can't log in to hotmail

[land_stander]

I'm in a stupid predicament. Please help me if you can.

I just bought a new mac laptop. My old one still boots but has keyboard and other problems. Moving my files and stuff, and I can't log in to my hotmail. I guess I forgot exactly what my password was because some months ago Microsoft made me change it. it is some variation on my basic one but I got something wrong in it.

To recover or change my password it asks me for another email. I send that. I access that and they have sent me a verification code. I plug that in and it doesn't work. I check cap locks which is off. So I try again. Same thing, New code. Doesn't work.
At least once I cut and paste the code. Doesn't work.

I click "try other verification method". That sends me back to plugging in an alt email address. New code. Same failure. It does not seem to be a different method at all.

Frustrated. Apparently cussing and banging on walls doesn't help either.

please and thanks

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I found this thread where some one has a similar problem.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlo...d0fd31f78b

Unfortunately, the moderator won't answer and asks them to write directly.
I went to the form page to send my question but I can't get past capcha.

I don't think it would be the problem, but I do have a Japanese keyboard.

[kjf]

I don't think it would be the problem, but I do have a Japanese keyboard.

I wouldn't think that would be the issue either, but it does sound like an encoding issue. I suppose somehow or another the characters are being entered as multi-byte rather than 7-bit ascii. They look the same, but have a different value to the brain dead server at the other end.

It is a stretch, but you can try enabling US as an additional input source in System Preferences > Language & Text > Input Sources. Switch to that and it should force plain old ascii to be submitted.

[land_stander]

thanks for the tip. Microsoft/Hotmail has now locked me out and saying to try back tomorrow. So that will be my first attempt then.

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Continued searching online, and I believe I have identified the problem;

My alternate email address is a Hotmail, Live, or Outlook.com account. Why doesn't the verification code work?
You’re trying to verify one Microsoft account with a code from another Microsoft account. But when you sign in to the second account (to get the code sent to that address), most browsers automatically sign you out of the first account (the one that's actually requesting the code).

If you're using Internet Explorer, you can sign in to the second account using an InPrivate Browsing session. This lets you get the code without having to sign out of the account that's asking for it.

When you're prompted to enter the verification code sent to your alternate email address, don't close Internet Explorer.

Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open a new Internet Explorer window and turn on InPrivate Browsing.

In the new window, sign in to your alternate email account and look for the message from the Microsoft account team.

Copy or write down the verification code from the message.

Return to the Internet Explorer window that prompted you for the code. Enter the verification code and follow the instructions.

If you're using different browser software, check the manufacturer's help for info about "private browsing."

Since Explorer no longer works on Mac, is there another browser that will do the same trick?

[SectorVector]

You could try Mozilla Firefox.
Same sequence C+S+P gets you a Private Browsing session; so the first session should still be ON.

I think basically when you opened your second browser session, the first one is closed. It happens too when I try to login to multiple accounts with my mail service from same browser.

Private browsing in various browsers

OR (am guessing here) If you have two browsers installed, you can do your second login from the second browser to fetch the code.