Microsoft account

[mint]

So, we've all got one of these, right?

Can't think about mine as it's well past memory.

Anyway, got the new computer, can't use email or anything else on it as I cannot activate a Microsoft account.

Tried all ways:  set up new account, register, password, request an access code.

They even SMS me a code and the damned thing didn't work at all.

Now I am at an impasse.

Any advice, astuce, whatever very greatly appreciated.

[Pierre ZFP]

Not quite sure what your basic problem is.

I think somewhere in the past I had a MSN account but didn't use it and I have changed computers/countries/ISP/operating systems more times than I can count and never had an issue.

So, are you saying that you used MSN for email and your old computer was set to 'remember me' or equivalent?

EDIT:  Ah, is this the Windows 8.1 issue that PaulT has just posted about?  Definitely out of order for Microweak to insist on an MSN account

[Quillan]

It is to do with MSN and Hotmail and cloud computing. Hotmail, which you can still use as Hotmail, has been re branded by Microsoft and called Outlook. The idea being that you can access your emails etc from any type of device. The 'forcing' of people to have to create an account with them is in line with Apple and Android users (even Kindle users). To be honest when I think of this I am reminded of the forcing of people to accept Internet Explorer (it was built in to Windows for quite a while if people think back a few years) which was made illegal. I don't think it will be much longer before somebody takes all these people to court and force them to accept any email account address regardless of who's system you use. Sorry for going off topic a little but it might help explain this 'account' business.

[Quillan]

I forgot to ask. Out of interest did you get Windows 8 or Windows 8.1? The major difference is the Start button. If you have not got one you have the older version. OEM versions of 8.1 have been shipped on computers for the last five or six weeks. Retail versions (i.e. to buy on Amazon and in shops) was released a few days back.

[mint]

Thanks, guys, and yes I suspected that my email account was the problem they had.

Will now look at PaulT's thread.  Only received the computer yesterday and have spent hours trying to make sense of it.  Spent a long time on the phone to SFR and got a wonderful Moroccan lady there who was chatty and pleasant and she rebooted the neuf box, etc and got everything to do with the line tickety-boo.

I understand from stuff I have read on the net that 8.1 is more userful friendly than 8.  In fact, I read an advert where a computer was offered for sale because the owner couldn't get on with W8!

En plus, I seem to have difficulty turning it off and have had to try different ways.  Still, as they say, when all else fails, watch the video!

Thanks again.

 

[Mr Ceour de Lion II]

[quote user="Quillan"]It is to do with MSN and Hotmail and cloud computing. Hotmail, which you can still use as Hotmail, has been re branded by Microsoft and called Outlook. The idea being that you can access your emails etc from any type of device. The 'forcing' of people to have to create an account with them is in line with Apple and Android users (even Kindle users). To be honest when I think of this I am reminded of the forcing of people to accept Internet Explorer (it was built in to Windows for quite a while if people think back a few years) which was made illegal. I don't think it will be much longer before somebody takes all these people to court and force them to accept any email account address regardless of who's system you use. Sorry for going off topic a little but it might help explain this 'account' business.

[/quote]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people having to set up an email account based on that particular operators email system. My wife uses a chromebook and had to have a gmail account for that. I have a win 8 computer, and have an msn account for that. But neither of us uses either email accounts in general terms. So nobody is being forced to use these accounts, and both of us have our regular accounts as normal.

[NormanH]

You don't have to have any particular email to use Linux

And the latest version of Ubuntu (13.10) came out yesterday [6]

[Quillan]

[quote user="Mr Ceour de Lion II"][quote user="Quillan"]It is to do with MSN and Hotmail and cloud computing. Hotmail, which you can still use as Hotmail, has been re branded by Microsoft and called Outlook. The idea being that you can access your emails etc from any type of device. The 'forcing' of people to have to create an account with them is in line with Apple and Android users (even Kindle users). To be honest when I think of this I am reminded of the forcing of people to accept Internet Explorer (it was built in to Windows for quite a while if people think back a few years) which was made illegal. I don't think it will be much longer before somebody takes all these people to court and force them to accept any email account address regardless of who's system you use. Sorry for going off topic a little but it might help explain this 'account' business.

[/quote]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people having to set up an email account based on that particular operators email system. My wife uses a chromebook and had to have a gmail account for that. I have a win 8 computer, and have an msn account for that. But neither of us uses either email accounts in general terms. So nobody is being forced to use these accounts, and both of us have our regular accounts as normal.

[/quote]

Well it is all about applications. You have to have an account to use the Istore and the same with Android i.e. Play Store, Kindle you can use any email address to access on line books and now Microsoft needs one of their accounts to buy applications via Windows Store. You don't have to use their email system like you say but you should be able to use any email account from any provider. The reason they do this is to gather information which they claim is to offer applications etc tailored to your personal needs. What it really means is more junk mail etc.

[Mr Ceour de Lion II]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="Mr Ceour de Lion II"][quote user="Quillan"]It is to do with MSN and Hotmail and cloud computing. Hotmail, which you can still use as Hotmail, has been re branded by Microsoft and called Outlook. The idea being that you can access your emails etc from any type of device. The 'forcing' of people to have to create an account with them is in line with Apple and Android users (even Kindle users). To be honest when I think of this I am reminded of the forcing of people to accept Internet Explorer (it was built in to Windows for quite a while if people think back a few years) which was made illegal. I don't think it will be much longer before somebody takes all these people to court and force them to accept any email account address regardless of who's system you use. Sorry for going off topic a little but it might help explain this 'account' business.

[/quote]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people having to set up an email account based on that particular operators email system. My wife uses a chromebook and had to have a gmail account for that. I have a win 8 computer, and have an msn account for that. But neither of us uses either email accounts in general terms. So nobody is being forced to use these accounts, and both of us have our regular accounts as normal.

[/quote]

Well it is all about applications. You have to have an account to use the Istore and the same with Android i.e. Play Store, Kindle you can use any email address to access on line books and now Microsoft needs one of their accounts to buy applications via Windows Store. You don't have to use their email system like you say but you should be able to use any email account from any provider. The reason they do this is to gather information which they claim is to offer applications etc tailored to your personal needs. What it really means is more junk mail etc.

[/quote]

And that's fine. In fact it's better, because I never look at my hotmail or msn account (can't remember what I use now), so will never see any junk.

Just upgraded to 8.1, took an hour and apart from the windows button bottom right, can't really see a lot of difference as yet.

[mint]

[quote user="Mr Ceour de Lion II"][quote user="Quillan"][quote user="Mr Ceour de Lion II"][quote user="Quillan"]It is to do with MSN and Hotmail and cloud computing. Hotmail, which you can still use as Hotmail, has been re branded by Microsoft and called Outlook. The idea being that you can access your emails etc from any type of device. The 'forcing' of people to have to create an account with them is in line with Apple and Android users (even Kindle users). To be honest when I think of this I am reminded of the forcing of people to accept Internet Explorer (it was built in to Windows for quite a while if people think back a few years) which was made illegal. I don't think it will be much longer before somebody takes all these people to court and force them to accept any email account address regardless of who's system you use. Sorry for going off topic a little but it might help explain this 'account' business.
[/quote]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people having to set up an email account based on that particular operators email system. My wife uses a chromebook and had to have a gmail account for that. I have a win 8 computer, and have an msn account for that. But neither of us uses either email accounts in general terms. So nobody is being forced to use these accounts, and both of us have our regular accounts as normal.
[/quote]

Well it is all about applications. You have to have an account to use the Istore and the same with Android i.e. Play Store, Kindle you can use any email address to access on line books and now Microsoft needs one of their accounts to buy applications via Windows Store. You don't have to use their email system like you say but you should be able to use any email account from any provider. The reason they do this is to gather information which they claim is to offer applications etc tailored to your personal needs. What it really means is more junk mail etc.
[/quote]

And that's fine. In fact it's better, because I never look at my hotmail or msn account (can't remember what I use now), so will never see any junk.

Just upgraded to 8.1, took an hour and apart from the windows button bottom right, can't really see a lot of difference as yet.
[/quote]

Well, I have now tried all ways to set up a microsoft account; changed to an Outlook email address, asked for a code, tried passwords etc.  At one stage, I thought I was making progress becauce it actually said that my details had been "saved"!

Then, when I tried logging on , the silliness started all over again.  My details were invalid!

So, tell me this, somebody:  You know when you say you have forgotten your password (I hadn't) and they give you a panel of letters and numbers to copy out to show "you aren't a robot", do you have to copy the stuff down using upper and lower case letters?

I ask because it keeps insisting that I have not copied out the image correctly![:'(]  Might have been better if I WERE a robot[:-))]  I tried using capitals and small letters, all capitals, all smalls, none of which brought any joy.

Some expert, please come and tell me?  Thanks.  I am now hollow-eyed from lack of sleep after 2 nights in bed with the new computer.

[Quillan]

Did you buy your new machine on-line or through a shop? If you bought it through a shop take it back and let them fix it for you. If not talk to Dell via their helpdesk. It is not as if Dell didn't know this was going to happen. They were given a pre-release version months ago to ensure their computers were ready for this upgrade.

[mint]

Haven't tried Dell helpdesk, Q, but I went on line to talk to someone at microsoft.

After several exchanges, the man called "Ian" decided he'd had enough of me and ended the conversation![:'(]

I tried to say, please don't hang up, my problem hasn't been resolved, but he'd gone off to ....whatever.

Don't worry, I have a Dutch friend who is quite clued up on computers and I shall ask him if he could help me set up my account.

[Chancer]

I know what you mean about the squiggly wiggly security characters, sometimes they use upper and lower case and often you cant really see which is which, its the alphanumeric that does for me, with that squiggly random sized font they use I cannot for the life of me decide if it is an O (letter) or a 0 (number) here they have a very different aspect ratio but they dont on the security thingy.

[Pierre ZFP]

I just had some emails back and forth with my computer Uber Geek son which went like this

On 21 Oct 2013 09:24    Is that right that Windoze 8.1 forces you to login/create an MSN account when you install it ?

On 21 Oct 2013 09:27   Yeah but I have turned on the option which let's you use a normal login

Hmmm, promising thinks I

On 21 Oct 2013 10:18   Scrap my last email. B******d thing is asking me to sign in to a windows account