A service bug that left a group of Windows Live Hotmail users without access to new messages and entire folders for days has been explained and remedied against future instances.
Writing on the Windows Team Blog, Mike Schackwitz of the Hotmail team says the problem stemmed from an error with an automated script that Microsoft uses to test the service for errors in every day usage. Part of the script's function is to clean its tracks once it's done creating test accounts, but this time around the testing jumped the test group and went to real user accounts.
The good news, at least, is that the data is still there. "Please note that the email messages and folders of impacted users were not deleted; only their inbox location in the directory servers was removed," Schackwitz said. The empty mailboxes those who were affected saw when logging in were made to compensate for the fact that their account didn't match up with Hotmail's database. "This is why the accounts received the 'Welcome to Hotmail' message," Schackwitz explained.
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20027726-75.html
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Writing on the Windows Team Blog, Mike Schackwitz of the Hotmail team says the problem stemmed from an error with an automated script that Microsoft uses to test the service for errors in every day usage. Part of the script's function is to clean its tracks once it's done creating test accounts, but this time around the testing jumped the test group and went to real user accounts.
The good news, at least, is that the data is still there. "Please note that the email messages and folders of impacted users were not deleted; only their inbox location in the directory servers was removed," Schackwitz said. The empty mailboxes those who were affected saw when logging in were made to compensate for the fact that their account didn't match up with Hotmail's database. "This is why the accounts received the 'Welcome to Hotmail' message," Schackwitz explained.
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20027726-75.html
