Unable To Open MSN Hotmail? (Step-Wise Guide)

Windows Live Hotmail or MSN Hotmail is a web-based email client that features HTML editor, spam protection, custom filters, and a virus scanner for message sorting. But, several users have reported that they are unable to open MSN Hotmail. 

It indicates that there are some problems with the security settings of your computer or an issue with the internet cache. If you are struggling with the same problem, then you can go through the section hereunder to get rid of this problem. 

Probable Ways to Open MSN Hotmail:

There are several ways to solve this problem. Here we are going to provide some of them. So, you can have a look at the methods described below: 

Way 1: Check the Browser Settings and Cookies

Misconfigured settings of the browser can prevent access to secure pages or make some websites to load incorrectly, such as MSN Hotmail account. You can solve this issue by clearing the cookies of the browser. 

Clear Cookies on Firefox Browser

First of all, open the Firefox browser and then click on Tools. Choose the ‘Clear Recent History’ option from the list to clear the cookies of the browser. 

Clear Cookies on Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer and click on Tools. Select the ‘Delete Files’ option from the list and then tap on the ‘Delete Cookies’ option. 

Furthermore, if you use a plugin on the browser, then it also may block scripts like NoScript. So, you need to make sure that it is disabled for your MSN Hotmail account. 

You also need to check the security settings of the browser and confirm that they are not set too high, otherwise, it may block Hotmail. You can solve this by changing the security settings of the browser. 

How to Change the Security Settings of Internet Explorer? 

1. In the beginning, open Internet Explorer and click on Tools. 
2. Choose the ‘Internet Options’ option from the list. 
3. Afterward, tap on the Advanced button. 
4. Navigate to the Security tab and then untick the ‘Check for server certificate revocation’ box. 
5. Next, check the ‘Use SSL 3.0’ and ‘Use SSL 2.0’ box and then tap on the OK button. 
6. Now, open the Run command box by pressing the R and Win key simultaneously from the keyboard. 
7. Type “regsvr32 softpub.dll” in the input field and then hit the Enter key from the keyboard. 

Now, wait for a few seconds and once the process is completed, you can restart the browser. Afterward, try to log in once again to your MSN Hotmail account. If you are still unable to open MSN Hotmail, then you can move on to the further ways described below. 

Way 2: Fix Date and Time

If the date and time of the system are set incorrectly, then it may prevent you from accessing your Hotmail account. To check this, first of all, go to the right pane of the Taskbar and then click on the Clock to see the Calendar. 

If you see that any of the day, month, year, or time is wrong, then click on the ‘Change date and time settings’ option. Afterward, tap on the ‘Change date and time’ option to select the right date. 

If the clock is not accurate, then the system may not be set to update it automatically for Daylight Saving Time. So, tap on the ‘Change Time Zone’ option. Afterward, check the ‘Automatically adjust clock for Daylight Saving Time’ option. 

Now, close the window and try to open your MSN Hotmail account to check if the problem is resolved. Else, you can perform the next method stated below. 

Way 3: Antivirus and Firewall Scan

If you are using a Firewall on the system, then it may block cookies on the MSN Hotmail website. So, you can disable it temporarily and then try to access your Hotmail account once again. 

How to Disable Windows Firewall?  

1. First of all, open the Control Panel by going to the Start menu. 
2. Navigate to the ‘System and Security’ category. 
3. Then, choose the ‘Windows Defender Firewall’ from the next page. 
4. Click on the ‘Turn Windows Firewall on or off’ from the left side of the screen. 
5. Afterward, select the ‘Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended) bubble. 
6. Lastly, tap on the OK button to apply the changes. 

After disabling the Windows Firewall, you can check if you are able to open the MSN Hotmail. If it works, then the Firewall is the reason behind this problem. 

But, if you don’t want to keep the Windows Firewall disabled every time you open MSN Hotmail, then you can set it to allow that particular site. 

To do that, go to the ‘Windows Defender Firewall’ once again by following the above steps. Then, click on the ‘Allow’ or ‘Exceptions’ option from the Firewall’s settings menu. 

Sometimes, malware or viruses also prevent users from accessing MSN Hotmail. So, if there are viruses or malware on your computer, then you can run the antivirus scanner to check for this problem. 

Take a Look at Some Other Possibilities…

After trying all the above hacks, if you are still unable to open MSN Hotmail, then resetting the router, restarting the browser or restarting the system can help you to solve this problem. 

Furthermore, if you are getting HTML 404 error while opening the MSN Hotmail, then you can flash the DNS information of the system to solve it. 

How to Flush DNS Information? 

To flush the DNS information, first, go to the Start menu and open the Command Prompt window with Admin Privilege. Then, type the command “ipconfig /flushdns” in the command line and then hit the Enter key to run this command. 

After doing this, you can try to log into your MSN Hotmail account to check if the issue is solved. 

So, these are the probable ways to solve this MSN Hotmail issue. Hopefully, after trying all the above ways in their respective order, you will be able to get rid of this issue. If you want to read more on similar topics, you can follow our site on a day-to-day basis.