[HOW TO] Setup Windows Live ID, XBox & Zune on WP7

[GirlGoneGeek]

Windows Phone 7 requires a Windows Live ID just as your Android requires a Gmail account. However, Windows Phone is different than Android as it links together Windows Live, Hotmail, XBOX Live, and Zune on your phone.

Windows Phone only uses one Windows Live ID as the primary account on the phone and will pull down content from all these services to your phone. You can add a second Windows Live ID to your handset to pull down email but that secondary account will not bring in your Xbox Live gamertag or Zune Tag information. To activate these features all you have to do is the setup for the phone. This process will walk you through step by step how to enter your Windows Live ID.


Here’s the kicker with Windows Phone 7 and its XBOX Live and Zune integration: your XBOX Live gamertag and Zune Tag must be associated with your Windows Live ID in order to use them on your phone. In other words, if you use a different Live ID for each setup you will not see Windows Live work correctly on your WP7.



HOW IT'S DONE



Step 1: sign up for windows live here if you don't have one already


You get access to your Calendar, Messenger, SkyDrive, and more with the new Windows Live ID. It also sets up a Hotmail, XBOX Live and Zune account for you but you need to login to these accounts to customize and configure them.


Step 2: activate your Hotmail inbox using your Windows Live credentials by clicking here


Now that your windows live profile is setup it's time to setup Xbox Live

Step 3: Go to XBOX Live by clicking here and setup your account


Now that you are connected to XBox Live it's time to setup Zune. For $15 per month, you get unlimited music streaming and 10 free downloads of your favorite audio tracks.


Step 4: Go to Zune by clicking here and select “Sign In” at the top right of the screen or scroll down a little bit and select try a free pass if you are new to Zune.


After you accept the terms of this service, you can add a free or paid Zune Pass, download the Zune software, and explore the content in the Zune Marketplace. The Zune Pass is optional and you can still access the Zune Marketplace on your phone without it.


What if you already have a Windows Live ID, an XBOX Live account, and/or a Zune Tag:


If you have a Hotmail address, an XBOX Live account, and a Zune Tag that are linked under the same Windows Live ID, then you have nothing more to do. Simply follow step one and do the setup on your phone after you are done. Nothing more!



Credit: Intomobile