You can also use Outlook Express for accessing your Hotmail account.

MSN or Hotmail, however, do not offer POP3 service (for free), so the set up is a little bit different. Because both MSN and Outlook Express are Microsoft products, setting up an Hotmail account in Outlook Express is very easy.

Start Outlook Express
Click on Tools
Click on Accounts
Click on Add
Select Mail
Set a Display Name, click on Next.
Enter your hotmail email address, click on Next.
Choose HTTP from the drop down list My incoming mail server is a ******* server.
Choose Hotmail from the drop down list that appears My HTTP Mail provider is
Click on Next
Enter your Hotmail/MSN address (your_name@hotmail.com) under account name
Enter your password, click on Next.
Click on Finished.

You will notice that Outlook Express has created a new folder called Hotmail. It contains all the folders that you set up on the Hotmail site as well as the normal ones:
Inbox
Sent Items
Deleted Items
MSN
Announcements
Bulkmail

To make sure everything is working, select the Hotmail folder. On the right, you will see a list of your Hotmail folders and then the buttons Synchronise Account and Settings.

Make sure that the box after Inbox is checked and the Sychronisation Settings show All messages.