Q:  What is the Windows Live Solutions Center? 

A:  Windows Live Solutions Center (WLSC) is the evolution of consumer support for Windows Live products.   WLSC 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 products. This is why we built Windows Live 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 email support?  Can I still get it?

A:  The WLSC steps up the support experience for users -- for not only can Windows Live support agents be found on the Solutions Center 24/7, 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 users answering questions, getting answers has never been faster! 

Billing support for our Windows Live paid subscriptions has not changed. 

Q:  Why did Microsoft change Windows Live 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 Solutions Center brings together the expertise of skilled moderators, Windows Live employees, and knowledgeable customers.  Customers will be closer to the latest information than ever before.

WLSC 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 communities, which includes moderators, at all times.  Prior to WLSC, a customer had to wait for an agent to respond to their question before getting an answer via email. Now that same customer using Windows Live Solutions Center can get answers faster than ever before; whether it’s an error message that links right to a WLSC solution, or a solution to top issues, or a community providing expert answers to other similar questions, WLSC 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.

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

A:  Windows Live Solutions Center does utilize rating system to manage questions.  If someone marked a post as “answered”, our moderators can see that an answer has been given and move on to one that hasn’t.   Often other Windows Live 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 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.

-          The email addresses that you post on WLSC are visible only to the WLSC Moderators and will be hidden from public view.           

-          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. WLSC is indexed by all the search engines, what you post here can be found by everyone on Earth with access to the Internet. 

Q. What is private messaging?

A. This would be a onetime 1:1 interaction between user and moderator to collect the PII needed for further investigation.

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 products. 

Q. What is a community?

A: Our Communities are setup for common scenarios within Windows Live products. 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 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.

IMPORTANT: Please note you have to be signed into WLSC to be able to post a question. If you are not signed in and click on “Ask a Question”, you will be redirected to the Windows Live ID Sign in page to login.

Enter all the relevant information:

·         Describe your question or problem: Detailed descriptions get your question answered faster.

·         Add Details: Details are essential in getting your question answered quickly.

·         Select the best forum: Select the forum that most closely matches your topic.

·         Similar questions: Will show related solution articles and posts.

·         Check “Alert me when someone responds to this post” if you wish to receive email notifications when someone responds to your post.

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

- You can share email addresses. The email addresses that you post on WLSC are visible only to the WLSC Moderators and will be hidden from public view.

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:

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

b)          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 go to “My profile”, the posts will be displayed under “My Threads”