I am having a torrid time with Hotmail and am desperate for help. I cannot access my e-mails because I keep getting a message asking me to interpret a picture and type the characters I see. I am then guided to the NET Passport login to type my e-mail address and password. I then get routed back to the 'interpret this picture & type what you see' page time and time and time again! I have important e-mails that I MUST access and I am going demented! This kicked off yesterday afternoon. I have downloaded Windows updates in case there was a widespread problem, but to no avail. Please help me someone!!!

Are you trying to set up a hotmail account or just accessing your emails from an account you have set up before? Do you already have a hotmail account?

I have had the Hotmail account as long as I have had the PC (about 2 years). This problem only occured this weekend and is related to the Net Passport thingy. Nearly three days down the line the situation is unresolved and I cannot ask MSN for help because they only reply by e-mail! I cannot find it as a help topic on their web site so I don't know where to turn. Situation desperate as my e-mails are locked away and I can't get at them!!! Any guidance greatly valued.

Few infos i need:

Which OS ?
Which browser ?
Firewall running in the background (which one)?
Pop-Up blockers running (which ?)

You are going to think I am the thickest PC user you have ever come across, but in actual fact I represent 99% of the home PC user market! I don't know what OS stands for (Operating System? Obviously Stupid? Open Sesame?) and I know what a browser is but didn't know they were identifiable by name - is Microsoft Internet Explorer the answer? Firewall is an easier one - it is Zone Alarm Pro. There are pop-up blockers running, probably more than one, but I disabled the one which appears to be part of XP SP2 as it prevented me accessing a music downloads site (having said that I still can't get at the music I've paid for but that's another story). I have Google ad blocker plus anything that might be attached to Zone Alarm. I haven't changed anything lately, apart from tinkering with the system on the instructions of Microsoft Technical because the dreaded SP2 couldn't be installed on my system automatically. That was about 10-14 days ago and the problem with my e-mail only hit me on Saturday.

Couple of things coming to my mind:

Just for testing purposes disable ZoneAlarm and and PopUp filter software running in the background.

If that doesnt change anything we start focussing on your Internet Explorere. Therefore i would recommend to download a second browser and check if you can access the page with them. Here are two browsers to try:
http://www.netscape.org
http://www.opera.com

Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

Just so i get it straight:
When u login at http://login.passport.net/uilogin.srf?id=2
it redirects u to a page that looks like this: https://registernet.passport.net/reg...5&lc=1033&sl=1 ???

When I try to go into e-mail I get this:

http://login.passport.net/uilogin.srf?id=2

And when I put in my address and password I keep getting this:

http://hipservice.passport.net/force...Kfc%24&lc=1033

and boy oh boy am I fed up with it. I have changed my password to see if that helps but it doesn't. I can get into the MSN home page and log on with Net Passport but when I try to go to Hotmail it takes me down the above road again and again and again . I cannot access anything (even MSN home page) without logging on with my Net Passport even when I tick 'remember me' or whatever. I haven't yet done your disable firewall & pop ups suggestion, but will if you think it may help unblock my channels!

ARGGHHHH! It's Zone Alarm Pro that's the problem! I disabled it an lo and behold accessed my e-mail! Why did this suddenly happen? I've had Zone Alarm working for ages & ages without conflict! Is this a Microsoft trick to encourage you to abandon your firewall in favour of theirs? I understand Microsoft are going to be marketing certain 'pay to use' options in the very near future, or am I just being cynical??? Or should I be taking this up with Zone Labs and asking why they're not working with Microsoft to resolve this issue?

The main reason why i told you to switch off ZoneAlarm is because i know its crap
But good to see that it has done the job and you have access to your mails again