Computer Help and Support

madamesilverspurs

(16,032 posts) Sat Aug 22, 2020, 04:04 PM Aug 2020

WTF hotmail?

Yes, I know, Microsoft bad boo hiss. BUT...

My primary email for years has been via hotmail/outlook. It's how I keep in touch with family, etc. Anyway, they recently did something that required updating my profile info. I entered the necessary info, did the requisite "I'm not a robot" thing, but it would not accept 'enter', and without that it won't allow the info.

So, instead of my name, it now reads 'account update'. I sent a test email to one of my non-family accounts, and it shows that I've received an email from someone named 'account update'. I tried going through their help and support, and it's going nowhere. Finally got to a link for "talk to a person", clicked on that, and it came back with a question phrased in techno-jargon. Asked for clarification, and they just repeated the original.

Can anyone offer any suggestions (other than ditching hotmail) ??

Thanks in advance!

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4 replies

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WTF hotmail? (Original Post) madamesilverspurs Aug 2020 OP

First-- don't ditch Hotmail in a huff. I ditched Mindspring many years ago and it took forever... TreasonousBastard Aug 2020 #1

Try this ... mr_lebowski Aug 2020 #2

Thanks -- madamesilverspurs Aug 2020 #4

My suspicion is that Microsoft likes you to change passwords Vogon_Glory Aug 2020 #3

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)

1. First-- don't ditch Hotmail in a huff. I ditched Mindspring many years ago and it took forever...

Reply to madamesilverspurs (Original post)

Sat Aug 22, 2020, 04:20 PM

Aug 2020

to find and organize missing emails. There's still people i can't find.

(No mail forwarding by email providers)

As far as your problem, I don't really have a solution, but you may have been tricked by that update thing. Maybe it was not Microsoft at all.

But if it was, there are myriad stories about updating problems. Perhaps try logging into your MS account and seeing what's there.

You are talking about Win 10, right? If you're a Win 7 holdout, that could be the problem. I have found that many odd behaviors sort themselves out eventually with Wn10.

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)

2. Try this ...

Reply to madamesilverspurs (Original post)

Sat Aug 22, 2020, 04:35 PM

Aug 2020

https://www.lifewire.com/replies-go-to-different-address-outlook-1173678

When you get to the IMAP screen, you don't actually want to change reply-to, but these direction take you to the screen you (maybe) want.

Once on that screen does a field there now say "Account Update", like in the Account Name? If so, fix it.

If not ... you can post the aforementioned Jargon and I can maybe figure it out.

Assuming this is a W10 PC, you might want to add your MS Account to your machine so you log into it automatically when logging onto the box. If you're logged into your MS account you may not have to do that broken 'I'm Not A Robot' thing.

See: Settings/Accounts

If you don't have an MS Account, make one. Use your hotmail email to sign up w/it.

madamesilverspurs

(16,032 posts)

4. Thanks --

Reply to mr_lebowski (Reply #2)

Sat Aug 22, 2020, 04:59 PM

Aug 2020

Went there, but the screens don't look anything like what my account pages look like.

Hotmail has always been so simple, now I can't even get it to work. Doesn't help that I was born long before the chip was implanted. And with covid, I can't borrow the usual 9-year-old to fix it for me.

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Vogon_Glory

(9,535 posts)

3. My suspicion is that Microsoft likes you to change passwords

Reply to madamesilverspurs (Original post)

Sat Aug 22, 2020, 04:58 PM

Aug 2020

And they’re sneaky about it. So if you go on a trip, you complacently enter yor password at your destination or when you return, they start making you jump through their hoops.

Irritating is an understatement. I really, truly dislike going on-line knowing tha some cyber-dweeb’s algorithm is as likely or not going to force me to think up new passwords each sessions.

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