Yesterday I had 100+ messages, some dating from years back, with info I still need and can't replace, in my Hotmail inbox. I just checked my email, and there were only 18 messages in my inbox. Anything older than February 2, 2004? Well, gone. Not gone gone: ended up in my trash folder.
I know I didn't accidentally delete them (how do I accidentally select 80+ messages and dump them in the trash, ffs?); I know nobody else had my password to get in there and do that; the only explanation is that Hotmail itself somehow put them in there.
Good thing that I checked my email, too. I don't check that particular Hotmail account all that often anymore, and the trash is emptied once per day... if I'd noticed this tomorrow, they would've been completely gone.
I think it's time to dig up that site which had instructions on how to transfer mails from Hotmail to Gmail...