Consumers looking to use Microsoft’s Xbox Live, Outlook, and other services are likely having a difficult time this afternoon, as the company is currently suffering an outage. [More]
xbox live
Several Microsoft Services — Including Xbox Live, Outlook — Suffering Outages
By 3.21.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Microsoft Now Accepting Requests To Remove Revenge Porn From Bing, Xbox Live & OneDrive
By 7.23.15
Microsoft joined the growing list of tech companies taking steps to crack down on so-called revenge porn – the posting of nude photos or videos online without the consent of the subject – by honoring requests to remove links to the images or the content from appearing in results on its search engine Bing and other platforms. [More]
Microsoft Thanks 5-Year-Old Who Found A Hole In Xbox’s Password Security System
By 4.4.14
Because nothing in life is perfect (besides the cool blue gaze of the divine Aaron Rodgers, natch), when there’s a security problem with a technological product, companies are usually pretty grateful to have it brought to their attention before too much damage can be done. Which is why Microsoft is currently offering a hearty “thanks!” to a five-year-old boy. [More]
NSA Also Spied On World Of Warcraft, Second Life, Xbox Live Users
By 12.9.13
Because terrorists may be secretly chatting with each other while also trying to level-up their paladins and warlocks, the National Security Agency thought it was a good idea to eavesdrop on online games like World of Warcraft and Second Life, and on gamers who used Xbox Live. [More]
Microsoft Offers Free Month Of Service To Make Up For Recent Xbox Live Cloud Outage
By 12.31.12
What’s better than an apology? An apology with some free stuff thrown in to sweeten the pot and turn those frowns upside down. Microsoft is apologizing for a recent cloud outage that left Xbox Live users hanging with nary a way to access their saved games and will treat users to a free month of membership to try and make up for it. [More]
Xbox Live Won’t Let Me Register Child Accounts Until I Verify Credit Card I Never Gave Them
By 12.4.12
Xbox Live Silver is free. Right? Well, Brian was under that impression. He gets that Microsoft needed a credit card on file to verify that he’s an adult, but didn’t get why it wanted to charge him money when he went to verify his billing address. He only uses prepaid cards for his Gold account, and they want him to verify the information of a credit card that he never gave them. [More]
If You Fall For This Xbox Live Scam, You Should Probably Stay Offline
By 10.26.12
It’s just a hunch, but we’re pretty sure this important message is not from a real “Xbox Modiator.” [More]
Microsoft: The Person Using Your Stolen Xbox Totally Didn't Commit Any Fraud
By 5.1.12
Ashlee’s house was robbed last Thanksgiving, and the culprits were never caught. They replaced the stolen items, and life went on. Until her Xbox Live account signed on using another console. The same console that had been stolen, whereabouts now unknown. Maybe the identity or location of the person now using Ashlee’s Xbox could provide valuable insights into who robbed their house five months ago. Microsoft wasn’t interested in helping, and determined that the new owner’s use of her account and attempt to use it to buy points weren’t fraudulent. Well, that’s good to hear! [More]
Xbox Live Bans User For Getting Hacked
By 2.2.12
After his Xbox Live account was stolen, Josh had to file a Better Business Bureau complaint in order to make MIcrosoft pay attention to him and restore his account access. After three months, he was delighted to log back in to his account, but surprised to learn that he had been banned for a “code of conduct violation.” What did his account do to get banned? It was trying to steal other accounts. Imagine that. [More]
How Not Having Home Internet Access Makes Xbox Live Problematic
By 1.12.12
It’s difficult to imagine such a rustic, primitive existence, but Dustin doesn’t have broadband Internet access at home. He seems to manage, though. Except when it comes to his Xbox 360. When he downloaded a game expansion, a Microsoft representative gave him bad advice, instructing him to put his hard drive in the console of a friend who does have broadband at home. The representative left out a step, and the game expansion license now belongs to Dustin’s friend’s account. No one at Microsoft is able to help him get the content back under his own gamertag so he can use the content he paid for. [More]
Avoid Browser Glitch That Causes Unintentional Xbox Live Purchases
By 1.6.12
If you like to look for free Xbox 360 game demos via Xbox.com on a browser, it’s easy to make a mistake that causes you to accidentally buy the product rather than just test it out. [More]
Microsoft Thinks You Stole $67.50 From Your Own Xbox Account
By 12.15.11
In recent weeks, we’ve heard from quite a few Xbox Gold customers who report that points have been stolen from their accounts, but Microsoft doesn’t seem terribly concerned about it, or about stopping the account breaches. Today’s example: reader Jesse, who loaded several cards on his account before a move, for some reason assuming that the points would be safer in his account (in the cloud!) than packed for his move. Not so. Someone spent those points on content that Jesse never downloaded, and Microsoft isn’t giving him those points back. [More]
Here's A Way To Block Ads On The New Xbox Dashboard
By 12.9.11
Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out its rootin’-tootin’ motion-sensin’ new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. And along with the host of new features came a most unwanted companion — ads. Luckily, for those willing to tinker a bit, there may be a way to stop Chuck Norris from showing up on your Xbox dashboard. [More]
Microsoft Makes Gamers Promise Never To Sue It After Xbox Update
By 12.8.11
It turns out that shiny new mandatory Xbox 360 update was something of a Trojan Horse that allows Microsoft to twist gamers’ arms and make them agree never to sue the company. [More]
Microsoft Zombie-Bills Expired Credit Card For Xbox Live
By 10.6.11
Earlier this year, we posted a handy tip to avoid zombie billing: for a service that you plan to stop using after your contract is up, use a credit or debit card with an expiration date shortly after the end of the contract. The idea behind this plan is that an expired card can’t be billed. This didn’t work so well for Rob, whose expired credit card was zombie-billed by Microsoft for his Xbox Live subscription. [More]
Lawsuit Accuses Microsoft Of Double Billing Xbox Live Customers
By 8.3.11
For Xbox 360 users to have access to online gaming, they need to get a paid subscription to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold service. But a new lawsuit alleges that the service’s “vague and onerous terms of use,” are leading subscribers to be double-billed. [More]
