Another "feature" of current free Hotmail email accounts is that they delete the account - and all your email - if you go 30 days without checking your mail. There's supposedly a "grace period" for getting the account back, but the email is gone forever.

"For a few bucks more" you can get one of those premium accounts that they'll keep open - as long as you pay the monthly/yearly bill.

The premium (paid for) accounts do up the amount of storage space so you don't encounter "mail box full" bounces, and let you send larger attachments. They supposedly allow IM (instant messaging - currently the primary source of viral infections on the web). They also get you a "premium line" of advertisements in place of some of the junk ads on their web mail sites. It's the same junk, but "sorted to match your personal interests," they say. How they determine what you're interested in isn't revealed...

John