How do I make an msn.com email address instead of hotmail.com?

Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.

About 5 years ago I had MSN Explorer installed on my PC. When you set it up you can create either a hotmail.com or msn.com email addy for free without signing up for the premium service. I don't use that browser anymore so I'm not sure if that's still the case.

I occassionally feel the need to look at my MSN email to see if any messages to me may be drawing dust in that archive. I mainly use Hotmail, but the MSN came automatically with my Verizon ISP bnroadband package, like it or not. So maybe that is why some of us look at it occassionally. Kudos to your site, by the way.

Go to this URL for an msn.com address.

https://accountservices.passport.net/reg.srf?ns=msn.com&sl=1&lc=1033

Thank you GT!

Now, can anyone tell me why this is so important to people?

You are welcome.. I don't know if there are any extra features with an msn.com address versus a hotmail.com address.

The only thing I can figure is that back in the day when hotmail wasn't owned by Microsoft, there was a certain stigma to having a hotmail address, atleast where I was concerned. They were "throw away" addresses, commonly used by spammers and the like.

So, for me it was just so that I had a more legit looking address.

Just my 2 cents.

Eh, you guys are in luck. I happened to be an outsourced MSN TS before (Like Dec 2005).
Well, I'll put some info in perspective:

MSN address:

1. Is an IMAP email account (but more than that)
2. Comes with a web browser called MSN explorer.
3. Has 2 Gigs of Email storage.
4. MSN Explorer is based on IE.
5. MSN Explorer does not only synchronize your email messages and email folders - it (gasp) synchronizes your Bookmarks, Contacts, Browsing History (gasps again), MSN IM Contacts and even your Mobile!
6. Its not free. However Microsoft stuffs it in new installations of WinXP, so you see the butterfly right? Chances are if you have a free hotmail account and you use that on the butterfly, it doesn't offer you all of the features I mentioned. If however, you subscribe - or are subscribed to Verizon or Qwest, DSL or Dial Up, you get the software perks along with it.
7. Price range is 9.95 to 19.95 (Hola! am I passing along sensitive info?)
8. Its A status symbol since not many email services bunch up their products in such a comprehensive manner:

a. Internet Connection
a.1 Dial Up
a.2 DSL
b. Browser which synchronizes over computers!
b.1 Bookmarks
b.2 Internet Settings
c. Email
c.1 Email folders,
c.2 rules,
c.3 messages
d. synchronization!
e. Contacts!
f. Instant Messaging
f.1 via MSNMSGR before, I dunno if they have
MSN Live Messenger now

So you see, its a whole economic system designed to fool the old grannies into spending all of their $ while MS looks at all their info.

Why? Coz all the synchronization stuff needs to be stored somewhere right?? Guess where your bookmarks, MSN contacts, browsing history, everything you basically do on the net - GET STORED? Aha, you betcha - MSN SERVERSSSSS!!!!

Hotmail? Arg. You've all seen it. It just sucks.

heya leo - a wee bit off topic here. but, i just have to post this here so that the context is complete. well, anyway, my comment is, i cant edit my previous comment. and also i cant comment on your personal blog. just happened to realize that i am reading a book that you are reading! "The world is flat" which my dad gave me while i was working for MSN for $8 an hour. Whoops. Did i just say that? anyway, i must agree with you on the points of the book. Much of it is the "Yes, yer right type of thing." But I guess it was written for non techie types of people who probably are not engaged in the e-zeitgeist phenomenon. that's all.

Perhaps Leo, the reason why it's so special is because everyone doesn't know how to get it. Get it? It's popular by being obscure.

Sign up for hotmail on your mobile phone using the WAP browser, and they will give you a @msn.com domain. After it is made cancel MSN Mobile, to get the free domain.

Leo said: "...Is there something else you can do with an msn.com email address that you can't with hotmail.com? Honestly, I just don't get it..."

Besides the MSN "Butterfly" browser's features there may be another reason for desiring an msn.com email address. Some websites will not permit registration/membership with a Hotmail or other free email address account. They insist upon you supplying a subscription/paid-for email address. Presumably, they feel that a subscription email account is somehow more legitimate! If, as a Hotmail user, you encountered this requirement you could easily migrate or duplicate your contact list, Favorites, browser settings, etc. to an msn.com account. That's certainly easier than starting from scratch....

To post a comment on "How do I make an msn.com email address instead of hotmail.com?", please return to that article's main page.