Hi LizGray,
We're sorry for that inconvenience that this issue has brought to you. About your question, "When I used my 'Hotmail account' I didn't have to 'check this browser and click on this link' etc etc - it JUST WORKED - why doesn't it work now?", please be informed
that there are some browser version that is unsupported when using Outlook.com, and that's one possible reason why you haven't encountered the same issue when using Hotmail interface before.
If you are using a lower version of internet browser, I suggest you to update your browser’s version.
To know more, go to this link: Update
Browser
Please verify if this issue is happening when using other computer or browser for us to isolate the issue if it's within your account only or not.
Also, kindly verify if you're experiencing this issue upon signing in to your account or after signing in to your account.
We're looking forward to your response