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Why is microsoft hotmail.com screen frozen on Firefox but working on other browsers?

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Firefox is working for all other websites on my computer. Will show Hotmail.com screen, and will add new emails. but none of the commands to open email, delete, change files, etc. work. Hotmail works for me on other browsers. I have tried restarting computer (Mac OS X version 10.6.8), shutting it down and removing/replacing battery. Only problem is with Hotmail using Firefox. Please advise if this is a Firefox problem, or something strange with Hotmail.

Firefox is working for all other websites on my computer. Will show Hotmail.com screen, and will add new emails. but none of the commands to open email, delete, change files, etc. work. Hotmail works for me on other browsers. I have tried restarting computer (Mac OS X version 10.6.8), shutting it down and removing/replacing battery. Only problem is with Hotmail using Firefox. Please advise if this is a Firefox problem, or something strange with Hotmail.

Chosen solution

Hi SherPlunkett, apologies for giving you Windows menus instead of Mac menus. For future reference, the Mac equivalent of the Options dialog is

Firefox > Preferences

I believe you can switch back and forth between Live/Hotmail and Outlook.com. But at some point, Microsoft might not allow you to go back; I haven't researched it recently.

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All Replies (7)

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Are you using the "live.com" style or the new "outlook.com" style? (Not that I suggest any change, but just to understand your setup.)

When you have a problem with one particular site, a good "first thing to try" is clearing your Firefox cache and deleting your saved cookies for the site.

(1) Bypass Firefox's Cache

Use Ctrl+Shift+r to reload the page fresh from the server.

(You also can clear Firefox's cache completely using:

orange Firefox button or Tools menu > Options > Advanced

On the Network mini-tab > Cached Web Content : "Clear Now")

(2) Remove the site's cookies (save any pending work first) using either of these. While viewing a page on the site:

  • right-click and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
  • Alt+t (open the classic Tools menu) > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"

Then try reloading the page. Does that help?

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I have the same problem .. running current FF release (17.01) on XP SP3. I cleared all cookies & cache .. no effect. Hotmail works fine with IE. It was working with with FF 12 hours ago. The only change my end since then was a security update for WinXP. FF 17.0.1 on Win7 on a different PC is working fine.

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jscher2000 -- I'm using "live" variant on a Mac. I cleared the cookies (I think). My Firefox Tools menu doesn't seem to include "Options". I noted that this

https://blu173.mail.live.com/mail/#

is greyed out, except for the live.com part. I am receiving emails, but can't operate the page to read them, open folders, move, or delete. FF works fine with Safari. All other websites I've tried with FF work OK. Seems to be something between FF and Hotmail.  ??

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I've tried it on 2 pcs .. one running XP, the other Win7. Same version of FF. Wont work on XP, but does on Win7, so maybe not a FF issue. The only useful hint I found online was that someone with the same issue "left it go" and it fixed itself after 2 days!

Doesn't fix the problem .. but *A* solution .. I rolled my hotmail.com account over to outlook.com (keeping my hotmail email address) .. and it now works on both computers, tho' I did get a login error the first time after I restarted FF. I just continued, got the outlook.com mailbox, restarted FF .. and no problems. Since MS is discontinuing hotmail early next year, getting support for this from MS or even Mozilla is unlikely.

To switch from hotmail .. normally you'd go via the options setting in hotmail. But since that's frozen .. log out (that worked for me), then load the page "outlook.com" and login using your hotmail ID & pwd. It will do nothing for a while (converting the account?). I then got a login error message, but I clicked the "outlook.com" button on the top LH of the window and that took me to the working inbox. I logged out of outlook.com, restarted FF and logged into outlook.com again. It went to a one-off welcome window, which I closed .. and then the inbox came up. Hope that makes sense?

Check any bookmarks for hotmail, tho' my old hotmail bookmark now loads outlook.com. Both outlook & hotmail use mail.live.com.

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I just went to www.outlook.com, and the initial screen announced that my Hotmail stuff had all been moved to Outlook! Same email inbox, and all my folders etc. seem now to be there. I guess that means problem solved. I'll check it out further, and see. I don't remember seeing anything about Hotmail disappearing -- thanks for the heads-up and the info, dpowell42! And thanks to all who helped me, too. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays!

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Chosen Solution

Hi SherPlunkett, apologies for giving you Windows menus instead of Mac menus. For future reference, the Mac equivalent of the Options dialog is

Firefox > Preferences

I believe you can switch back and forth between Live/Hotmail and Outlook.com. But at some point, Microsoft might not allow you to go back; I haven't researched it recently.

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Problem solved. I now have my Hotmail accounts in Outlook, as well as a Gmail account. Now I have to learn how to operate the new procedure, but at least I know where my folders are and can access them. If there's a better way to indicate "problem solved" on THIS site, and I find it, I"ll post it.