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Type letters and numbers from a picture
When you try to sign in to Windows Live Hotmail or to send an e-mail message, you may see a message stating that you must pass a random check to confirm that your account is valid, and be presented with a picture containing distorted letters and numbers. This is a Human Interface Proof (HIP) challenge, and is used to help fight junk e-mail by confirming that a person, rather than an automated program, is trying to access the page.
To solve the HIP challenge:
- In the box below the picture, type the numbers and letters that you see. If you can't read one or more of the letters or numbers, do one of the following:
- To view a new picture, click the refresh icon
. - To listen to an audio recording of ten numbers, click the speaker icon
. To see a picture again, click the text icon 
.
- To view a new picture, click the refresh icon
- Click Continue, click Close, and then continue to sign in or send your e-mail message.
Notes
- The text version of the HIP challenge contains a series of eight characters (numbers and letters), and the audio version contains a series of ten numbers.
- The letters aren't case sensitive. Do not type spaces between the numbers and letters.
- You can access many areas of your Windows Live Hotmail account, but you may not be able to send e-mail until you solve the HIP challenge.
