Most of the time I use msn, I like to still be logged in but appear in offline mode. The reason being is because I simply want to chat to some people on my list and not others at certain times. Instead of blocking certain people, I just appear offline.

Just recently, my msn has started automatically logging me on "online mode" when I go into my hotmail email account to check mail.

Not only that, even when I shut off messenger altogether and go into my hotmail account to check mail, people see me appearing online on msn in this other weird way even that the msn messenger program is not open.

My question is; how do I fix this problem? It never used to do this and now all the sudden (like a week or so ago) it started doing it. I haven't changed anything such as got another version of msn, it just started doing it out of the blue.

In Messenger 2011, you can't chat with people while appearing offline [I hate that ], you still are able to do that on Messenger 2009 though.

As for the logging as online, you can cancel the signing in, change your "Log in as" to "Invisible", and then wait for it to complete. You can then sign out [by actually using the "Sign out" link under the menu you can access by clicking your name], it should then set "Invisible" as a new signing in default.

As for the hotmail problem, log in to Hotmail, and click in your name in the upper right corner, choose to Sign out of Messenger, it shouldn't log you in automatically after that.