Outage hits Windows Live Hotmail, Messenger users

Windows Live users are reporting on February 26 that they are unable to access Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, two of Microsoft's key consumer Internet services.

Microsoft's MSN.com portal also is extremely slow to load.

A number of users on Microsoft's Channel 9 Web site report having been affected by the outage.

According to one report, the Microsoft Live outage is affecting customers all across the East Coast. I am an East Coast user and have been unable to access Hotmail or Live Messenger for the past two hours.

I asked Microsoft for an update on what is happening. Officials said an update would be forthcoming. Here's the "holding statement" I just got from a company spokeswoman:

"We are aware that some customers may be experiencing difficulty accessing their Windows Live accounts. We’re actively investigating the cause and are working to take the appropriate steps to remedy the situation as rapidly as possible. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disruption this may be causing our customers."

The spokeswoman said she'd send more details once they were available. So stay tuned.

Meanwhile, any other Microsoft services or properties you know of that are affected?

Update: In the "bad timing" department: Not a great day for Microsoft to admit that "a good part" of all of its Windows Live infrastructure is running on Windows Server 2008, which officially launches on February 27.

Update No. 2: Microsoft is saying the outage hit primarily those who were not previously logged into Windows Live ID, but so far isn't offering many more details.