*checks*

Mine seems to be fine. My last 4 emails were from genuine ones from Microsoft and I've had no spam for a couple of weeks.

It's likely that a virus is responsible, probably one of your contacts.

Do you use your Hotmail as your MSN login?

If your account's been compromised, then maybe changing the password might help? Make it ridiculously long and complicated, and be sure to set your "secret questions".

https://accountservices.msn.com/uireset ... =1033&id=2

Hotmail isn't perfect by any means but i cannot stand gmail so it's still my email thingy of choice. I can never get Outlook style applications to work, I get junk mail but only 1 or 2 a day, annoyingly though they're all very similar in wording so I reckon Microsoft could improve the filter.

Find below the Hotmail POP3 and SMTP Settings information, to configure your preferred e-mail client:

* POP server: pop3.live.com (Port 995)
* POP SSL required? Yes
* User name: Your Windows Live ID, for example yourname@hotmail.com or (.co.uk)
* Password: The password you usually use to sign in to Hotmail or Windows Live
* SMTP server: smtp.live.com (Port 25)
{Note: If port 25 has been blocked in your network or by your ISP, you can set SMTP port to 587 with TLS or SSL Encryption depending on the client in use}
* Authentication required? Yes (this matches your POP username and password)
* TLS/SSL required? Yes

As mentioned above, make sure to check the box that indicates that your outgoing server requires authentication as in most e-mail clients, this is not checked by default. Also, Hotmail POP3 service requires that you use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) with the POP and SMTP connection and use SMTP authentication. This is to ensure that your e-mail address and password are not subject to tampering.

Just PMed Oliver, as there was an IM spam waiting for me, when I got to work this morning.

didn't get to work this morning
phoned the police at 'High Wycombe' at 4am and was advised do not travel
still limited access to HW via the main routes all outlying areas are on there own …

Snow has gone, it melted yesterday evening, we just had ice this morning.

I do use hotmail, but only as a spam account. ie if I have to give an email address to download something, I give then my hotmail address and they can spam it all they want. I don't have any addresses in my hotmail address book so if it does get hacked it can't send emails to my friends.