Messenger Plus! Live Faq

If you have questions about the Messenger Plus! 3, read the old faq!

In order to solve some frequent questions i've noticed, I decided to create this General FAQ about Messenger Plus! Live..

In this faq i use shortened names like:
MP!L = Messenger Plus! Live
MP!3 = Messenger Plus! 3
WLM = Windows Live Messenger

>>> If you have any problems with Messenger Plus, please DO read this FAQ before asking! <<<

Also, please check if your topic doesn't exist already.. You can try Searching for keywords.



#1. So, there are colors?
Yes, you can choose between the old colorstyle (with the squares) or the new BB-mode style. You can recieve and send both styles simultaniously.

The choice between irc and bbcode mainly only reflects the shortcut keys.

Note: if you choose bbcode style formatting, users of Plus!3 will not be able to see the colors anymore.

#2. Where are the plugins?!
The plugins have been replaced by Scripts. Scripts are a lot more powerfull and offer you do to a lot more.

Maybe you can still use some of the old plugins, but the developer needs to create a "loader" script, to load the dll file.

For more scripts see the Scripts forum or visit mpscripts.net

#3. Can I use Messenger Plus! 3 and Plus! Live together?
If your only reason for using Windows Messenger with MSN Messenger was to be connected in two accounts at the same time, we recommend that you use the new "Multiple accounts" feature of Messenger Plus! Live instead which lets you open as many Messenger windows as you want.

Upon installation, Messenger Plus! Live disables (but does not uninstall) previous versions of Messenger Plus! present on the system. You can then, if you desire, download the latest version of Messenger Plus! 3 and reinstall it on top of everything.

Messenger Plus! 3 and Messenger Plus! Live will then coexist together, however, some limitations will apply, including improper detection of some events depending on the order used to launch the clients.

#4. Where is the rename a contact function?
This function has been removed because Windows Live Messenger has the same functionality. If Microsoft doesn't improve the function, you might see it back in a newer version!

But.. Microsoft's function saves the data on the server, allowing you to sign in whereever you are (as long as you're using WLM) and still having the names.. So yes, it's a task to re-add the names, but it's worth it

#5. I cannot find feature X! It was in the previous versions but now.. its gone
Some features have been removed and replaced by new ones. Also some features have been merged, like the Messenger Lock & Boss Protect.

#6. Script X doesnt work!
Contact the creator of the script. If he/she added an about window, you may find ways to contact him. They also might be active on the forum, so check the scripting-forum.

#7. Hmm MP!L doesnt work on the WLM beta's!
That's correct, MP!L only works on the WLM final (and on the update that got released afterwards)

Sometimes Microsoft changes some internal workings of how WLM works. This may cause problems with Plus!. Try sticking to stable (non beta) releases.

#8. Hey! Where is (!WAT)?
It has been removed and replaced by (!MYMEDIA), but you can use a script to get that functionality back. One of the scripts you can try is: "Music Now Playing" by -dt-.

#9. The decryption of my logs is VERY slow!
This is caused by the new type of encryption/decryption method, where you can set different encryptionlevels. To "fix" this problem, just use a lower encryption method. You can pick: 2048, 1024, 640 or 384. The lower the encryption, the faster the decryption but ALSO a bit more unsafe!

#10. Can i use colors in my nick?
Yes you can, even better then before! In the WLM settings you'll find a new button that allows you to add colors and other markup to your nickname!

#11. The quick icons window is gone
Update your MP!L. Version 4.01 has got a brand new quick icons window!

#12. Waah MP!L deleted my contactlist!
This is not possible, you might have downloaded a fake version which wasn't downloaded from msgpluslive.net or Simtel's mirrors. You can readd them by going to the WLM settings, then pick "Privacy" and use the "See who's added me" function.

Also be carefull with malicious scripts. Only download scripts from mpscripts.net / msgpluslive.net or the Scripts forum* here!

#13. MP!L doesnt work on MSN Messenger 7.5?
No, MP!L is, like the name already stated, Live and thus only for Windows Live Messenger. You must use Messenger Plus 3. (Also see point #3)

#14. I've used the Mess-patch/A-Patch/xyz-Patch and now ... MP!L doesnt work properly now!
With patching you remove might have removed some of the controls, that MP!L uses to hook in the interface. When experiencing any kind of problems (not able to see colors, no sound, etc...) please make sure you have a clean installation of Windows Live Messenger, reinstall it in case of doubt. If you find out that a patch you were using caused problems, please report it so that we can try to fit it.

#15. Does MP!L work on Vista?
Yes, it does work on Vista, both 32 and 64 bits editions.

#16. The "Contact has started a chat with you" toast is ... Slow
Yes, it is maybe not what you've expected it to be. This function does not detect if a person opens a converstation with you, only when he starts a chat (and types a message to you)

#17. I cannot import the settings of Messenger Plus! 3!
Yes, this is correct. A lot of features have been changed so don't import the settings from MP!3 into MP!L. Upon installation, Messenger Plus! Live will automatically get many of your old Plus! 3 settings automatically.

#18. My WLM gives me a 80004005 error
First off, this FAQ item is not related to Plus but i thought this would be helpfull.

To solve this problem:

1) Enable the showing of hidden folders and files.
2) Go to "%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Live Contacts"
3) Delete all the contents in this folder.

Should work now!

#19. Hey where are the custom names?
They have been removed because Microsoft already implented something like that in WLM. Therefor Patchou has (temporarily) removed them. Maybe they'll return in the future if Microsoft doesn't improve their function.

There is currently no way to convert your MP!3 custom names to WLM's format as the API doesn't offer this option. Stay tuned!

#20. What happened to personalised status hotkeys?
They have been removed (for now). You can use an alternative though:
1) You can use /online /away /brb /lunch /onphone
2) You can create a quicktext that sets it..

#21. I can't (un)block groups anymore!
Correct, this function has been removed because the WLM api doesn't support it or has a bug. It might return if Microsoft fixes it.

#22. The auto-accept doesn't work with video calling
This function isn't implented (yet). Sorry!

#23. My contacts (with MP!3) dont see my bb-styled colors / markup!
Yup, they can only support the "classic" way of colors & markup. Maybe Patchou releases a final MP!3 with BB-code support, in order to keep compatility.

#24. WLM doesnt dock anymore!
Sorry, this is also one of the features that have been removed. It could return in the (near) future, but it also could be done using scripts.

#25. I accidentally locked msn!
You probably pressed the keys that lock messenger by default (control+space). To unlock it you can click the disconnected disk icon.

Or: Start Taskmanager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) or Ctrl+Shift+Escape and look for "msnmsgr.exe". End the task.

#26. My MSN icon has changed!
See #25.



Something missing? Feel free to create a topic in the "Msgplus! Help & Support" forum! Don't forget to mention the version numbers! (You can find them by typing (!VER) in a chat conversation)

This is the FAQ for now, I will update this from time to time..

I hope this "little" FAQ answers all your questions

Please do not PM me with questions* , but open a topic in the there for designated subforum. Thanks!
*=(that can be found easily using the search!)

Sypher: I closed the thread for you, and also modifed editpost.php so you should be able to keep this updated. Thanks for posting.