Q:  What is the Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center? 

 A:  Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center (WLHSC) is the evolution of consumer support for Windows Live Hotmail.   WLHSC is the first step in showing the benefit an engaged and trusting community can bring to supporting people; not products.  Research shows us that our customers want a faster and easier way to find timely & accurate support solutions for Windows Live Hotmail. This is why we built Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center; a solutions portal with direct access to support resources and our agents helping users find answers; fast.   

Q:  What happened to Windows Live Hotmail's email support?  Can I still get it?

 A:  English language email support for technical support of Windows Live Hotmail is no longer available.  The WLHSC steps up the support experience for users -- for not only can Windows Live Hotmail support agents be found on the Solutions Center 24/7 (eagerly awaiting your questions), but users can get real-time updates on service availability/outages, topic-driven info & education, always up-to-date FAQs on top issues, and content that is easily found. Combining all that with other expert Hotmail users answering questions, getting answers has never been faster! 

Billing support for our Windows Live Hotmail Plus users has not changed.  Users of other Windows Live products & services will continue to be offered email support at this time. 

Q:  Why did Microsoft change Windows Live Hotmail's support offering?

 A: Microsoft understands that users don't want to email a support agent unless they absolutely have to.  Users want the ability to solve their own problem - and solve it quickly.   Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center brings together the expertise of skilled moderators, Windows Live Hotmail employees, and knowledgeable Hotmail customers.  Customers will be closer to the latest information than ever before.

WLHSC deepens customer relationship by offering timely and relevant solutions along with educational resources; reinforcing the Microsoft brand values and fostering loyalty and earning customer trust.    

Q:  How does this make getting support easier/better?

 A: Customers now have access to all the latest support content and the Windows Live Hotmail community, which includes moderators, at all times.  Prior to WLHSC, a customer could wait up to 24 hours before getting an answer via email.  Now that same customer using Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center can get answers faster than ever before; whether it's an error message that links right to a WLHSC solution, or a solution to top issues, or a community providing expert answers to other similar questions, WLHSC is a whole new way of bringing experts and answers together.    

Q:  I just sent my question to the community and nobody responded... how come?

 A: Responses vary and can be quicker or slower for many reasons. Sometimes other users won't respond because they feel it was answered elsewhere. Other times, perhaps there aren't other users viewing the forum when you posted.

We want to make sure that users get responses. Our moderators, designated by having Windows Live or MSFT in their username, will ensure that most questions have been responded to within 24 hours of the post. 

Q:  Why do I see Microsoft answering some questions, but not all?

 A:  Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center does utilize rating system to manage questions.  If someone marked a response as "solved the problem", our moderators can see that an answer has been given and move on to one that hasn't.   Often other Windows Live Hotmail users solve another users' problem!

 Q:  Am I at risk if I use the forum?

 A: We have used the latest in industry knowledge and standards to provide a safe environment in the Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center. Our representatives are clearly denoted by having "Windows Live" or "MSFT" (no variations) within their username.

Although we tried our hardest, we must all protect ourselves in today's virtual world.  Here are some key things to remember in the forums:

-          Microsoft representatives will have "Windows Live" or "MSFT" in their username. No other variation of this will be used.

-          Microsoft representative will NEVER ask you to provide your password in an open forum. This will happen through private messaging.

-          We don't recover your forgotten passwords or account recovery through the forums. Our representatives do not need to gather any personal information about you beyond your Windows Live ID. In the event that you are trying to recover your contacts, the agent will ask you to provide examples of your contact list. This will happen through private messaging.

-          If you suspect that someone is impersonating a Microsoft representative report the user and DO NOT provide any of your information.

-          BE suspicious of official-sounding users asking for personal information.  When in doubt, don't respond.

-          NEVER give out your personal information in the forums. Even something as simple as your name and address can lead to identity theft. WLHSC is indexed by all the search engines, what you post here can be found by everyone on Earth with access to the Internet. 

Q:  Why is it only English?  Will it be available for other languages and if so, when?

 A: The English customer base represents a very large percentage of Windows Live Hotmail's support volume. We felt that starting the rollout of Windows Live Hotmail Online Solutions Center to our English language customers would have the most benefit. We do plan to continue the rollout to our other supported languages in the future.  

Q:  I don't want to use the Solution Center?  How do I contact someone at Microsoft directly?

 A: We don't offer any direct phone or email support for Windows Live Hotmail.  Our moderators and ambassadors are always available so posting through the WLHSC is your best way to contact us directly.

 Q. What are solutions?

 A: Solutions are pieces of content that are either a definitive solution to a known problem or a blog entry from one of our bloggers. These are meant to be used to help customers immediately solve problems and get latest information on Windows Live Hotmail.  You can always give feedback on the solutions at the bottom of each.

 Q. What is a community?

 A: Our Communities are setup for common scenarios within Hotmail as well as for WLHSC. There are different forums created for customers to report issues in the most appropriate forum. You can come here to see if there is already a topic on the question you have. You can also post your comments and questions. But in case, you do post a duplicate question or post in a wrong forum, do not worry, we will move your post to the correct forum and give you the right answer!

 Q. How do I search for an answer?

 A: Here are some hints on how you could run a search on our Solution Center:

• Phrase Match: "I forgot my password" (must be exact)
• Wildcard Match: sett* (will match setting, settle, settling, etc.)
• Restrictive Matching: settings+internet+explorer (brings back articles that contain those three words)
• Vary your search terms. A different word or phrase will return different search results. Use fewer descriptive words, or try words that have a different but similar meaning. For example, try alloy instead of metal or steel.
• Make sure that you spell search words correctly. Remember to leave a space between each word in your query.

  Q. How do I post a question in the forum?

 A: There are several ways to submit a question in the forum:

-              Reply to an existing post or thread and post your question.

-              Go to a forum under community and click on "Ask a Question" and start a new thread.

Always search before posting. When posting, state your question clearly. If you are posting an error, tell us what you were doing before you got the error.

 Click here for more information.

Q. What kind of information can I share in the forum?

 A. Any information related to the issue that you are experiencing can be shared in the forum and we encourage users to share as much details as possible related to the issue to make it easier for us to answer your questions.

But please make sure that you do not share any of this information:

- Personally Identifiable Information like your phone number, home or office address, date of birth etc.

- Credit card information like your credit card number, Billing Address or expiry date

- Account password - never share your login credentials

  Q. How do I sign up for a new account?

a)       Click the "Sign In" button on the right side of the screen.  This will take you to Windows Live ID sign in page.  You can either sign in with your existing Windows Live ID account or click the link on the right to sign up for a new account.

b)      After signing in with your Live ID account you will be redirected to the WLSC profile creation page where you will create a name for yourself on the site and create a profile.

c)    After completing the profile you will be taken to the original page where you clicked the sign in button.

Q. Why do I need to create a Windows Live Solution Center account when I login with my Live ID account?

There are 2 reasons to have a WLSC profile created:

1.       Users' Windows Live ID information will be hidden from other users and users have an option to have a unique WLSC profile.

2.       In the event of a Windows Live ID maintenance or outage, users will still be able to login to WLSC using their WLSC account.  

 Q. How do I get to the issues that I have posted?

A. Please sign in to WLSC with your account and you will be able to see all your posts under "My Discussions"

Q. How do I access my Private messages (PMs)?

A. Click on your name displayed next to "Signed in as" in WLSC page, you will be sent to your profile page. You will be able to view all the conversations under "My Private Messages"

Q. What does "Mark as Answer" or "Did this solve your problem" buttons mean?

A. "Mark as Answer"

Who can mark a post as an answer?

1. Moderators

2. Customer who originated the thread

 When is a post marked as an answer?

1. Moderators can mark his post as an answer when the query posted is a known issue which is documented in the Solution Articles/Internal Knowledge Base/Information communicated to him from MS Hotmail team. Moderators can also mark a customer's post as answer if it contains correct response.

Moderators generally mark the response as an answer if it's considered as a probable workaround and the customers can always unmark the post as an answer if the post did not answer their issue. WLSC Ambassadors do sweep the forums to ensure that the right posts are marked as answers.

2. Customer can mark a post as an answer when the user finds the post to be helpful and solves the problem/answers the query. It must be the person who posted the original query.

The data collected from this mechanism are considered as the "Answer rate" of the forum which indicates the probable/possible solutions. This number is indicated as "Questions Answered" on the upper right side of the page.

 "Did this solve your problem?"

All registered Solution Center customers can click on "Did this solve your problem?" Moderators do have access to click on this button but do not use this feature as they are not the ones posting the question.

The ‘yes' votes collected through this mechanism in correspondence to the total votes received (yes+no) are considered as the "Solve Rate" of the forum. This is indicated as "Solved Questions" on the upper right side of the page.