Need help, locked out of my hotmail account

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I can't get into my hotmail account. Truth be told I rarely use this except for Messenger but my password doesn't work anymore and now I've got that bullshit "Your account is temporarily unavailable due to failed log in attempts, please try again later".

So what I want to know is what could have happened? As said, I rarely use it, so any mucking about with hotmail's services is a no-no. Secondly, I have quite a good password, but has someone hacked into it? How can someone hack in to it? Should I panic or is there another possible explanation over why my password has changed virtually overnight?

PLEASE please help!

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 13:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

Secondly, I have quite a good password, but has someone hacked into it?

Let me guess, was it 'tits'?

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 1 June 2003 13:27 (twenty-one years ago) link

No... but they've let me back in. I'm worried about a hacker.

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 13:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

On the one hand, that'd scare me and I empathize.

On the other hand, you're always asking people if they don't have a sense of humor/accusing them of not having a sense of humor when they aren't amused by shit you find amusing. So if this is somebody 'avin a bit of fun, well, what's the harm? Just 'cause you don't find it funny doesn't mean it ain't a laugh riot, etc. etc.

[what probably happened: somebody did try to get into your account. They couldn't figure out the password; password-guessing software does exist, but it has to keep generating & entering passwords til it gets the right one. Hotmail's protection against this is you only get three (or five or something, I forget) tries until they lock you out. You should change your password periodically.

Oh, shoot, now I've said "period," didn't mean to give you the giggles Calum]

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Sunday, 1 June 2003 13:45 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah but my entire password has had to be changed... I was only locked out when my old password would not work!

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 13:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

http://www.lamer.net/haxorpc.jpg

― DG (D_To_The_G), Sunday, 1 June 2003 14:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

Was it 'boobs', then?

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Sunday, 1 June 2003 14:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

were you inactive at the account for a long time cuz alot of free e-mail services will lock up (or something) the account if you don't use it at least once every certain number of days (this happened to my sister with hotmail)

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 14:27 (twenty-one years ago) link

No, I last logged in on Friday night. Any ideas?

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 15:17 (twenty-one years ago) link

ironic fate?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 1 June 2003 15:25 (twenty-one years ago) link

change your password, etc.

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 15:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

http://www.visitnepal.com/hotelkarma/karma_contact.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 1 June 2003 15:35 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah I've now changed my password. I've got a few emails in there that are 'business' addresses though so I'm gonna be really pissed off if anyone has decided to play silly buggers and email offensive stuff to people in my name.

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 16:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'm gonna be really pissed off if anyone has decided to play silly buggers and email offensive stuff to people in my name.

While I sympathise with Calum's inconvenience, am I the only one who can see the barely believable irony of this statement...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Sunday, 1 June 2003 16:48 (twenty-one years ago) link

I think that was intended.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah, but I'm just acting like a goat for a laugh on ILM. I don't mean to seriously upset anyone. I wouldn't, for instance, break into someone's email account and email folk in their name y'know?

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

instant karma cal

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

I mean, I sympathize but gee, the ironing is delicious

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:15 (twenty-one years ago) link

Change yr password and maybe email them and see if they can offer any insight.

― That Girl (thatgirl), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

yeah if after a day or so you haven't gotten any 'dude, wtf?' e-mails from anyone you're probably safe

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

on a lighter note, I've been getting viruses and spam in my inbox lately like crazy - waaaay more than normal

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 17:25 (twenty-one years ago) link

yeah i'm getting a lot of spam these days. it's really annoying!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Sunday, 1 June 2003 18:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

me too ... anyone else been getting spam about septic tanks? - it's happening to me and a lot of other people i know. i find this particularly puzzling as i do not have a septic tank and nor do any of my friends whereas, of course, we have all wanted a lifetime supply of viagra, penis and breast enlargement surgery and a russian mail-order wife at one time or another...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Sunday, 1 June 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

I get all sorts of spam about some valve-related conference in China. I can't imagine why.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 1 June 2003 18:26 (twenty-one years ago) link

I keep reporting the septic tank ones to yahoo spam but does no good. There was time when a couple of horror geeks kept signing me up to all and sundry but that was two years ago. I found out they were nearly forty and kinda felt sorry for them...

― Calz (Calz), Sunday, 1 June 2003 21:16 (twenty-one years ago) link

Another possibility re the password: you typed it wrong. If you're sure you didn't,you would be suprised how many times on the helpdesk I got people, even the techiest people, mistyping or ALL CAPSing their pwd by mistake and swearing black and blue they were typing it properly. Being able to see the server logs was amusing.

― Trayce (trayce), Sunday, 1 June 2003 21:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

yeah, I've done that before

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 1 June 2003 21:26 (twenty-one years ago) link

Put a little bit of lip gloss on the key and try to open it very gently.

― Lara (Lara), Thursday, 5 June 2003 19:33 (twenty-one years ago) link

five months pass...

All i want to do is to be able to sign out of msn and into my hotmail address Wish i could get rid of theMy way deal I used to be able to sign out of one system MSN and get to t\my hot mail The sign In and sign out do not appear

― Tom Ashe, Tuesday, 18 November 2003 19:04 (twenty years ago) link

I just want to do away with is email account. I have no further use for it and I want to set up another in my own name. Not someone elses. So how do I go about changing this? This was a borrowed account a deceased friend let me use one time. That person is gone now and I want to set my own up. So how do I do it. How do I delete the present one?

Thank you. Katherine Tyler

― Katherine Tyler, Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:23 (twenty years ago) link

"A free Hotmail account becomes inactive if you do not sign in for 30 days, or within the first 10 days after signing up for an account. Once an account becomes inactive, all messages, folders, and contacts are deleted, but the account name is still reserved. If the account stays inactive for a further 90 days, it is permanently deleted."

― bnw (bnw), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 17:33 (twenty years ago) link

three months pass...

I have just been on holiday for less than a month, when I came back, I can't get into may hotmail account. Please help.

― Daisy V. Pallot, Saturday, 20 March 2004 08:43 (twenty years ago) link

i want change my password

― hammad, Thursday, 1 April 2004 19:05 (twenty years ago) link

Okay, we'll need your credit card number.

― NOT REALLY (Horace Mann), Thursday, 1 April 2004 19:07 (twenty years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Hey,
Someone hacked into my old email address and i have a lot of personal stuff in there and i wish i could changer it all again.

― cassie snook, Monday, 19 April 2004 18:04 (twenty years ago) link

I would like to registered this email address.

― Avonell Allen, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 01:14 (twenty years ago) link

Google are playing funny buggers with us. Right? .... please?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 01:18 (twenty years ago) link

i can't find this in google using any combination of the title

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 01:23 (twenty years ago) link

ahhhh we can blame altavista this time

http://www.altavista.com/web/results?q=locked+out+of+hotmail+account+help&kgs=0&kls=0

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 01:24 (twenty years ago) link

Ahh. Random Altavisters kinda doesnt have the same ring tho does it?

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 01:50 (twenty years ago) link

I forgot my password,for my email account. Could you please email it
to my husband Guerin_joe@hotmail.com. So i can access my hotmail again

Thank you

― mary jane guerin, Monday, 26 April 2004 15:36 (twenty years ago) link

three weeks pass...

I forgot my password for my email account. Could you please email it
to my sister mahamee@hotmail.com . So i can access my hotmail again

thank u

― teena alex, Friday, 21 May 2004 18:05 (twenty years ago) link

BEST THREAD EVER! EXCEPT THE SNAKE ONE

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Friday, 21 May 2004 18:15 (twenty years ago) link

I forgot my password,for my email account. Could you please email it
to my mother gothic_anus@hotmail.com. So i can access my hotmail again

Thank you

― cutyp!e3omg (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 22 May 2004 03:39 (twenty years ago) link

three years pass...

Good thread.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 6 July 2007 14:14 (sixteen years ago) link

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Need help, locked out of my hotmail account - what could be the reason?