OLEXP: You Are Unable to Log On to Your Hotmail Account If Your Password Is Less Than Eight Characters

When you attempt to log on to your Hotmail account, you may receive the following error message:

This behavior can occur if your password is less than eight characters in length.

Create a new password that is between eight and twelve characters in length. Your password may contain numbers (0-9), uppercase letters (A-Z), and lowercase letters (a-z). Your password cannot contain spaces.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

If you created a Hotmail account when the password required a minimum of six characters, you can still use the shorter password when you sign in on the Hotmail Web site.

To change your Hotmail password:

1. Log on to your Hotmail account at the Hotmail Web site:
   http://www.hotmail.com (http://www.hotmail.com)
2. Click Options, and then click Password.
3. In the Old Password box, type your old password.
4. In the New Password box, type your new password.
5. In the Re-enter New Password box, type your new password, and then click OK.