I also asked this question in Windows-10 forum, but I wanted to be sure the right people see it.  I am using W-10, and I have already checked compatibility with my PC.  I have attempted to load this app numerous times, but I have never gotten this far into the process.  I kept getting the restart your computer message over and over.  Then finally one night at around 1:00 am, it started actually loading.  Then it came to the same problem I describe below. I frantically tried to get help from any where, until it got to be 3:00 and I gave up.  Then while checking for something else in the loaded updates, there I saw the installer and app were installed.  And that is what brought me here.

After many, many attempts, I finally got Windows Essentials 12 to load on my PC. However, when I tried to activate it, using this address--

C:Program Files (x86)Windows LiveInstaller and then I hit wlstartup.exe, it opens a window with the little man icon, and at the top says 'Have We Met?'  and then asks for my Hotmail/Outlook email address and password.  It says "sign in with your email address" and has my address highlighted.  I tried using @Outlook.com and it would not accept that one either. I even tried my yahoo.com address and it told me to open a Microsoft account. Which I obviously already have.  I tried changing my password and even tried logging in as Administrator (me) in which I use my Hotmail to access everything else, and that didn't work.

Does anybody know a way around this block?  Actually, I saw that same icon with the "Have we met?" when I was first trying to set up Cortana. 

I could use a lot of help here. Again.

Thank you

Barb M.