Why do i have to keep recovering my gamer tag from xbox 360 live? Also often cannot connect to xbox live.?

The connection is fine i just cant get on the live service!! Keeps asking to recover my gamertag which is long. Also now i'm having trouble with connecting to the servers to recover it. Connection tests tick everything besides connecting to xbox live (last task of test connection).Why do i have to keep recovering my gamer tag from xbox 360 live? Also often cannot connect to xbox live.?First check if you have a gold card. Then check if your cable is fine. Call this number for help 1-800-469-9269