Sorry this is long.  I'm admittedly frustrated with myself for not remembering my passwords and with the systems for not having an appropriate way to help me recover them. 

First off, I switched phones and didn't remember my live password.  I don't send much email from there, so the available password reset interface is not an appropriate way to establish my identity.  I filled out about half the boxes with info only I would probably ever have, but it was not sufficient.  I do have some pretty clear cut other ways to prove who I am with respect to that account, but no one seems empowered to make the decision on that or even responsive to the possibility.

I did have that account linked to another old hotmail email, but initially didn't try to go that route because I figured there wasn't much chance I could get into THAT account after so long either.  BUT after failing other options, I tried a password recovery on the old one.

The hotmail account is linked to my phone, so I've been expecting a password reset code for about an hour.  The fact that it recognized my username, listed the correct attached phone number, and let me complete the request process tells me the account hasn't been deleted.  But when I tried to email that old address, I received an "undeliverable" error.

So does the old hotmail account exist or not?  It clearly hasn't been deleted and is not available for anyone else to use.  Should I expect to receive the recovery code? 

And on a side note if anyone happens to know, is there any way to submit proofs of identity to connect me to my account?  I have all kinds of evidence, and as has been mentioned before, the current password reset interface is absolutely not appropriate for people who don't actively send mail from their accounts.  I would like to submit attachments to my customer support requests but don't see how to do that.

Again sorry so long.  Thanks for any help.