Hundred’s of Hotmail users are complaining that their e-mails have been deleted. Many have complained that after logging in, they found that several or all of their personal photos and other valuable data had gone missing.

Others have complained that a bulk of their e-mail was moved from their inbox, to the deleted mail folders.

Said HelpNow88:

I have used this email for 7-8 years now, being my main source of communication. Yesterday, I checked my inbox to see that everything has been deleted which includes everything in my inbox, drafts, and sent folder. I check my email daily, and when I checked it last night my inbox was empty except for one unread message which was titled “Getting Started with Windows Live Hotmail” from the Hotmail Team.

Microsoft is aware of the issue and they have issued the following statement:

At this point it appears to be a limited issue, and Microsoft is working with individual users who are impacted. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers.

You can see a bunch of such threads here at the Windows Live Forums.

Well, I guess, its always a good idea to backup important mail to another place, irrespective of your mail service provider. If you haven’t done it, this is as good as any time to start!

Update 1 from Microsoft:

We have identified the source of the issue and are working to restore email access to those who have been affected. We expect the process to take several hours and will post an update as soon as it is complete. We sincerely apologize and thank you for your… continued patience. More here.

Update 2: Hotmail email access issue now resolved says Microsoft.

• Tags: Hotmail