To simplify the support experience, the Forums in the Windows Live Solution Center will be moving to Microsoft Answers Forums and the various Solution Articles too will be moved to Microsoft Windows Site. After moving everything, the Windows Live Solution Center will be retired. These forums most probably will be moved within a week.
Many other Microsoft support forums are already available on Microsoft Answers. At present Microsoft Answers has forums on – Windows, Office , Internet Explorer, Windows Phone, Microsoft Security Essentials, Zune and Office for Mac. Windows Live was being separately taken up at Windows Live Solution Center.
The Microsoft Windows site offers product information, help and support and downloads for Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive and other Microsoft products.
Those having their profile on Windows Live Solution Center, their profile will be moved to Microsoft Answers .
So is this another step indicating the end of the Windows Live brand?
As has bee already observed, Windows Live SkyDrive and Windows Live Hotmail are already being called as SkyDrive and Hotmail. Anyway moving the Forums to Answers is a good move as one can have everything under single URL. It will be convenient as people prefer the Answers kind of forums.
Anyway, let us see how fast its done as I think preparations for the migrations must have already begin and Answers will be on maintenance mode on 28th Mar. So this could be the possible reason.
This is the Microsoft Support Team announcement :
“We are excited to let you know that we will soon be moving the forums in the Windows Live Solution Center to the Microsoft Answers forums and the solution articles to the Microsoft Windows site. At the end of the move, we will retire the Windows Live Solution Center.
We are doing this to simplify the support experience for you as many other Microsoft support forums are already available on Microsoft Answers. Some of you already have experience on Microsoft Answers and know that it is an easy to use and helpful community resource. The Microsoft Windows site offers product information, help and support and downloads for Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive and other Microsoft products.
During the move our support forums will not be available for a number of hours. However, the solution articles will be accessible under the Help section in the Microsoft Windows site.
If you have a profile on the Windows Live Solution Center, we will move your profile to Microsoft Answers. You will use your same Windows Live ID to access your profile on Microsoft Answers.
If you been using Windows Live Solution Center and have a profile, Microsoft will move it profile to Microsoft Answers. Your login credentials will continue to remain the same.