A technical issue has kept an unresolved count of Windows Live Hotmail users engaged out of their e-mail accounts for hours on Thursday. The issue, which began at around 3:30 am. U.S. Eastern Time, has impacted a small number of users, a spokeswoman for Microsoft said through e-mail. She refused to be more particular about the number of users involved.

"We are going forward to inquire regarding the problem, but can sustain that the most of users that were affected are can their Hotmail accounts," she stated. The breakdown evidently was huge enough to justify the posting of a high note at the top of the Windows Live Solution Center positing that Hotmail is receiving login problem. The content remains on the web pages as of 7 p.m., intending the issue is now figuring roughly its 16th hour. Hotmail has about 355 million live accounts worldwide, the spokeswoman said stated mentioning figures from comScore.