I understand the benefits of using LiveID to sign on.  However, the implementation on this site is a bit confusing.

1. I sign up for a Windows Live ID.  OK, that's easy.
2. I tell the forums site to associate my LiveID with a username.  OK, easy enough although something like "Display Name" would be more intuitive.

That should be all that's requited, however I'm now brought to a page which says:

The Windows Live ID you provided is not currently linked to an account on the site. Please provide your existing site credentials below to associate your Windows Live Id with your existing account.

I thought that's what step 2 was all about.  No matter what I enter into this dialog box, I can't get in.  I click "I forgot my password" and I'm never sent a reset password email.  "Existing site credentials" isn't obvious -- are you talking about my credentials on the forums site, or my LiveID credentials?  If I've never logged in before, how could I have "existing site credentials"?

I urge the site administrators to grab someone off the street and watch them get tripped up by all the hoops one has to jump through.

Again, I'm in favor of LiveID, but its implementation on this site could use some fine tuning, IMHO.

It sounds to me like in step 2 you entered a username that was already on file in the shared membership system (ASP.NET, Silverlight.NET, WindowsClient.NET, and IIS.NET sites).  So the process is asking you for the password for the account.

We have some updates queued up that should be released on the site in the next week or so that should help with the situation you describe...specifically that the password reset email is not sent if you have not yet logged into the specific site for which you are requesting a password reset email.

If you are still having trouble with this, please use the site's Contact form and we can help you.

I figured it out.  In step 2, there's a link on the right for "No account yet?  Join now."  It's very easy to overlook, and the wording of step 2 makes it sound like the account already exists.

I'll keep your comment in mind as we review the join/sign in screens.