Windows Live Outage

Posted on February 26th, 2008 in General Internet, General Issues by admin

A major outage to Microsoft Windows Live services has left an unknown number of users unable to access MSN Messenger, Hotmail and other services since earlier today. Progress is being made on resolving the situation, the company says.

After several hours, the software maker was able to reduce but not completely fix the problem that left Web surfers around the world unable to access Hotmail and other services that require a Microsoft login. Those include the Xbox Live video game community site and the Windows Live Messenger instant messaging program.

A Microsoft spokesperson said the vendor is aware that some customers may be experiencing difficulty accessing their Windows Live accounts.

“We’re actively investigating the cause and are working to take the appropriate steps to remedy the situation as rapidly as possible. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disruption this may be causing our customers,” the spokesperson said.

The troubles come at a critical juncture for Microsoft, which is trying to convince Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) to accept a roughly $40 billion takeover offer.