Hi there and welcome to the forum. I can remember reading something about this ages ago. It appears you cannot download Hotmail to Incredimail,OE, Thunderbird or whatever email program you use without using a Hotmail paid for account.

After a quick google search found this.....

Q: How do I configure my Hotmail or MSN email account to work with IncrediMail?

A: On October 1st 2004, Microsoft blocked access to Hotmail and MSN email accounts used in email clients such as Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, Eudora or IncrediMail. Anyone who wishes to use a Hotmail or MSN account in any email client is required to pay Microsoft for this service.

If you would like to continue using your Hotmail or MSN email account in IncrediMail, you will have to pay Microsoft for their new service. On the other hand, if you would like to continue using an email account free of charge in IncrediMail, you can open a free POP3 email account with HotPOP, or any other POP3 email account provider you wish to use.

If you have a Hotmail or MSN email account and have purchased Microsoft's new service, follow these simple steps to configure your email account with IncrediMail:

Original link is Here

Hope that helps.