is still reserved. If the account stays inactive for an additional 90 days, the account name may be permanently deleted.

From here: http://windowslivehelp.com/community/t/2552.aspx

I don't know if the sign-in requirements are different if you don't "upgrade" the account to the new Windows Live Hotmail as I can't find anything about it in the Hotmail "Terms of Use".

[IMA_FARANG]

I just logged into my hotmail account for the first time in a while (months) and every message has gone - disappeared. My contacts are still there but there are no messages, only one saying welcome to your account !

I have perhaps 10 years of messages stored there and some were very useful back in July but can anyone shed some light on what has happened and how I get Bill Gates to give me them back ?

Thanks

What is this Live thing anyway ?

I'm assuming you have the original free hotmail service. If you don't log in for an entended period of time...not sure how long exactly...you will soon start to see your inbox and savers box getting full. Hotmail will start sending you warnings that you are about to exceed the free limit of storage. If you don't respond after a period of time they will eventually delete your messages.

You need to log in on a regular basis, and delete old messages, to stay below the free storage limit. If you get a warning message from hotmail that you are about to exceed the storage limit, you need to take quick action to delete your old messages...or back them up to your own drive if you want them stored.

Now the windows Live option does allow you a fixed specified amount of storage. You can decide what messages you want stored...but you still need to go into it every now and then to remove the ones that are no longer needed...usually the oldest.

Hotmail was originally concieved just as a place to recieve email. It was expected that most of these emails would be deleted after reading. or not kept for very long. There is a limit on storage for any one person, especially for free email.

Getting it back...I doubt it will be possible.

By the way...this fact...limited storage...is usual with most free email systems. Some give you more storage than others, but once you get near the limit, you have to delete old messages, or store those you want to keep permanently outside the email system. Sorry.

[GungaDin]

Just curious, why does anyone bother using Hotmail any more, with all their restrictions?

[Digitalbanana]

M$ marketing. A PC will likely has hotmail on it straight out the box. For someone who can just about use the power on switch, there are millions of them it's all they have.

[JetsetBkk]

Just curious, why does anyone bother using Hotmail any more...

Sentimental reasons.

[nikster]

By the way...this fact...limited storage...is usual with most free email systems. Some give you more storage than others, but once you get near the limit, you have to delete old messages, or store those you want to keep permanently outside the email system. Sorry.

I guess you haven't heard of Gmail. It's free. It has POP and even iMap access. It keeps your email forever (well as long as Google is around, I guess). And it provides ever more storage for you - it started out with 2GB, which was fantastic then, now my account has near 8GB storage and counting... it's growing way faster than I can use it.

Hotmail is a piece of garbage. I can't believe they are getting away with deleting people's email. It's like a bad joke.

But as was said above, they get lots of people to sign up simply because when you install windows, all you see is windows live search. No Google or Gmail anywhere. How they get away with that under anti-trust laws is beyond me.

[Bizz]

I just logged into my hotmail account for the first time in a while (months) and every message has gone - disappeared. My contacts are still there but there are no messages, only one saying welcome to your account !

I have perhaps 10 years of messages stored there and some were very useful back in July but can anyone shed some light on what has happened and how I get Bill Gates to give me them back ?

Thanks

What is this Live thing anyway ?

I have experience of this and you have two options here if you have

not got a paid account with Hotmail.

1 Nothing

2 Less than nothing.

1. Your email may be backed up and stored somewhere. MAYBE

2. you will never be able to reach someone who can do this for you.

If you have a paid account you will have to speak to the Hotmail

support team who may help you, but they specify that they DO NOT

guarantee backups. You may never got those emails again.