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December 26, 2004 at 4:26 am #25537SjoerdMember
Troubleshooting MSN Messenger
This guide will help you out with most common problems with MSN Messenger in a few steps. All these solutions and more can be found at my own website http://www.msn-problems.com. If it doesn’t work start a new topic so others can have a look at your problem.Step 1: Clean your PC
To make a good start we will begin with cleaning up your computer. If you are sure it already is you can skip this part and continue with Step 2.
– Make sure your computer is virus free. If you have a virusscanner check your computer for virusses. If you don’t have one you can use a free online virusscan. Two good ones are: HouseCall, Panda ActiveScan.
– Use Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy to clean your computer from spyware and adware.
– Another important thing is to have the latest Windows updates and patches. You can download them here.
– The final thing you should do is defragment your harddisks.
Once you are done check if your MSN Messenger works again. If not continue with General Troubleshooting.Step 2: General Troubleshooting
– Make sure you have the latest stable version of MSN Messenger installed, download.
– Change your password into something different here and try to login again.
– If you have a firewall have a look here to see if it is configured the right way.
– Clear your IE cache and cookies. Start “Internet Explorer”, click “Tools”, then “Internet Options…”. Use the “Delete Cookies” and “Delete Files…” buttons to clear your IE cache and cookies.
– Check your IE Security settings. Start “Internet Explorer”, click “Tools”, then “Internet Options…”. Go to the “Advanced” tab, scroll down to the “Security” section, and verify that “Check for server certificate revocation” is unchecked. Also verify that “Use SSL 2.0” and “Use SSL 3.0” is checked. Click “OK” when done.
– Download and execute this file to register several dll files that are required by MSN Messenger.Errorcode: 0x800B0004 or 800b001 (with MSN Messenger 7)
“Signing in to .NET Messenger Service failed because the service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”
This error is usually caused by Windows being unable to find a .dll file that is needed by MSN Messenger for security.
To resolve it, you can download this file and run it. It will register all the required .dll files which means Windows can find them.
If you prefer, you can also type the following commands yourself to register the .dll files
First open a command prompt by clicking start, then run. In the “run” screen, type: cmd and press enter. You get a command prompt window now. Now, type the following commands and press enter after each command:
regsvr32 softpub.dll, regsvr32 Wintrust.dll, regsvr32 Initpki.dll, regsvr32 Dssenh.dll, regsvr32 Rsaenh.dll, regsvr32 Gpkcsp.dll, regsvr32 Sccbase.dll, regsvr32 Slbcsp.dll, regsvr32 Mssip32.dll, regsvr32 Cryptdlg.dll.
You can now close the command prompt screen and Messenger should work correctly again.Errorcode: 0x80004005
“Signing in to .NET Messenger Service failed because the service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later”
There are two known causes for this problem: the most common one is that the MSN service is down for a while. If you didn’t have this problem before just wait a while and see if you can get online again later.
If you keep getting this problem, the cause may be that your email address was blocked from accessing MSN Messenger. You can use this webpage to ask MSN to unblock it. Make sure you refer to the error code you got.Errorcode: 0x81000301
“We were unable to sign you in to .NET Messenger Service, possibly because of a problem with the service or with your Internet connection. Please make sure that you are connected to the Internet.”
This error indicates your password is incorrect, make sure you typed your username and password correctly. Also try if you can login here with your MSN username and password, click on the Sign in button then type your username and password. If this fails someone else may have guessed your password and changed it. The only solution then is probably getting a new account and give that a password that is not easy to guess and keep this password safe.
If you can login on the passport.net site, however there may be a problem with MSN Messenger. Try one of the following solutions, please note however that these will delete your custom emoticons and display pictures.
If you use Windows 2000, XP or 2003:
Click on start and then on run. Now, type the following command: %appdata%microsoft and press enter. Delete the MSN Messenger folder.
If you use Windows 95, 98 or Millenium (ME):
Click on start and then on run. Now, type the following command: %windir%Application DataMicrosoft and press enter. Delete the MSN Messenger folder.Errorcode: 0x8100036f
“There was a problem connecting you to MSN Messenger”
Open MSN Messenger and click on tools, then options, then connection tab. Untick the “I use a proxy server box”. Try to sign in. If this didn’t work tick it again and see if it works now.
Check if your Internet Explorer supports 128 bits encryption. Open Internet Explorer and click Help, then About Internet Explorer. If the Cipher Strength is anything less then 128 bits download and install the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack.
In Internet Explorer: click Tools, then Internet Options, click Lan Settings in the connection Tab, click the “automatically detect settings” box and hit ok twice to confirm.
If you have a network: try to check if your proxy settings are the same as on a different pc on the network where messenger does work.Errorcode: 0x81000303
“Sorry, we could not sign you in because the sign-in name you entered does not exist or your pasword is incorrect”
Your password may be incorrect, make sure you typed your username and password correctly. Also try if you can login here with your MSN username and password, click on the Sign in button then type your username and password. If this fails someone else may have guessed your password and changed it. The only solution then is probably getting a new account and give that a password that is not easy to guess and keep this password safe.
If you can login on the passport.net site, however there may be a problem with MSN Messenger. First try this: Click start, then run. Type: regsvr32 softpub.dll and press enter.
If MSN Messenger still does not work, try the following. In Internet Explorer go to the tools menu, click on internet options, then on the advanced tab. Go down to the security section, then make sure check for server certificate revocation is off. use SSL 2.0 and use SSL 3.0 should both be on.
If you still cannot sign in, you can try reinstalling MSN Messenger, or even Windows itself.Errorcode: 0x8100306 or 81000306 (with MSN Messenger 7)
“We were unable to sign you in to .NET Messenger Service, possibly because of a problem with the service or with your Internet connection. Please make sure that you are connected to the Internet.”
If you did not have this problem before, this usally means the MSN server is not reachable. It may be down for a while, usually if you just wait a while you can connect to MSN Messenger again.
It may also indicate you have a proxy server or firewall on your network that does not allow MSN Messenger to connect. This is usually the case in companies or schools. Ask the network administrator how you can use MSN Messenger and if they will allow it. You can also use a web based messenger in this case.Errorcode: 0x81000370
“There was a problem connecting you to MSN Messenger.”
This error is usually caused by the security parts in MSN Messenger not working correctly
First, try the following: click start, then on run. Type: regsvr32 softpub.dll and press enter.
If MSN Messenger does not work yet after this, you can try closing Messenger then go to http://www.passport.net with Internet Explorer (also if you normally use another webbrowser) then click on the sign in button, you may get a certificate dialog. Accept the certificate, now if you start MSN Messenger it should work.
If you did not get the certificate dialog and MSN Messenger still does not work, open the advanced settings dialog in Internet Explorer by clicking on the Tools – Internet options menu and then go to the advanced tab. Go down to the security section and make sure use SSL 2.0 and use SSL 3.0 are both checked.Errorcode: 0x8100035b
“There was a problem connecting you to MSN Messenger.”
This error is usually caused by MSN Messenger being unable to connect through a proxy server or firewall.
Proxy servers are usually placed on larger computernetworks and are used to cache Internet sites and to provide extra security. A firewall is a server or software that filters network packets. If you have a network administrator he or she can probably help with letting MSN Messenger connect through the firewall or proxy server.
TCP port 1863 should be open to allow instant messages to be sent. If you want to transfer files at full speed as well, open TCP ports in the range 6891-6900. Open port 6901 both as UDP and TCP if you want to use audio conversations.“Sign me in automatically” checkbox is missing in MSN Messenger
The “Sign me in automatically” checkbox is missing and you have to retype your username and password each time to get online in MSN Messenger. This is probably caused by a security setting which does not permit storing passwords on your computer. If you have sufficient rights (you are an administrator) on your computer you can reset this setting by running this file.Some or all of your MSN Messenger contacts have disappeared from your contactlist
First, try restarting your computer and see if the contacts reappear.
If this does not help, you can see if your contacts are still in the My allow list. In Messenger, click the tools menu, then click options. In the box that appears click the privacy tab. Here you will see on the left a list called My allow list. Here you can add each contact to to your list again. To do so right click on a contact and choose add to contacts
If your contacts are not listed here then the problem is probably on the MSN server. You can try signing in on a different computer to see if your contact list appears, but if this is not the case you will have to add each contact again.MSN Messenger is slow when sending messages
When you type a message to one of your contacts and press enter to send it, it takes up to 15 seconds to send. Your computer generally does not feel very slow, other programs run fast.
This problem is usually caused by Layered Service Provider (LSP) which slows down your Internet connection.
Software on your computer can insert themselves in your computer’s network stack. This is known as Layered Service Provider or LSP for short. Normal programs usually do not do this, most of the time it is spyware that reroutes all your Internet through a server of the spyware company. This way they can analyze what websites you visit or serve extra popups on those sites (without the site being responsible for the extra popups).
Layered service provider injected by malware can make your Internet connection slow, causing a delay as long as 15 seconds in sending messages in MSN Messenger.I hope this helped. If not, maybe you can use webmessenger until you found a working solution.
©msn-problems.com: You may use these solutions to help out other people (a link with it to msn-problem.com is welcome). But do not steal this post..
January 11, 2006 at 10:19 pm #154316shifterMemberIs there a way to see who has added me to their MSN contact list?
Yes! Go to ‘Tools’, ‘Options’, ‘Privacy’ and click ‘View’.January 12, 2006 at 6:33 pm #154317shifterMemberHow can I fix a 1601/1603 error when I’m installing MSN Messenger?
Before you do anything, make sure you have the latest version of MSN Messenger installed from http://messenger.msn.com/ and your system has all necessary updates from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
There is a tool called Windows Installer CleanUp Utility which seems to fix most of these errors and is safier/easier for the user than the following tips. If this tool doesn’t solve your problem, then read on!
1603 Fix – courtesy of Christianbest
1. Find C:WINDOWSWinSxS
2. Rename the folder “InstallTemp” to “InstallTemp2”.
3. Then Rename the file “x86_Microsoft.Windows.Networking.Dxmrtp_6595b64144ccf1df_5.2.0.4868_x-ww_212f7d9e” to “x86_Microsoft.Windows.Networking.Dxmrtp_6595b64144ccf1df_5.2.0.4868_x-ww_212f7d9e2”.
4.Or simply take the folder and the file and add a 2, that way it will replace with a new one.
5. Install away!More Information – How to fix “1603” HERE!
Another Possible Fix for 1603
1. Click on Start > Find > Files or Folders
2. Search for sfc.dll. It should be under c:windowssystem32.
3. Rename sfc.dll to sfc.dll.x [x could be any character(s)]
4. You should be able to do the installs now.
5. After you have installed the software, change sfc.dll.x back to
sfc.dll.
6. Done!1601 Fix – courtesy of naRc
1. Click START, and then click RUN.
2. In the OPEN box, Type msiexec /unreg, and then click OK
3. When this process is complete, click START, and then click RUN.
4. In the OPEN box, type msiexec /regserver, and then click OK.
5. Now install MSN 6.More Information – Help Installing MSN 6 preview
Another Possible Fix for 1601 – courtesy of DrDeo
1. Open a command prompt. (Start ->Run-> type “CMD.EXE” or “command”)
2. Type msiexec /unregister and press Enter.
3. Type msiexec /regserver and press Enter.More Information – Msn 6 installation error
January 12, 2006 at 6:38 pm #154318shifterMemberJanuary 12, 2006 at 6:40 pm #154319shifterMemberI’m recieving messages from users who have not added me to their contact list, how is this possible?
Right click on the MSN Messenger icon in the system tray, click ‘Send an instant message’ and choose ‘Other’. You can also prevent people from using this feature on you. Open up Messenger, go to ‘Tools’, ‘Options’, ‘Privacy’ and click on the check box that says to only allow people in your contact list to send you messages.January 25, 2006 at 3:05 pm #154320princeGParticipantQ: I keep receiving an error message that signing in to msn messenger failed because the service is temporarly unavailable, please try again later. Error code 80072ee6″
A: Click Start > Run and type regsvr32 MSXML3.dll
(This has always worked)
January 26, 2006 at 2:48 am #154321princeGParticipantHaving problems signing in? Here is a list of possible solutions.
- The date on your computer needs to be set properly — double click the clock verify that the time and date are set.
- If your password information is not saved, verify that you are typing it in with the correct case (uppercase or lowercase).
- Change your password @ https://login.passport.com/ChangePW.srf to something smaller (under 10-12 characters), then try signing in again.
- If you use a firewall (like ZoneAlarm, Norton Internet Security etc. ), it’s possible that Messenger doesn’t have the correct rights to access the Internet, especially since you upgraded. You may need to re/add Messenger to the allowed list of programs in your firewall if this is the case.
- If you disabled your firewall in the past, it still may be blocking Messenger — try restarting it and see if that helps the situation. You also might try uninstalling an installed firewall, to verify that it isn’t causing a problem (even if it is disabled).
- Clear your IE cache and cookies — open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, then Internet Options, then click the Delete Files button, and when that’s complete click the Delete Cookies button.
- Check your IE Security settings — open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, then Internet Options, then Advanced tab, scroll to the Security section, and verify that “Check for server certificate revocation” is unchecked. Also verify that ‘Use SSL 2.0′ and Use SSL 3.0’ is checked, then click OK.
- Click Start, then Run, and enter the following:
regsvr32 softpub.dll
then click OK
and do the same for the following:
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 MSXML3.dll
May 17, 2006 at 2:09 pm #154322princeGParticipantWhere are my Msn backgrounds stored?
This is where backgrounds are stored:
C:Documents and SettingsUserNameApplication Data*MicrosoftMSN MessengerNumberedFolderBackgroundsThey are created as .tmp or .dat files and are not viewable unless you rename the extension to .bmp, or you can just righ click on it > Open With > select a program from the list that’s used for viewing images such as Paint or Photoshop.
*The ‘application data’ folder is a hidden folder so you will need to go to my computer, tools, view, folder options then change the Hidden files and folders section to the option “Show hidden files and folders“
May 17, 2006 at 2:20 pm #154323princeGParticipantWhere are my Msn custom emoticons stored?
This is where Msn custom emoticons are stored:
C:Documents and SettingsUserNameApplication Data*MicrosoftMSN MessengerNumberedFolderCustomEmoticonsIn order to be able to view the images, rename the .dat file to .jpg, or you can just righ click on it > Open With > select a program from the list that’s used for viewing images such as Paint or Photoshop.
*The ‘application data’ folder is a hidden folder so you will need to go to my computer, tools, view, folder options then change the Hidden files and folders section to the option “Show hidden files and folders
June 8, 2006 at 1:38 pm #154324princeGParticipantI keep receiving the error code 80040111 whenever I try to sign, saying that the service is unavailable.
Go to Start > Run > then type in the box the folowing:
Regsvr32 %windir%system32msxml3.dll
If you see the message below,
“DllRegisterServer succeeded in C:WindowsSystem32msxml3.dll is succeeded”, then restart your computer and Msn mesenger should be working again.If this doesn’t work though, try this:
Go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d…displaylang=en
and at the bottom of the page click on the link to msxml3.msi and move through the steps to complete installation.Again, restart your pc.
June 9, 2006 at 10:46 pm #154325princeGParticipantI receive the error code 8004005, which prevents me from signing in.
Go to C:Documents and Setting(Your user name)Local SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftWindows Live Contacts and delete all the files contained within this folder
June 21, 2006 at 4:48 pm #154326princeGParticipantI can’t see my contact’s display pictures and my contacts can’t see mine! What to do?
We’ve figured that this problem is related to Zone Alarm firewall (version 6.5.xxxx).
Shut down Zone Alarm entirely and then restart Messenger. Then you have to ensure that Zone Alarm doesn’t load during Windows startup. Do this by going to Zone Alarm’s Overview > Preferences tab. Uncheck Load Zone Alarm at startup. After rebooting, make sure you are signed in to Messenger first, THEN start Zone Alarm.July 19, 2006 at 2:23 am #154327princeGParticipantHow can I install and use an older version of MSN Messenger?
Visit the good folks over at OldVersion.com and choose the version you’d like to use.
September 12, 2006 at 12:00 pm #154328princeGParticipantStill expiriencing the 1603 error? Try the following solution:
(Thanks to Philip for his help)
The Error 1603 could be caused by corrupt Registry entries or a corrupt install/uninstall of WLM. One solution would be to download the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility from Help and Support
Run the utility following the instructions. Then install WLM and hopefully this will resolve the 1603 issue.
added: the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility can also be used to completely clean up botched installations of other programs as well, for example Office 2003, etc. However, it will also remove all your personal settings for these programs. Proceed with caution!
October 4, 2006 at 1:10 am #154329princeGParticipantAll of my contacts have disappeared! Why is that happening?
The following reasons may apply when your contacts do not appear when you are using Windows Live Messenger:
– You may have deleted this contact by using another program that uses the same address book.
– Your contacts may not have signed in to their Messenger, MSN Hotmail, or MSN accounts in more than 60 days.
– A cache file in Windows Live Messenger may be corrupted.If you have a Hotmail or an MSN Messenger address, the contact list that appears in Messenger is also shared by Hotmail. Therefore, if you delete a contact from the Hotmail address book, that contact will also be deleted from the Messenger contact list. Alternatively, if you are using the MSN client program or Outlook Express to access your Hotmail Inbox, deleting contacts in Outlook Express can delete the contacts from Messenger.
Each user who signs in to MSN Messenger has a contact list. If the user is signed in with a Microsoft domain e-mail address, that user’s contact list is shared between Hotmail and Messenger.
The MSN policy is to delete an inactive user’s address from other users’ contact lists after 60 days of inactivity. This does not apply to inactive MSN paying subscribers or to inactive Hotmail Extra Storage subscribers.
If a contact has disappeared from your contact list, that person may not have signed in to Messenger or used that Hotmail account or that MSN account for more than 60 days. However, the associated Microsoft Passport Network credentials (the e-mail address and password that you use to sign in to the Passport Network) may still be valid. To communicate with that contact again, you must again add that contact to your contact list.
1. Re-add contacts from your allow list to Contact list:
a. Sign in to Messenger.
b. On the “Tools” menu, click “Options,” and then click “Privacy.”
c. Right-click each contact on the Allow List, and then click “Add to Contact list.”If the contact is not on your Allow List, add the contact:
i. In the main MSN Messenger window, click “Add a Contact” on the “Contacts” menu.
ii. Follow the steps in the wizard to add the contact.2. If your contact list is empty or incomplete after you upgrade to Windows Live Messenger, the cached contact list may not have updated correctly. To update your contact list, follow these steps:
a. Sign out of Messenger.
b. Click “Start,” click “Run,” type the following command, and then click “OK”:
%USERPROFILE%Local SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftMessenger
c. A new Microsoft Windows Explorer window opens. In the window, click your Messenger ID.
d. Double-click the Contacts folder.
e. Delete the two folders that are in the Contacts folder.
f. Sign in to Messenger again. -
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