If I changed someone's Hotmail password...

[thesnowmanleft]

Would they know who it was? I mean could they find out the IP address and link it back?

I know the secret answer and so could change the password and gain access without them being locked out (as they could just change it again using the secret question themself)

...?

Naughty naughty. Now you have to tell us what it is you're snooping on.

Partners ex wife... I know she's up to something in regard to our finances as well as spreading malicous rumours about me and I just wanted to see with my own eyes so I know what I'm up against..

I know that sounds batty, Im not really batty...

I can't imagine hotmail doing a full investigation because one person reports being locked out of her account. Similarly for the police.

However, what you are thinking of doing isn't legal. Human Rights Act, Article 8 the right to privacy including correspondence, for a start.

You should consider what you might find, because once you have seen it you can't undo that knowledge. And if you do something with that information, how are you going to say you knew?

It is illegal.

How do you know the secret answer?

Well, OP, did you do it?