Microsoft reported today that its e-mail service, Windows Live Mail, also known as Hotmail, has experienced some availability problems and some users were not able to access their accounts.

According to the various reports, the other Microsoft’s services that require a Microsoft login, such as the Xbox Live or the Windows Live Messenger were also unavailable.

In a statement for Reuters, Microsoft acknowledged the problems and said that a dedicated team is working to solve the technical difficulties.

"We're actively investigating the cause and are working to take the appropriate steps to remedy the situation as rapidly as possible," said a Microsoft spokesman. For the moment it is unclear how many users were affected, in which countries or what caused the problem, which seems to be related to Windows Live ID.

Last year in May, Microsoft replaced MSN Hotmail with Windows Live Hotmail, which is available in 36 countries and has an installed user base of 350 million users.

In August, Microsoft upgraded the storage space for the Windows Live e-mail accounts from 2 GB to 5 GB.