Problems with the new Hotmail? Working better now?

Just noticed a comment from Michael that Hotmail is working for him in Opera, now, possibly after a hotfix we wrote about yesterday.  Here’s the current description of the problems some Hotmail users may be encountering currently, as posted on the Windows Live Solution Center:

Frequently experienced issues in the newest version of Hotmail

We are aware that some customers are experiencing issues with the latest upgrade to Windows Live Hotmail – below are some of the top issues being reported and some workarounds to them. Our development team is also working on creating fixes to these issues, and they should be site wide by next week.

I cannot read my mail since being upgraded to the new Hotmail.
o Answer: There are a few possible solutions, depending on your configuration:

  • If you are using mobile broadband to access the Internet you might experience script errors when trying to read mail in Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. The Windows Live team has developed a fix for this issue, but until they release that fix try using Windows Live Mail to read and reply to your Hotmail, or the mobile version of Hotmail.

I am having difficulty sending mail since being upgraded to the new Hotmail.
o Answer: : There are a few possible solutions, depending on your configuration:

  • If you are using High Contrast display mode in Windows, you may have difficulty sending mail. The Windows Live team is working on a solution that doesn’t require you to turn off High Contrast mode, but until they can release that fix, try turning High Contrast off temporarily. In Windows 7, press Left Shift + Left Alt + Print Screen keys. 
  • If you’re on an older browser like Safari 3 or Firefox 2.5, then your best option is to upgrade your browser. Running the latest version of your browser is a good idea in general, as newer versions are typically more secure and often faster. If you can’t upgrade your browser, your next best option is to use Windows Live Mail or another mail program that supports the POP protocol, or the mobile version of Hotmail.

I got an error in Hotmail that says a script on the page is causing the browser to run slowly.
o Answer: The Windows Live team has identified a bug that is causing this issue. It seems to stem from running Messenger on the web in combination with a few other variables. They are working on releasing a fix as soon as possible, but until then, a good workaround is to try signing out of Messenger on the web (click your name in the upper-right of the page, and then click “Sign out of Messenger” in the menu).

If you’re having a problem with the new Hotmail release that isn’t listed above, please post a question here.

Also yesterday Francisco Martin of Microsoft Journal, as part of his post on the new upcoming Windows Live Essentials beta refresh, says there’s an update coming for Hotmail as well:

Besides approaching the final version of Hotmail currently in development, and be replaced to the Milestone 4 currently distributed to all 350 millions Windows Live clients.

(housekeeping note: we’re trying out Selective Tweets to see if we can better the experience for our Facebook page (importing blog posts via the Notes application has been taking days, making it basically useless).  Happy to hear any/all feedback you have on how this works)



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