Question about Outlook Express

So many of my old contacts seem to have just vanished from my contact list over the last while.  I have had to go through sent emails from people who had always on my list before to re-enter their contact information, but there are some people  for whom I don't even have old emails to get their addresses back.  Where did they go?  Could it have been Hotmail's fault when they implemented the new Contact format (which, by the way, I abhor)?  In send mode, when I push "to" a contact address might be there, but if I go to my contacts, it is not there.  I have a phantom contact address that was imperative to delete and which was deleted both on computer and cell phone, but which pops up occasionally and has caused a huge business loss as a result of an email going to that contact.  This phantom address can not be deleted when it pops up in the "To" mode, and does not exist when I go to my Contacts!  So there is risk of another email inadvertently being sent to that address.

 Also, when I get into the contact screen, it shuts me out from going back to my account and I have to login back in.  This is definitely not an improvement.  Hotmail has developed issues.