Mozilla Catch 22 ?
Thread Starter
Mozilla Catch 22 ?
My partner in hospital, so I tried to open her Email account to take her messages, Got the password wrong and Outlook locked the account. When I try to reset the password, I'm instructed to enter a numerical code sent to the email address ....... which I can't access, because the account is locked ! ! ! Any helpful hints, please ?
PS Doh ! ... just realised that hotmail is Microsoft, not Mozilla !
Found the Hotmail support site so will explore there - apologies for yet another 'Seniot moment !
PS Doh ! ... just realised that hotmail is Microsoft, not Mozilla !
Found the Hotmail support site so will explore there - apologies for yet another 'Seniot moment !
Last edited by Cornish Jack; 27th May 2024 at 08:19.
Not quite sure what the situation is here.... but my first instinct would be to contact the helpdesk for the ISP that the e-mail address is registered with. The risk of course is that they will not be able to help you seeing as you are not the account holder for that e-mail address.
We may be able to provide more helfpul hints but not without more information. What sort of e-mail address is it and how are you accessing it? The numerical code may be going to a secondary address as well, but is there such an address and can you get into that?
We may be able to provide more helfpul hints but not without more information. What sort of e-mail address is it and how are you accessing it? The numerical code may be going to a secondary address as well, but is there such an address and can you get into that?
Thread Starter
Thank you, Jhieminga - the email address is ********** @hotmail.com. So far, all attempts to refresh/ reactivate it have offered a 'Forgotten password ?' option. Trying that produces the instruction to acknowledge a multi digit code which has been sent to the problem address ... which is not accessible ! hence Catch 22 
PS ...Just realised that the provider is hotmail NOT mozilla, and there are hotmail support sites ! Will have a rummage there .
Apologies for yet another 'Senior moment'
PS ...Just realised that the provider is hotmail NOT mozilla, and there are hotmail support sites ! Will have a rummage there .
Apologies for yet another 'Senior moment'
Hate, hate, hate these with a vengeance. Today for example, after more than ten years of struggling with PayPal, e.g. multidigit code sent to defunct phone number, etc., PayPal has cancelled my account. Phew, what a relief!
The same page offers to set up a new account, which is tempting, but I know exactly what will happen. "You already have an account with PayPal..." etc.
Sorry for the vitriol, CJ, and good luck. Let us now how it goes.
(Did I mention how much I hate these situations?)
The same page offers to set up a new account, which is tempting, but I know exactly what will happen. "You already have an account with PayPal..." etc.
Sorry for the vitriol, CJ, and good luck. Let us now how it goes.
(Did I mention how much I hate these situations?)
No problems, I hope you get this sorted out. And all the best for your partner! I suppose that you having to do this means that things may not be going as you'd like them to on that front.
Hotmail is now part of the big Microsoft family so the official support channel is through them. There are loads of pages and sites out there with no doubt lots of vague information. Please keep in mind that it is very much dependant on your partnership and the local laws whether you may have a right to access your partner's account. I just found a Microsoft page that states that you can only get into a spouses account through serving them with a court order. The risk is that when you let them know of your partner's incapacitation (hopefully temporarily) they will lock the account and you will never get into it unless you go through the legal shenanigans.
Can you get into it on another device that has the account details stored? Or do you have a password manager hidden somewhere (on a phone or in Firefox/Safari/Edge etc) that may hold the needed details? Sometimes you can get an alternative method to get a code, but I don't know if Hotmail/Microsoft offers this in this situation. If you open Webmail for that account, does the browser not automatically enter the login details? Your best bet is of course to have your partner supply the needed details, or have her call Microsoft to verify that you can help her with accessing her account... I hope that's still an option!
Hotmail is now part of the big Microsoft family so the official support channel is through them. There are loads of pages and sites out there with no doubt lots of vague information. Please keep in mind that it is very much dependant on your partnership and the local laws whether you may have a right to access your partner's account. I just found a Microsoft page that states that you can only get into a spouses account through serving them with a court order. The risk is that when you let them know of your partner's incapacitation (hopefully temporarily) they will lock the account and you will never get into it unless you go through the legal shenanigans.
Can you get into it on another device that has the account details stored? Or do you have a password manager hidden somewhere (on a phone or in Firefox/Safari/Edge etc) that may hold the needed details? Sometimes you can get an alternative method to get a code, but I don't know if Hotmail/Microsoft offers this in this situation. If you open Webmail for that account, does the browser not automatically enter the login details? Your best bet is of course to have your partner supply the needed details, or have her call Microsoft to verify that you can help her with accessing her account... I hope that's still an option!
Thank you, Jhieminga - the email address is ********** @hotmail.com. So far, all attempts to refresh/ reactivate it have offered a 'Forgotten password ?' option. Trying that produces the instruction to acknowledge a multi digit code which has been sent to the problem address ... which is not accessible ! hence Catch 22
PS ...Just realised that the provider is hotmail NOT mozilla, and there are hotmail support sites ! Will have a rummage there .
Apologies for yet another 'Senior moment'
PS ...Just realised that the provider is hotmail NOT mozilla, and there are hotmail support sites ! Will have a rummage there .
Apologies for yet another 'Senior moment'
If there is then there would normally be an option to receive the reset code via text or through an automated call.
Thread Starter
Jhieminga and netstruggler - thank you both - I know what the password is but I entered it with two characters reversed (twice !! ) and the account was then locked. Partner and self rely on landline comms for phone contact and that is not accepted by these organisations as valid contact !! I think we can more or less manage until she gets back home and can make the personal phone calls needed. A much needed lesson to me to not mess about with things in 'fat finger' mode !
jolihokistix - I most definitely feel your pain !
) and the account was then locked. Partner and self rely on landline comms for phone contact and that is not accepted by these organisations as valid contact !! I think we can more or less manage until she gets back home and can make the personal phone calls needed. A much needed lesson to me to not mess about with things in 'fat finger' mode ! jolihokistix - I most definitely feel your pain !
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Cornish Jack, suggest you perhaps have a cheap back up mobile with £10 pay as you go sim card and easy ability to top up - use that number for receiving unlock texts and so on... (tho you must receive/make a quick call from the sim every few months lest your card get cancelled).
...and it's advice I ought to listen to myself, my landline is history and Ionly have one mobile and a laptop... should be enough but... !
Anyone recommend a cheap and cheerful phone/sim?
...and it's advice I ought to listen to myself, my landline is history and Ionly have one mobile and a laptop... should be enough but... !
Anyone recommend a cheap and cheerful phone/sim?
Thread Starter
Treadders and Procrastinus - I have 3 mobile phones - 2 Nexus and a Huawei and once or twice I've shelled out for £10 sims. Never used any of them and the sims are disabled in such a short space of time without use that it is just one more 'rip-off'. ....as is, essentially, the whole 'smart/mobile phone' set-up ! 
