gmail problem

[Sara Nilsson]

HI, trying to set up an email for my husband. (who is very computer illiterate) so I set him up for a hotmail account. and he forgets and thinks it was gmail. oopps. Ah well now he registered it on some work sites so I thought hey no prob, Ill just set him up with the same gmail account.

Well.. I go to gmail try and create xxx@gmail.com.. is told it already exists. Huh, perhaps I once set him up with a gmail and forgot. lets see if I can log in to it.. and being told. no such account exists. what? you already told me it does.

Does anyone know what this is about?

[Vekseid]

Well I'd hide that e-mail address now for sure >_>

It's possible Google has an automated process that detects occurrences like this and autoblocks the email for your own protection.

[Sara Nilsson]

hmm possibly.

[Writersblockade]

Wait. Did you try forgot password? Because it's possible someone set the email up, and the site is just saying that it can't pull up information for the username/password provided

[Sara Nilsson]

Wait. Did you try forgot password? Because it's possible someone set the email up, and the site is just saying that it can't pull up information for the username/password provided

Cant do that.

You enter the email on the first screen with no option to add a password. Sadly. thanks for the suggestion though

[Flower]

If an email account has been deleted, for whatever reason on Google, you only have a set amount of time to reactivate it. So it is possible it did exist at some point. Even if it is no longer being used, Google doesn't recycle names, even if it's been a while since it's been used by someone.

I know that doesn't help but might be the explanation.

[Sara Nilsson]

ahh that could very well be it, thank you Flower :) I have a very vague recollection of setting it up for him years ago.