OMG! Hotmail Lost All My Messages!!!

VertiGoGo · Dec 29th, 2003, 12:17 PM

So, I went to check on my Hotmail account this afternoon and discovered that they have gone through yet another facelift operation...and they also thought it a good idea to DELETE ALL MY SAVED EMAIL MESSAGES!!!

I had been going back at least once a month to check on things and now I have lost it all!!! Why, oh why, would they do such a stupid, stupid thing...aside from being Microshaft and all???

I just cannot believe they would do such a ridiculous thing! Augh!!!

Did this happen to anyone else?

monokitty · Dec 29th, 2003, 12:39 PM

Hmm, I have all my messages still saved. General stupidity from Microsoft and Hotmail staff.

Roland · Dec 29th, 2003, 12:55 PM

Vertigo, do you pay for your hotmail? Or are you still on the free version?

Script Kiddie · Dec 29th, 2003, 03:50 PM

VGG: time to "yahoo"

used to be jwoodget · Dec 29th, 2003, 03:53 PM

VGG, do yourself a favour and buy a .Mac subscription. Virus-free, virtually spam-free, ad free and best of all Microsoft-free!

It's always a good idea to archive off-line with webmail but that kinda defeats the object. What a hassle! Good luck.

gordguide · Dec 29th, 2003, 04:18 PM

WebMail may (or may not) be convenient mail, but it's not secure and certainly doesn't come with any guarantees.

Sites change, go broke, and in general don't offer any guarantees. My webmail site, for example, deletes all messages if you don't log in every 60 days; this change was not announced to anyone (in other words, only those whose mail was deleted found out about it). That could change to 30 days at any time. You get the idea.

As for messages you want to save; the best thing to do is to forward them to your "real" email account (whichever one stores your mail on your own HD). At least then you're in control.

Yvon C. · Dec 29th, 2003, 04:29 PM

b2b2c.ca You can use Web mail when you are away, when you get home open your regular email software and you download all your mail on your HD even the one you look on the Web mail. Best of two world.

My 2 cents.
Yvon C.

Lawrence · Dec 29th, 2003, 04:39 PM

I've been using yahoo since 1994 without a single problem.
Sorry to hear of your loss.

Dave

PosterBoy · Dec 29th, 2003, 05:08 PM

I seem to recall that Hotmail changed their policy regarding saved messages over a year ago, that you could no longer count on keeping messages for more than 30 days. If you were able to keep them longer, I'd say you've had a good long stay of execution.

VertiGoGo · Dec 29th, 2003, 06:15 PM

I am one of the original Hotmail users and have remained a "free" user ever since. I do not use my Hotmail account al that much, but it is my default account for when I am moving around for work and stuff.

There were a lot of messages that I was keeping from years ago...just cuz it was fun to do a time-warp once in a while...just to remember stuff I had forgotten. You know. But there were some sentimental emails in there from when my partner and I were separated for about 8 months before he immigrated here...and I would have liked to be able to have kept them.

Microsoft is just a bunch of idiots who don't care about the people who use their services.

I have been thinking about .Mac, but I don't like the idea of having to actually "pay" for web-based email. I already have a Rogers account for my primary email, so a .Mac account would likely just confuse people.

It was just really inconsiderate of them to do...without any notice. That's all.