I lost all my data on my entire computer because the repair man had to do a complete restoration. Thank goodness I have Carbonite, and that back up is re-populating my computer. 

However, unlike the person above, my issue is with Windows Live. I signed in and nothing is there. I did sign in as recently as a a few weeks ago, right before winter break ( I teach online and these newsgroups were actual classes I was teaching). 

I thought Windows live was all web based, and so I would expect my newsgroups to be there. 

1. How do I access the newsgroups on the internet, shouldn't they be there?
2. What is the relationship between my pc and the windows live application account? 
An account that I use has been blocked, and I no longer have access to the email address that the block page wants to send instructions to in order to start the process of unblocking; how can go about reinstating the blocked account if I don't have access to the alternate email I must have set up when the account was created?