Hotmail To Users: Your Inbox Is Safe

In a blog, Microsoft's Windows Live team said the glitch has been fixed, but not before a mass-panic had worried Hotmail users wondering where their email accounts, with all of their contact information, had gone.

To say users were frightened by the outage would be an understatement.

"When will I get my inbox back????!!!!" one poster on Microsoft's blog wrote.

Another chimed in "OMG! I was absolutely panic-stricken all night!"

While a third noted: "I thought that I had lost everything, like eight years of contacts."

Microsoft, however, said the outage is over and users can "rest assured that your inbox is safe."

According to Microsoft, an incorrect message was sent out telling users they don't have an inbox. That was caused by a network issue Microsoft encountered during routine maintenance.

"We have corrected the problem and you should be able to access your Hotmail and other Windows Live services again now," the blog post said. "We apologize for any inconvenience that was caused by this issue, and we thank you for using Windows Live."

Despite Microsoft's assurance, however, problems persisted well into the morning, with users reporting sign-in problems.

"Your messages are still intact on our servers, and you will have access to them as soon as the temporary outage is resolved," Microsoft told users.

As of 2:25 a.m. eastern Friday, Microsoft said all Hotmail services were back to normal and the outage was resolved. Microsoft encouraged users still suffering issues to consult Windows Live help or submit problems directly to the support team.