Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 Fixes Coming

Microsoft is gearing up to provide a fix to Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 issues reported by customers by the end of this week.

The Redmond company did not offer a specific deadline related to the availability of a hotfix designed to resolve problems associated with the latest iteration of its email service, but the company is bound to roll it out gradually, as is the case with all updates and upgrades to Hotmail.

According to the software giant, additional fixes are on their way.

“A hotfix is going out this week (should be complete by end of this week) which should resolve the problems customers are seeing with high contrast display mode (the workaround is to turn it off),” revealed Microsoft’s Roopa S. (via LiveSide)

“Also this hotfix should resolve the Hotmail performance degradation that we saw when customers are running Messenger on the web (the workaround is to sign out of web messenger),” Roopa explained.

Having completed the upgrade to Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 recently, Microsoft noted that the transition was extremely smooth for all 350 million customers.

However, despite the gradual rollout that had the latest iteration of the email service offered to 50 million accounts, then 50 million more, and only then to all users, once the rollout was completed issues began emerging.

At the bottom of this screen users will find a list of problems associated with Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4, from Microsoft. The software giant indicates that additional fixes are planned for Hotmail Wave 4.

“For some customers who are using a mobile broadband connection on their computer and experiencing errors when accessing their Hotmail. We have found the issue and are working on getting the fix created and rolled out soon,” Roopa said.

Here is the list of Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 issues offered by Microsoft:

“I cannot read my mail since being upgraded to the new Hotmail.

Answer: There are a few possible solutions, depending on your configuration: If you are using mobile broadband to access the Internet you might experience script errors when trying to read mail in Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers.

The Windows Live team is working on a fix for this problem, but until they release that fix, try using Windows Live Mail (http://explore.live.com/windows-live-mail) to read and reply to your Hotmail, or the mobile version of Hotmail (http://m.mail.live.com)

• I am having difficulty sending mail since being upgraded to the new Hotmail.

Answer: There are a few possible solutions, depending on your configuration: If you are using High Contrast display mode in Windows, you may have difficulty sending mail.

The Windows Live team is working on a solution that doesn’t require you to turn off High Contrast mode, but until they can release that fix, try turning High Contrast off temporarily. In Windows 7, press Left Shift + Left Alt + Print Screen keys.

If you’re on an older browser like Safari 3 or Firefox 2.5, then your best option is to upgrade your browser. Running the latest version of your browser is a good idea in general, as newer versions are typically more secure and often faster.

If you can’t upgrade your browser, your next best option is to use Windows Live Mail or another mail program that supports the POP protocol, or the mobile version of Hotmail.

• I got an error in Hotmail that says a script on the page is causing the browser to run slowly.

Answer: The Windows Live team has identified a bug that is causing this issue. It seems to stem from running Messenger on the web in combination with a few other variables.

They are working on releasing a fix as soon as possible, but until then, a good workaround is to try signing out of Messenger on the web (click your name in the upper-right of the page, and then click “Sign out of Messenger” in the menu).”

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