Member Avatar for Gecko12

Some background:

I use for browsers: IE 6.0, Firefox 1.0.5
Messenger: 7.0 (MSN) AOL I don't know the version but suspect it's the latest
Win XP SP2

If any addition stats would help let me know

My problem is logging in to Hotmail.

I try to login with MSN Messenger this only wants me to type 8 characters. I do that and then it asks me for my email and then password. I type in this information than again it asks me for to type in a code in which I proceed to type it yet again. Then again it asks me for my email and password. This code is actually "Match the characters in the picture"

The same problem happens when I try to login with Firefox, and IE

I have tried numerous Microsoft sites but what a surprise they didn't help.

If anyone could point me in the direction that could solve this problem I would be most greatful. I have been running my mind about this. I need to get into my mail and it's so aggitating

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
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  • 2 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by goldeagle2005

Dani AI

Generated

The repeated credential + "match the characters" loop reported by and is almost always a session/cookie problem or something on the client that breaks the sign‑in handshake. and were on the right track — privacy modules and cookie settings commonly cause this — but here is a compact, practical checklist to isolate and fix it safely.

  1. Clear all browser cookies and temporary files, then fully close and reopen the browser.
  2. Temporarily disable any privacy modules, cookie‑control features in firewalls/toolbars, or aggressive add‑ons, or add the Microsoft sign‑in hosts to the program’s exception list. Test while those modules are off; if fixed, restore them and add exceptions rather than leaving protection off.
  3. Try a clean browser profile or Safe Mode (extensions disabled), or a different browser/PC/network. If sign‑in works elsewhere, the cause is local to that browser profile or machine.
  4. Check for local redirection: open the hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) and remove unexpected entries for MSN/Hotmail, and verify no proxy is configured in Internet Options.
  5. Confirm the system clock is correct; large clock skew can invalidate authentication tokens.
  6. If still failing, test from another network (public Wi‑Fi or mobile) or capture HTTP(S) traffic with a tool like Fiddler to confirm whether the captcha token/cookie is being set and returned.

Why this fixes it: the image challenge uses a short server session/token that the browser must return; if cookies or session data are dropped the server never sees the solved challenge and repeats the loop. Re-enable normal security after a successful sign‑in and prefer adding exceptions for the Microsoft sign‑in hosts rather than disabling protections permanently.

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Member Avatar for babu17

Help me Plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I too have the same problem accessing Hotmail. When I type in my username and password to login, it asks for a code verification (i.e, matching the characters on display). When I do that it asks for my username and password and again this code verification. It goes on like this.......it never allows me to log in. I'm really fed up of using this Hotmail. Plz....help me solve this issue.

Member Avatar for Bazdaa

Right, if your using Zone Alarm then you will need to go to Zone Alarm > Privacy > Cookie Control > Custom > and untick block 3rd party cookies.

Once you have matched the characters and are in your email account, you can re-tick this option.

Cheers

Bazdaa

Member Avatar for goldeagle2005

And ensure youve got cookies enabled.

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