How do I setup an email account?

Hi Bruce.

I do not have any serious complain about Windows Live Essentials so far, on the contrary, Mail and Messenger both work fine and are well integrated with Windows 7; if you prefer only the Hotmail  account and  as you already have a Live ID to get into the Answers, go to the Hotmail logon pagehttps://login.live.com/login.srf?wa=wsignin1.0&rpsnv=11&ct=1295785271&rver=6.1.6206.0&wp=MBI&wreply=http:%2F%2Fmail.live.com%2Fdefault.aspx&lc=1033&id=64855&mkt=en-us&cbcxt=mai&snsc=1 and sign in there.

You certainly don't need windows live essentials 2011 to have a m-s email account, really all you Internet explorer and a msn or my msn home page and you can make a your name @ hotmail.com email account,

http://www.msn.com/

Click on hotmail on the top/ left side of the screen and register.

Besides essentials 2011 isn't quite ready, more errors associated with that program than you can shake a stick at, it might work in 2012.